Serves 4
4 well-marbled NY strip steaks, about 12-16 oz each
kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
vegetable oil, for preparing the grill
For a charcoal grill: Turn all the burners on high, close the lid, and heat until very hot, about 20 minutes. Here’s a way to tell if your grill is hot enough: Hold your hand right over the grill rack. If you you can keep it there for five seconds, it’s not hot enough. If you can’t hold it there for even half a second, it's too hot. When the grill is hot, scrape the rack clean with a grill brush. Then soak a clean rag or a bunch of paper towels with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, and using tongs, rub it over the grill rack. Leave one burner on high, but turn the rest to medium.
For a gas grill: Light 6 quarts (about 100 briquettes) of charcoal and allow to burn until the coals are fully ignited and covered with a thin ash layer, about 20-30 minutes. Build a two-level fire by arranging most of the coals on one side of the grill for a hot fire, and the rest of the coals in a single layer on the other side of the grill for a low fire. Set the grill rack in place, cover with the lid, and heat the grill for about 5 minutes. When the grill is hot, scrape the rack clean with a grill brush. Then soak a clean rag or a bunch of paper towels with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, and using tongs, rub it over the grill rack.
* * *
Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, then season all over with a good dose of salt and pepper. Grill the steaks, uncovered, directly over the hottest part of the grill until well-browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Then flip the steaks over and grill until well-browned on the other side, another 3 minutes or so.
Move the steaks to the cooler side of the grill. Continue grilling until the desired doneness is reached, 120°F for rare (about 5-6 minutes), 125°F for medium-rare (about 6-7 minutes), 130-140°F for medium (about 8-9 minutes), 150°F for medium-well (about 10-11 minutes) and 160°F for well (about 12-14 minutes). (It’s always best to go by temperature rather than time!!)
Remove the steaks from the grill and allow it to rest, covered with a loose layer of foil, for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
SERVED AT THIS DINNER PARTY
RETURN TO RECIPE LIBRARY
RETURN TO SCRUMPTIOUS COMPANY HOMEPAGE
