BBQ Steak, High or Low?

Blisterman

Got some delicious looking steak from the Butchers today, and gonna cook it on the BBQ.

But I'm not sure whether to cook it on high or low heat. I've heard people with very strong opinions both ways.

Some say cook it on as high a heat as possible. Sear the outsides, take it off and leave it for a few minutes for the heat to go through to the centre of the meat.

Others say low heat for longer. Keeps the meat tender.

I googled it, but again, it's the same mix of opinions. So I thought I'd ask here for some opinions. I generally like them cooked medium. Pink, but warm in the middle. They're striploin steaks about 3/4 inch thick.

foodaholic

I personally go for the high heat option. seared on the outside and with a lovely pink centre. A must if your bbq is to put some woodchips that have been soaked in water on top off the coal, it soooo makes such a difference :pac:

giantturkeyleg

Normally when cooking steak (in the pan) I would go for a low heat, and a long cooking time, but the fact that there is a lid for the pan, and I can add water/oil means the meat won't dry out. I wouldn't be sure that a steak would still be so juicy after a slow cook on the barbeque, unless you regularly butter it.

Even if you decide to slow cook it, you will still want to cook it on high heat for a while, to get the crispy, tasty, chargrilled 'crust'.

Just remember that searing at high heat does not seal the meat, so it will still lose moisture, whichever way you cook it. However, if the inside is still partially raw (pink) it will compensate for the drier outer parts, and on average the steak will be moist.

As is always the case with meat, it depends on how tender it is to begin with (and how strong your jaw muscles are) that dictates how it needs to be cooked to keep it tender.

unkel

giantturkeyleg wrote: »

Normally when cooking steak (in the pan) I would go for a low heat, and a long cooking time

:eek:

I guess nobody has mentioned what kinda steak we are talking about, but the only way I would cook fillet (or sirloin) steak in the pan is on a very high heat for a very short cooking time - turning just once.

BBQ ruins a proper steak imho, but it's grand for thin / sliced / cheap steaks...

giantturkeyleg

OP is talking about 3/4 inch striploin steaks. I use sirloin most of the time. It really depends on how much red blood you want in the steak when you eat it. Personally I don't want any, so I cook it through. Cooking it slowly over a longer time means it will be tender. Cooking it on high heat makes it tougher, but since the inside is still raw and hasn't been exposed to the heat it remains tender.

Blisterman

Thanks everyone,
In the end, couldn't get the coals very hot (I'd left them till last), so ended up cooking it on a pretty low heat for about 15-20 mins.

Cooked-wise it was perfect, pink, but not red all the way through. Used some oak wood chips. Ended up very smokey. Too much so really. Would definitely reduce the amount of wood next time.

Was juciy, but a little tough. Not sure if that's the steak or the cooking technique. Might try the high heat next time to try it out.

olaola

HOT HOT HOT, keep the time short and let it rest.

Kimia

I'm horrified by some of the answers here. Slow cooked steak? :eek:

If you're buying steak you may as well go for a nice cut, I personally wouldn't touch striploin/sirloin, it can be quite chewy.

Rib eye is the best bet - lovely marbling - SEAR on a VERY high heat, turn once, then leave to rest for about 5 mins.

If you want tender beef, you could slow cook some beef shin. Don't slow cook steak. Seriously !

Krusty_Clown

giantturkeyleg wrote: »

OP is talking about 3/4 inch striploin steaks. I use sirloin most of the time. It really depends on how much red blood you want in the steak when you eat it. Personally I don't want any, so I cook it through. Cooking it slowly over a longer time means it will be tender. Cooking it on high heat makes it tougher, but since the inside is still raw and hasn't been exposed to the heat it remains tender.

There is very little blood in steak (cooked of otherwise). The juices that are released during cooking are mostly water, fat and myoglobin. If you want avoid blood, stay away from black pudding and sharp implements.

Mellor

giantturkeyleg wrote: »

OP is talking about 3/4 inch striploin steaks. I use sirloin most of the time. It really depends on how much red blood you want in the steak when you eat it. Personally I don't want any, so I cook it through. Cooking it slowly over a longer time means it will be tender. Cooking it on high heat makes it tougher, but since the inside is still raw and hasn't been exposed to the heat it remains tender.

I was wondering why the hell you were suggesting slow cooked steak.
A steak cooked like that has been ruined imo.
And its not blood, its water/juices etc

giantturkeyleg

There is more than one way to cook steak. If you want to cook it quickly on high heat you can, and if you want to cook it slowly on low heat you can do that too. In reality you can cook any type of meat quickly or slowly. There is nothing to say that only beef shin or other tough cuts can be cooked slowly, and that steak must be cooked quickly. It just depends on your preference.

When steak is cooked on a high heat it contracts, which toughens it, and squeezes out the water inside it. If you want it to remain tender you leave the inside red/pink, so that the water/blood/fat/'juices' remain in the meat, and this uncooked/undercooked section does not contract and toughen. Many people cook steak this way, and if it suits you, bon appetit! The few times that I have eaten steak that was still (slightly) pink inside, having been cooked at high heat, I did not enjoy it. Even at this level of 'doneness' it tasted bloody and raw, in spite of the crispy outside.

So, I prefer my steak to be cooked through, so that it has the cooked taste that I enjoy. This is done by cooking it slowly at a low heat. Then, the steak is cooked in some oil and butter to give it more flavour and brown the outside further, making it beautifully tender, with a delicious beefy flavour.

It is not as black-and-white as that, however. Sometimes I try cooking the steak at a medium/high heat, using oil and butter, which cooks it through and browns it, but it is still tougher than I want it to be, and it still has the bloody taste that I don't like. Maybe with time I will figure out a way to cook it through, quickly, on high heat, so that it remains tender and tastes how I want it to. Conversely, I think that many people settle for cooking it quickly, leaving the inside pink, because they have not learned how to cook it through while keeping it tender. If you have the money to pay for very tender fillet steak, good for you. I only eat fillet steak when on holidays, where it is much cheaper. In Ireland I cannot fork out that much, but get great results from sirloin.

You can eat raw steak, such as carpaccio, or well done steak burnt to a crisp, and every combination of heat and cooking time in between. Whichever cooking method suits you, and gives you the result that you enjoy to eat is entirely up to you, and I will not object to anyone doing that (unless they are cooking it for me!). I have given my way of cooking steak, because it works for me, and I am sure that I am not the only one who cooks it this way.

Kimia

Well obviously everyone has their own preferences!! But the OP was asking for the best way to cook steak, on a high or low heat, and because all the chefs I've ever watched/read/seen have said steak on high heat, along with the fact that I have cooked steak like this a million times (and your way too) this is the most popular way of cooking steak, and in my opinion, the best way.

I mean, you can also boil chicken, but you wouldn't hear people recommending it would you? Most people believe that slow cooking overcooks steak. The meat is tender because it hasn't been used by the animal as much as say, beef shin, as there is not a lot of developed muscle in the steak cut. Slow cooking breaks down muscle and fat which is why it turns out tender, but if you have a good cut of steak you shouldn't need to slow cook it.

By the way, if you leave a steak rest, the contracting stops and the juices settle, allowing for a very tender steak after about 5-8 mins. Maybe that's why yours have been tough?

I agree on the oil and butter, must haves for cooking steak.

ps. do you ever eat steak in a restaurant? If so, did you like it? Because I can pretty much guarantee that all professional chefs will cook steak on a high heat, then rest.

Mellor

Of course you can cook anything anyway you like.
But it's pretty universal that the best way to serve steak is rare to medium/rare. And by universal, I mean all the top chefs and food critics in the world.

But hey, you do whatever you like