Chewy Steaks

[marmaduke]

Hi all. Can someone tell me why my steaks are always coming out chewy?
I had approx 1/2" thick steaks, marinated overnight, allowed to come to room temp. Grilled 6 minutes per side, allowed to rest for 10 minutes, and my son tells me the steaks are chewy. I'm about ready to give up. How do I make them fork tender.

Oh. I also have some pork cutlets approx 1/4" thick. How would I grill these so they don't end up as hockey pucks.

Thanks for any help.

[Kitchen Witch]

Let raw steak come to room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. If the kitchen's hot or humid, make it no more than a half-hour.

Season with a mixture of kosher or sea salt and coarse, fresh-ground pepper. Press gently into the meat's surface on both sides and around the edges.

SEAR IT

Turn up those flames to 500 degrees or more, preheat the grill until it's smokin' hot, and sear that sucker to form a nice crust. Ideally, you'll achieve caramelization: an even, light-brown color sealing in the steak juices.

Some steakhouses use infrared broilers, which can cook a thick steak to rare perfection in two minutes flat. Unfortunately, infrared broilers are very expensive options on a handful of outdoor grills and upscale kitchen ranges. Most home equipment simply can't get hot enough to sear a steak the way a steakhouse can.

Don't worry about trying to get both sides evenly brown. "As long as one side is beautifully browned, the other side doesn't matter so much," chef Chamberlain says. "You don't want to overcook it in an attempt to brown both sides."

FINISH IT

Follow searing by properly finishing the steak. The usual way is simply to turn down the heat so the meat will cook through without burning.

Another way (preferred for thick or big cuts) is to cook with indirect heat. Move the meat over on the grill so that the flame is not under the meat, but next to it. Keep the lid down for an oven effect with an air temp of around 300-400 degrees F.

Steak firms up quickly as it cooks. An experienced chef can tell how done a steak is just by pressing it with a fingertip.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Steaks shrink as they cook because they lose moisture. So avoid buying thin cuts, steaks under 1 inch thick; they overcook much too easily.

Do not mess with the meat. Don't move it around on the grill. Don't turn it over more than absolutely necessary.

And no grilling forks ... ever! Always use a long-handled spatula, or better yet, a pair of tongs. And wear a grilling mitt.

Don't let steak stay on the grill to reach the requested doneness, or it will overcook. Instead, take it off the heat just before it gets to the desired stage, and let it "rest" on a plate for 3 to 5 minutes.

Meat continues cooking internally after you take it off the grill. A steak removed from the grill at the rare stage will be medium-rare by the time it's served. A short rest allows the interior's remaining blood and juices to flow from the center back toward the surfaces of the steak.


also - a bit more to read -

Beef Grilling Guide

The following cuts, thicknesses, weights, and grilling times are meant to be guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. Cooking times are affected by such factors as altitude, outside temperature, and desired doneness. A few rules of thumb: Grill patties and steaks 1 inch thick or less using the Direct Method for the time given on the chart or to desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling time. Sear thick steaks over Direct High heat and finish grilling over Indirect Medium heat turning once halfway through grilling time. Grill roasts and thicker cuts using the Indirect Method for the time given on the chart, or until an instant-read thermometer registers the desired internal temperature. Cooking times for beef are to medium doneness unless otherwise noted. Let roasts, larger cuts of meat, and thick steaks rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving. The internal temperature of the meat will rise by 5 to 10 degrees during this time.

Cut of Meat Thickness or Weight Approximate Cooking Time
Steaks: New York, porterhouse, rib-eye, sirloin, T-bone, tenderloin 3/4 inch thick
1 inch thick 8 to 10 minutes (Direct Medium)
10 to 12 minutes (Direct Medium)

1-1/4 inches thick 14 to 16 minutes (Sear 10 minutes Direct High, then 4 to 6 minutes Indirect Medium)

1-1/2 inches thick 16 to 18 minutes (Sear 10 minutes Direct High, then 6 to 8 minutes Indirect Medium)

2 inches thick 20 to 24 minutes (Sear 10 minutes Direct High, then 10 to 14 minutes Indirect Medium)

Skirt steak 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick 5 to 7 minutes (Direct High)

Flank steak 1-1/2 to 2 pounds, 3/4 inch thick 12 to 15 minutes (Direct Medium)

Tenderloin, whole 3-1/2 to 4 pounds 35 to 50 minutes (medium rare) (Sear 20 minutes Direct Medium, then 15 to 30 minutes Indirect Medium)

Ground beef patties 3/4 inch thick 8 to 10 minutes (Direct Medium)

Rib-eye roast, boneless 5 to 6 pounds 1-1/2 to 2 hours (Indirect Medium)

Tri-tip roast 2 to 2-1/2 pounds 30 to 40 minutes (Sear 10 minutes Direct High, then 20 to 30 minutes Indirect Medium)

Rib roast 12 to 14 pounds 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 hours Indirect Medium

Veal loin chops 1 inch thick 10 to 12 minutes (Direct Medium)


Pork Grilling Guide

The following cuts, thicknesses, weights, and grilling times are meant to be guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. Cooking times are affected by such factors as altitude, outside temperature, and desired doneness. A few rules of thumb: Grill steaks and chops 1 inch thick or less using the Direct Method for the time given on the chart or to desired doneness, turning once halfway through grilling time. Sear thick chops over Direct High heat and finish grilling over Indirect Medium heat turning once halfway through grilling time. Grill roasts, ribs, and bratwurst using the Indirect Method for the time given on the chart or until an instant-read thermometer registers the desired internal temperature. Let roasts, larger cuts of meat, and thick chops rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

Type Thickness or Weight Approximate Cooking Time

Chops: Rib, loin, shoulder 3/4 to 1 inch thick 10 to 15 minutes (Direct Medium)

1-1/4- to 1-1/2 inches thick 14 to 18 minutes (Sear 8 minutes Direct High, then 6 to 10 minutes Indirect Medium)

Loin chops, boneless 3/4 to 1 inch thick 10 to 12 minutes (Direct Medium)

Loin roasts: blade, sirloin, center rib 3 to 5 pounds 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hours (Indirect Medium)

Rib crown roast 4 to 6 pounds 1-1/2 to 2 hours (Indirect Medium)

Ribs: country-style, baby back, spareribs 3 to 4 pounds 1-1/2 to 2 hours (Indirect Medium)

Tenderloin, whole 3/4 to 1 pound 25 to 30 minutes (Indirect Medium)

Bratwurst 25 to 30 minutes (Indirect Medium)



And of course I have much more if you need it!

I hope this helps...

KW

[Kitchen Witch]

THE BEST STEAKS

Experts generally agree that these four cuts are the best choices when you're looking to impress or indulge. A bone-in steak cooks more slowly, but the bone adds flavor to leaner cuts.

T-BONE is cut from the center of the short loin.

PORTERHOUSE includes the tip of the tenderloin (where the filet mignon comes from).

BONELESS NEW YORK STRIP is also known as a Kansas City Steak. It's cut from the strip loin.

RIB-EYE is also known as a Delmonico, and is often served bone-in.

[marmaduke]

Thanks for the info. I just got 3 fat Strip Steaks. Wish me luck.

[Kitchen Witch]

You got it marmaduke!

Good luck! do let us know how it works for you - and remember - it does take a bit of practice! Then you'll be an old pro at it!

KW

[marmaduke]

O.K. I get to grill the steaks today after work. Dumb question. You're not supposed to use a fork because you do not want to pierce the steak. So how do you use a instant read thermometer? I just bought one last night and it does have a 6" probe on it that supposedly gets stuck in the steak to check temperature. ????

From what I've read, your info and all over the web, I'm planning 5 minutes per side direct heat, then 3 minutes per side, indirect heat (twice). Total grilling time of 22 minutes. Hopefully ending up with 145F for mediun well done.

The pro's and con's of salting before grilling, is unbelievable. I have some rosemary flavored sea salt I plan on trying, along with a Basalmic vineagar rub about 30-45 minutes before grilling.

I'll let you know how it went Saturday.

[Kitchen Witch]

Using an instant read thermometer is not the same as piercing a steak all over while turning it several times. I don't think you'll be using the thermometer every 2 minutes and sticking it all over!

There IS a lot of controversy over salting - some use just a marinade or rub (which usually has salt in it anyway) and salt later. It's all preference.

I hope it goes well for you.

[marmaduke]

Steaks turned out somewhere between OMG and awesome. Of course, I changed everything at the last minute. I stopped and got some fresh peppercorns on the way home. "marinated" the steaks in Woostershire sauce, rosemary flavored SeaSalt and fresh cracked peppercorns. Let that sit on the counter while I made the side dishes first. Got the grill hot. When the grill was ready, I turned down the right side to low and threw the steaks on the hot side. 2 minutes per side with the lid open. (Got the nice grill marks.) Then over to the cooler side. 3 minutes per side with the lid closed. total cooking time of 22 minutes. First steak I checked hit 163F and climbing. Took them off the grill. Gave then all a pat of butter, covered with foil for 5 minutes.

I have never had anything so juicy or tender before off the grill. My son ate a whole steak. Now, if I can do this again. I got London Broil in the fridge waiting for me.

[Kitchen Witch]

Congratulations marmaduke!

Sounds like you're pleased with your results..........

I knew you could do it!

You're quite the grillmaster!

: )

[bennybbc]

I typed out a very looong and detailed reply to this thread but I decided it might be more useful if I posted it in the, "Cooking Tips" forum. So, please check out the thread entitled, "How To Avoid A Bad Steak" Thanks.

Bruce

[NickPro]

Originally Posted by marmaduke

Hi all. Can someone tell me why my steaks are always coming out chewy?
I had approx 1/2" thick steaks, marinated overnight, allowed to come to room temp. Grilled 6 minutes per side, allowed to rest for 10 minutes, and my son tells me the steaks are chewy. I'm about ready to give up. How do I make them fork tender.

Oh. I also have some pork cutlets approx 1/4" thick. How would I grill these so they don't end up as hockey pucks.

Thanks for any help.

Sorry, I'm way late here. 1/2" thick steaks, 6 minutes per side, I'm guessing you like them well done. I've read further down in this thread that the steak you cooked that was great was 164*? Thats well past well done for me. Just my opinon but I like mine rare to med. rare at best. I've started cooking my steaks a little different. I do a reverse sear which is cook it indirect until it hits 95 - 100*. Take the steak off the grill, crank the heat up as high as it will go, then sear/finish cooking the steak. It will give a more consistant cook throughout the steak and really sear in the juices. If your steaks are only 1/2" tick, this might be hard to do. As for your pork chops, 1/4" thick will do better in a frying pan than on the grill. If you can get them thicker, try brining them first, then grilling. They will come out juicie everytime. Also, don't grill them past 145*, they are gaurunteed to be tough past that point.

[Kitchen Witch]

Nick - better late than never! thanx for sharing!