5 Grilling Mistakes Pitmasters Say Ruin Great Steak
It’s easier to ruin a beautiful steak than you might think—if you are not familiar with grilling or can’t figure out why your steak doesn’t come out the way you want, very simple issues could be the reason. These issues are easily fixable, and with a little bit of care and preparation you can grill a steak that easily rivals those at your favorite steakhouse. If you avoid the following slip ups, grilling steak is as easy as pie: Here are five common mistakes experts say ruin great steak.
Grilling Cold Meat
Let your meat come to room temperature before hitting the grill. “Don’t grill your steak (or any meat for that matter) directly from the refrigerator,” say the experts at Good Ranchers. “One of the most common grilling mistakes is grilling cold meat. You want your steak to be room temperature for the best grilled steak, so get in the habit of setting your meat out for about 30 minutes before grilling to get it at the right temperature.”
Not Preheating the Grill
If you’ve ever cooked steak on a cast-iron pan on the stove top, you know how important it is to get that pan screaming hot before adding the meat; so the steak gets a perfect crust. The same applies for the grill. “We’ve all been tempted to save a few minutes when cooking by putting food in the oven before it preheats or throwing meat onto the grill before it reaches the hottest temperature. Just wait until the grill is hot-hot, then add your meat. Those first two mistakes to avoid simply take a little bit of patience,” Good Ranchers says.
Not Using a Thermometer
Do not cut your meat half-way through to see if it’s ready—a good meat thermometer will make the difference between a perfectly-cooked steak and an overdone one. “Cutting into the meat on the grill to check if it’s done is a big [mistake],” Matt Abdoo, executive chef and co-founder of Pig Beach BBQ, told Food & Wine. “You spend all this time and money on a great steak or burger, and then end up draining all the juices by slicing into it too early.”
Not Prepping the Meat
Do not leave it to the last minute to prep your meat—many marinades and seasonings take several hours to be effective. “Another error frequently made by many wannabe grillmasters is not putting in any prep work to ensure your steaks are ready for the grill,” say the pros at Vincent’s Meat Market. “Decide early on how you want to season or marinate your meat to allow the flavors time to soak in before hitting the grill. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator 30 minutes to an hour before grilling to ensure your food cooks evenly on the grill.”
Not Cleaning the Grill
Don’t cook on a dirty grill! “A dirty grill ruins your next round of steaks by making the meat stick to the grates, causing your food to tear and release moisture,” Vincent’s Meat Market says. “Cleaning the grate with a wire brush after each use removes the stuck-on food and ensures your grill is ready to go for future cookouts.”