7 Easy Steak Grilling Tips That Will Make You a Grill Master

I attended the “Weber Grilling School” at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party as a guest of Time Inc.’s Lifestyle Group a few years ago. During the class, Weber “Grill Master” Kevin Kolman taught the attendees how to grill skirt steak for our own grilled steak tacos with fresh guacamole lunch. It was a fun, fast-paced class…and the results were delicious. See for yourself…

At the end of the class, we received a Weber gift bag containing a copy of Weber’s, New Real Grilling cookbook along with a couple of grilling tools. When I came home with the bag, Reggie wistfully spoke of how he would love to have a grill someday. We live in a NYC apartment, so there isn’t really any yard space for grilling. However, we plan on being over his parents’ home a lot this summer, so I ordered him a Weber grill for Father’s Day. Although we used an electric grill during the class, Reggie prefers a charcoal grill. That is what I bought him this charcoal Weber grill as a gift. (Shhh…)

In case you want to be a “grill master” too, I will leave you with “4 Reasons Why Your Steak Sticks to the Grill”…so that you can make sure that it does not!)

4 Reasons Why Your Steak Sticks to the Grill

1. The grill is not hot enough. You can use a grill thermometer to make sure that the grill is at the desired heat level before placing the meat on it.

2. You didn’t oil the meat. Oil the meat, not the grate!

3. You didn’t clean the grates before grilling. Make sure that you clean any leftover debris first.

4. The meat is not done cooking. The meat will naturally caramelize when it is done.

There were a few other grilling tips that I jotted down during the class…

3 More Steak Grilling Tips

1. When you are coating your meat with spices or rubs, make sure that you don’t forget to coat the sides/ends. That helps ensure that every bite is flavorful.

2. Don’t cut into the meat right after you take it off the grill. Give it time to rest. On average, you should let the meat rest 30% – 40% of the time that you actually cooked it. (i.e. If you cooked it for 5 minutes, let it rest for 2 minutes before cutting.)

3. Cut against the grain of the meat. If you slice with the grain, the meat is chewy. If you cut against the grain, it comes apart/is tenderer.

Are you a grilling family? If so, I would love to hear your tips in the “Comments” below. Thanks!