By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern
In our last Beef 101 article, we looked at all of the nutritional and health benefits that beef has to offer. In this one, we’re going to look at some tips for the best and most popular method for cooking steaks – Grilling. Because as we all know, there’s nothing better than a hot juicy steak that’s been grilled to perfection! 
I am by no means an expert when it comes to cooking and grilling especially, so here are some tips for grilling the perfect steak from professional chef Chris Frothingham.
- Clean and season the grill – Brush residue off and oil the grates with high-temp cooking oil.
- Temper the meat for about an hour and a half – Letting it sit at room temperature will help it to cook faster and more evenly.
- Season the meat well – Use whatever seasonings you like, but salt and pepper are great for enhancing the natural flavor of the steak.
- Leave the steak alone once it’s on the grill – Moving it around too much can cause it to dry out and not get a good sear.
- Let it rest once off the grill – Letting the steak sit for about half the time that it took to cook lets the juices redistribute and make the meat more tender.
- Know when to marinate – Thin and lean steaks such as flank, skirt, and tri-tip are best marinated for about 10 hours, whereas thicker, fattier steaks such as ribeye, sirloin, strip, and filet mignon are best just seasoned before grilling.
Now, there’s another aspect to grilling that is incredibly important, and that is checking for doneness. This might be the hardest part of grilling because just a few seconds over the heat can significantly change the internal temperature of the steak. Frothingham notes that steaks continue to cook with residual heat to about 5 degrees hotter, so the following temperatures account for that extra cooking.
- Rare – Pull off the grill at 115-120 degrees.
- Medium rare – Pull off the grill at 120-125 degrees.
- Medium – Pull off the grill at 130-135 degrees.
- Medium well – Pull off the grill at 140-145 degrees.
- Well – Pull off the grill at 150-155 degrees.
While I know I said I am by no means a cooking expert, one thing I do know is that Arizona beef is the best beef by far. In fact, beef is one of Arizona agriculture’s top commodities and is ranked top when it comes to both quality and taste! So, the next time you’re going to grill up some steaks, start by choosing some fresh, locally produced beef, and then follow some of these tips to truly enjoy a perfectly grilled steak!
Remember that May is National Beef Month!