How To Grill Perfect Steak

Browned and lightly charred on the outside, juicy and tender inside, a perfectly grilled steak has the power to make grown men cry. But you know what makes everyone cry? A dry, overcooked steak. Or a gray, tentatively-grilled steak with no crusty edges. With so many ways to get it wrong, it’s no wonder grilling steak can be intimidating.

To get it right once and for all, we turned to chef and grilling expert Adam Perry Lang, who shared his step-by-step method for perfect steak on the grill. His process is straightforward, but also includes a few tricks that ensure maximum flavor, a gorgeous crust and an evenly cooked interior every time.

Adam’s technique involves building flavor at every step. He seasons steak with a dry blend of garlic salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper before putting it on the grill, and then he bastes it frequently with butter while it cooks, which always produces a steak that is, in his words, “GB and D”: golden-brown and delicious.

To make things even more delicious, the basting is done not with the usual barbecue brush, but with a bundle of woody herbs like rosemary, sage or thyme. When they touch the sizzling steak, the oils from the herbs are released, adding even more flavor to the meat. You can make the brush a little fancier and easier to use by tying the herbs to the end of a wooden spoon or dowel, or simply use a piece of kitchen twine to tie them into an easy-to-grip bunch.

You may have heard that meat shouldn’t be messed with once it’s on the grill. Adam recommends the opposite; you want some browning when each side of the steak initially hits the grill, but after that you should flip your steak frequently in order to ensure even cooking. Forming that wonderful crust on the steak will happen naturally by the end, especially if you are basting with butter.

If you are skeptical, as many of readers were when we previously mentioned this technique, all I can say is try it! I’ve been using this method since learning it from Adam and have been turning out perfectly cooked steaks every single time.

Once the meat is grilled, you can add one final layer of flavor by making a quick dressing with the meat juices, minced herbs from the herb brush, lemon zest and extra virgin olive oil. Tossing the slices of meat in the dressing means every bite is juicy and perfectly seasoned.

Read more: Every Single Side Dish to Serve with Steak (All in One Place)

After Adam took me through the steps of his steak-grilling process, I was so inspired, I organized a backyard steak barbecue a few nights later. Normally cooking steak for 15 people would be a little intimidating or at least something of a chore, but this time it was truly fun. Everyone was intrigued by the melted butter and the herb brush, and I definitely heard some skeptical remarks as I explained, “No, I’m flipping them a lot on purpose.” But when I was done and the platter was piled high with slices of crusty-edged, rosy-pink steak, the guests’ mouths were too stuffed to say anything but “Perfect steak!” before they headed back for seconds.

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