How to Grill Steaks
Master two-zone grilling to cook thick-cut steaks with a deep mahogany crust and an evenly cooked, juicy interior using precise temperature monitoring.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Gas or charcoal grill
- ✓ Instant-read digital meat thermometer
- ✓ Long-handled metal grill tongs
- ✓ Grill grate brush
- ✓ Paper towels
- ✓ Wooden cutting board
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Thick-cut ribeye or NY strip steaks (1.5-inch thick)
- ✓ Coarse kosher salt
- ✓ Coarse freshly ground black pepper
- ✓ High-smoke-point oil (avocado or canola)
- ✓ Unsalted butter
- ✓ Fresh rosemary sprigs
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Keep a designated cool zone on the grill and keep the lid ready to smother grease flare-ups.
- • Use dedicated cutting boards and tongs for raw vs cooked meat to prevent bacterial cross-contamination.
- • Wear heat-resistant grill gloves and use tongs at least 12 inches long when managing direct flame.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Dry and Season the Meat
Remove steaks from the refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before cooking. Use paper towels to firmly pat all surfaces completely dry. Coat generously on all sides with coarse kosher salt and coarse black pepper, pressing the seasoning firmly into the meat fibers.
- • Steak surface shows zero glistening moisture droplets before seasoning.
- • Even white and black granular crust covers top, bottom, and side edges.
- • Leaving surface moisture which causes the meat to steam instead of sear.
- • Under-seasoning thick cuts of meat.
Establish Two-Zone Grill Heat
Set up the grill with a high-heat direct zone (450°F–500°F) on one side and a low-heat indirect zone on the other. Scrape the grates clean with a grill brush. Lightly oil the grates using an oiled paper towel held in tongs.
- • Grates are clean of black carbon debris and have a light sheen of oil.
- • Direct side coals glow orange or gas burners are set to high, with opposite side completely off or low.
- • Setting the entire grill surface to high heat, leaving no escape zone for flare-ups.
- • Oiling cold grates instead of preheated grates.
Sear the First Side and Fat Cap
Place steaks diagonally onto the direct heat zone. Close the lid and let sear undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes to build a solid Maillard crust. Use tongs to lift the steak onto its edge to render and crisp the outer fat strip for 60 seconds.
- • Underside has developed a deep golden-brown, sizzling crust with defined grate marks.
- • Fat cap edge changes from opaque white to translucent golden-brown.
- • Flipping or moving the steak constantly during the first 2 minutes.
- • Ignoring flare-ups caused by rendering fat.
Sear Reverse Side and Move to Indirect Heat
Flip the steak onto an adjacent hot section of the direct zone and sear for another 2 to 3 minutes. Once both sides show a rich, dark brown crust, transfer the steak to the indirect heat side. Close the grill lid to finish cooking with ambient heat.
- • Both broad sides show an even, mahogany-colored crust.
- • Steak sits on the unlit/indirect side with lid closed and smoke venting.
- • Leaving the steak over direct flame until the center is cooked, which chars the surface.
- • Flipping onto the exact same grate spot which has already lost heat.
Monitor Internal Temperature
Insert the instant-read probe horizontally into the thickest center part of the steak, avoiding bone and pockets of pure fat. Pull the steak off the grill when it reaches 5°F below your target doneness (pull at 125°F for medium-rare, 135°F for medium).
- • Digital readout stabilizes at 125°F–130°F for medium-rare.
- • Steak feels slightly springy to the touch rather than soft (raw) or rigid (well-done).
- • Probing vertically from the top, which touches the hot grate underneath.
- • Cooking all the way to target temperature on the grill without accounting for carryover cooking.
Rest, Butter Baste, and Carve
Transfer steak to a wooden board and place a pat of unsalted butter and a rosemary sprig directly on top. Let it rest undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes. Slice cleanly against the grain into 1/2-inch strips using a sharp chef's knife.
- • Butter melts over the crust, mixing with resting juices into a glossy glaze.
- • Slices show consistent pink edge-to-edge color with minimal liquid runoff on the board.
- • Cutting into the steak immediately off the grill, causing juices to bleed out.
- • Slicing parallel to the grain, resulting in a chewy texture.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by Andy Cooks — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Instant-read digital meat thermometer? Analog meat thermometer or strict timed finger-touch firmness test
- No Grill grate brush? A crumpled ball of heavy-duty aluminum foil held with long tongs
- No Avocado oil? Canola oil, vegetable oil, or refined peanut oil