Five Tips to barbecue the Perfect Steak 

The one thing that comes along with the warmer temperatures in our climate is the smell of barbecues working overtime! Everyone loves cooking outside and really – there is something very good about being able to serve freshly barbecued entree! I just called it entree, because I think that one of the most satisfactory accomplishments – as far as cooking over the hot coals or grills goes, is to be able to make the perfect steak. Here are a few points that will help you to do that – and if you want to add to them, please do so – there is never enough advice when it comes to making hte perfect steak!

1. Barbecuing – that is when you cook meat over indirect , low heat with wood or charcoal for an extended period of time.
2. Marinating – The first step to take when preparing your meat . A good marinate will break down protein fibres and soften hard and dry meat. There are many things you can use to marinate your meat – including products you can just buy at your local grocery store. You can use pineapple juice or other citrus juices. If you add extra virgin oil to your marinate, you will have the tenderizing version in an instant.
3. Sealing – you will want to seal the juices in your steak and to do that you should cook it on medium to high heat. You can also brush it with melted butter or olive oil mixed with spices when you put it on the heat. Once you flip it to the other side, you can repeat the brushing.
4. Flipping – that means turning the steak on the side you haven’t cooked yet – and you should only do that once and never puncture your steak with a fork! Always use spatula or tongues to handle the meat otherwise you will be letting all the good juices out of your potentially delicious steak!
5. Cooking – Rare, medium,well… – you will need to keep tabs on the internal temperature of your steak to get it to the preferred stage – and that is easily done with an inexpensive meat thermometer. And you will want to take the meat off the barbecue just before its actually done cooking and let it sit for a few minutes. The reason is that it will continue cooking for a few minutes after you remove it form your grill. If you don’t do this, you could overcook your steak!

So – here are the few basic rules for getting your perfect steak! Of course, you will need to take into consideration the quality of meat and i always think that the one rule to go by is : You get what you pay for! Cheaper cuts of meat will not taste the same as the ones with higher price tag.

Please add to this – your comments and experiences will be most appreciated!