Expert: Whitestag - 10/15/2004

Question
Hi Loren,

I'm a novice when it comes to the BBQ. Could you please advise me on how to make a juicy and tasty BBQ steak?  

What is your best advice to BBQ a steak so it will be as juicy as possible? Someone told me to move it back and forth between the BBQ grill to a bowl of water to keep a steak juicy.

Also, what are some seasonings or sauces you recommend? I tend to like Bullseye BBQ sauce and A1 steak sauce.  

Answer
To get good juicy steaks, purchase good tender meat.  As a rule, this means going to a butcher rather than your grocery store, unless you go to a high-end grocery.  The best cuts (from least tender to most tender) are sirloin, rib steak, porterhouse (T-bone), shell steak, and tenderloin (filet mignon).  Cook them no more than medium (pink in the center), preferably medium rare (pink all the way through).  Do not use frozen and thawed meat -- the freeze/thaw process dries it out.

I have never heard of the method that you were told, and it doesn't make any sense.  Just cook at high heat, turning once.  A 1" steak will cook in about 10 - 15 minutes AT MOST.  If you really want make sure you've got it right, get a quick-read meat thermometer and follow the instructions.

For seasoning, less is better.  Rub the steak with a sliced clove of garlic or sprinkle with a little garlic and/or onion salt.  For the really good steaks, sauces are unecessary and even bad, since they mask the flavor of the steak.  There are some very good mildly flavored sauces, but I would not recommend them to the novice chef, as they are difficult to make.  My personal favorite is Bearnaise sauce, which is sort of like a hollandaise with a few more herbs and spices.

Happy grilling!