Steakhouse Grilled Steaks at Home

It’s easy to grill your own steakhouse-quality steaks at home. High heat, salt and pepper, and you are good to go! Add a pat of compound butter for a delicious low carb meal.

My husband and I have a standing date Friday night date night, one that I look forward to all week long. But it’s not a night out on the town, at a fancy restaurant or bar. We’re much too cheap for that and don’t love paying a sitter at the same time as paying through the nose for dinner. So we keep it simple. Our date night consists of setting the kids up in the playroom with a movie and their own finger-food dinner while we enjoy a drink and a show or a movie upstairs. And a nice dinner prepared by yours truly, which is almost invariably grilled steak and veggies. My Friday night grilled steak makes me a very happy woman.

I used to let my husband do all the grilling but I’ve taken over much of the open-flame cooking duties in the past few years. He gets home later these days and I like to have the meal all prepped and ready to go when he finishes a long week at work. Steak perfectly grilled to medium/medium-rare, resting with a nice pat of butter on it when he walks in the door. Thank goodness we live in place where it’s possible to grill throughout most of the year, because that meal is a wonderful treat for both of us. And I’ve honed my steak-grilling skills pretty well.

So when Kingsford® asked me to share my best tips for grilling steakhouse steaks at home, I happily jumped on board. Have you seen their Professional Briquets? They are made to burn hotter so they are perfect for getting steakhouse quality in your own backyard. Other tips you want to keep in mind:

• Get a good quality cut of meat. This is really critical to enjoying steakhouse steaks. And although the price tag can seem a little hefty, don’t skimp. Because it’s so much less expensive than what you’d pay in an actual steakhouse (often less than half the cost), so it’s worth it. I am partial to New York Strip or boneless rib-eye, although I don’t say no to a bone-in rib-eye either. Also aim for steak that is at least an inch thick, for serious juiciness.

• Bring the steaks out of the fridge early and get them up to room temperature before grilling. And pat them dry very well. Remember, you want to sear them, not steam them!

• SEASON YOUR STEAK WELL WITH SALT AND PEPPER! – Yes, I am shouting because there is nothing more sad than a beautifully done steak that lacks salt and pepper. Honestly, even good restaurants make this mistake sometimes. I love salt and I put plenty on my steaks both before and after I cook it, but obviously you want to adjust to taste. Just know that a good sprinkling of salt is going to add flavour and help the cooking process by drawing out moisture.

• As for other rubs and seasonings, go for it if you want. But a good cut of meat won’t need more than salt and pepper to make it flavourful. Check if your rubs or seasonings already contain a hefty dose of salt, in which case, you  might need a lighter hand with the salt and pepper shakers.

• Get that grill up to temperature. Which is to say…hot, hot, hot. The best steak is cooked over high heat and cooked relatively quickly. Stand by while it cooks, don’t walk away, because that high heat can mean the difference between perfectly cooked and overdone in a few short minutes. This is where Kingsford® Professional Briquets really help for charcoal grills. No wimpy coals here!

• Kingsford recommends setting up a two-zone fire…which is to say you move all of your coals to one side of the grill so that you have the option of both direct and indirect heat. I tried that with this recipe and it worked perfectly. I could sear the outside of the steaks over high heat and then move them to the lower heat side to finish cooking through.

• An instant read thermometer is your friend. We all like our steaks done a little differently, so knowing exactly when to take them off is critical. Don’t rely on the outside alone, you may be fooled! I never let my steaks go above 140F, which is just perfect for the medium/medium-rare that I love.

• Some people say to let the meat rest, some say that’s a myth. But I like to let it rest anyway with a nice pat of butter on top. It’s melted and perfect when it comes time to eat, and the juices from both the steak and the butter will make you want to lick your plate (I may  have done this a few times…okay, every time…). This time, I seasoned the butter with garlic, rosemary and a little parmesan. Pure heaven!

For more great grilling tips and recipes, check out the Kingsford website. Great ideas on there! Plus follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Grilled Steak with Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Butter

It's easy to grill your own steakhouse-quality steaks at home. High heat, salt and pepper, and you are good to go! Add a pat of compound butter for a delicious low carb meal.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 48 ounces of steak

Calories: 573kcal

Ingredients

Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Butter:

• ¼ cup salted butter softened
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ cup grated parmesan

Steaks:

• 4 New York Strip or Boneless Rib Eye steaks 1-inch thick each, room temperature
• 2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt more to taste
• 2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, garlic and parmesan. Mix very well until well combined. Transfer to a square of waxed paper and roll into a log. Twist the ends and refrigerate until firm.
• Season steaks generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Let sit while grill is firing up the grill.
• Preheat grill with Kingsford Professional Briquets (I highly recommend using a charcoal chimney for quick lighting and heating). Once coals are glowing hot, distribute them to one side of the the grill for a two-zone fire.
• Place steaks on the grill directly over the coals and cook, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, watching carefully. Flip and cook on the second side another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer steaks to the other side of the grill (indirect heat) and continue to cook until they reach desired temperature, checking often with an instant read thermometer. 135F is about right for medium rare.
• Remove to a platter and top each with a pat of the prepared compound butter. Let sit 4 or 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Makes 4 12-ounce steaks. But this is a lot of steak and it reasonably serves 6 to 8 with sides. I've done the nutritional calculations for 6 servings.

Food energy: 573kcal
Total fat: 31.94g
Calories from fat: 287
Cholesterol: 203mg
Carbohydrate: 1.09g
Total dietary fiber: 0.49g
Protein: 62.95g

Nutrition Facts

Grilled Steak with Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Butter

Amount Per Serving (8 g)

Calories 573 Calories from Fat 287

% Daily Value*

Fat 31.94g49%

Cholesterol 203mg68%

Carbohydrates 1.09g0%

Fiber 0.49g2%

Protein 62.95g126%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kingsford. The opinions and text are all mine.