[woodsyi]

Recently I had Steak Florentine in, where else, Florence.  It was really nice, but it wasn't the best steak I had in Florence.  The best I had was a Fillet with Balsamic reduction and lots of it.    With a nice bottle of Chianti, it was really good.  So I tried my hand at it  and I really like it.

I sauteed shallots and garlic, added Balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, then simmered to reduce.  I like it real thick.  I set it aside and grilled the fillet on highest heat.  A couple of minutes on 4 sides for a total of about 8 minutes or less.  I like medium rare rare.  This is for about a 12 oz fillet.  The fillet should already be salted and peppered and set in room temperature for 15 minutes or so before the "singeing." I rubbed some olive oil on it too as it would have stuck on the hot grill otherwise.  With the steak on the plate, I melted some butter in the thick balsamic reduction to make it soft and hot.  I poured it over the fillet and enjoyed every last bite of it.  I had grilled vegetables and sauteed red potato to go with it.   

A 2004 Super Tuscan, Le Pupille Saffredi, went really well with the steak. 

[turkey]

I always get steaks at a local butcher shop, and I think I've only had one steak from them that wasn't top-notch, and they gave me a refund on that one.

I grill them, usually over charcoal, and the only thing I put on them is a little bit of salt.

I've tried various other things and I always wind up sticking with the old tried and true.

I guess if I had to pick one though, I'd go with chimichurri.

[S Clark]

For me, good steak needs smoke.  Fortunately, we have lots of Mesquite on my property.  I like it simple, so start with a good bone in ribeye, coarse salt and pepper, a good dose of crushed garlic, and plenty of smoldering mesquite.  Open an aged Ridge Zinfandel or a Rioja Reserva and cook until the first glass disappears.  If the steaks are more done than medium rare, you aren't drinking fast enough!

However, the Balsamic reduction sounds nice.  I'll give it a try.

[ctviggen]

I grilled some steaks on my Grill Dome last week and thought they were very smoky, without the addition of any wood chips.  I'm thinking of trying to get less smokiness out of the Dome, which supposedly is possible by opening the top vent more and the bottom vent less. 

Anyway, I like simple, too, for steaks:  just salt on them.  I used to pepper them, too, but America's Test Kitchen did a comparison of steak peppered before or after cooking, and the steak peppered after cooking was held to be the best.  Since reading this, I've been peppering after cooking. 

I still haven't determined the best steak cooking technique, though.

[vinyl_guy]

I like simple and natural smoke too. I have a local, family-owner butcher shop and they cut my steaks 1 1/2 to 2" thick. I season them with mixture of salt, pepper, garlic & dried onion flakes and  cook them medium rare rare on a cast iron charcoal grill. I use water soaked mesquite, hickory, apple or pecan chips for smoke flavoring, but my favorite for steaks is sassafras, especially the roots--loaded with flavor. 

[woodsyi]

I like simple steaks too.  Grass fed, choice aged meats don't need much help.  Domestic or imported Wagyu cuts really don't need any help but sea salt.  I don't even smoke since I am in an out so quick on the grill with meat.  I am a total believer in searing the outside of the meat with overwhelming heat to seal the flavor.  By the time I have done that with fillets, they are done.

But the Balsamic reduction really works well too.  I was surprised. Try it. 

Laura, you can try it next time you are in town.

[zybar]

I like simple steaks too.  Grass fed, choice aged meats don't need much help.  Domestic or imported Wagyu cuts really don't need any help but sea salt.  I don't even smoke since I am in an out so quick on the grill with meat.  I am a total believer in searing the outside of the meat with overwhelming heat to seal the flavor.  By the time I have done that with fillets, they are done.

But the Balsamic reduction really works well too.  I was surprised. Try it. 

Laura, you can try it next time you are in town.

Regardless of what rub or seasoning I use, the best results come from searing the steaks at around 600 degrees on the grill.  Letting the meat caramelize and seal in all the juices is what it is all about for me.   

George

[vinyl_guy]

I am a total believer in searing the outside of the meat with overwhelming heat to seal the flavor.
 
But the Balsamic reduction really works well too.  I was surprised. Try it. 

Laura, you can try it next time you are in town.

Rim,
I agree with searing the outside. One reason I have my steaks cut about 2" thick is to sear and smoke and still come out no more done than medium rare.

I'll be in DC the week of September 20 if not before. Hope to see you then.

I will be in

[Bob in St. Louis]

I've done this twice this season with ribeyes with amazing results.
In fact, it made my wifes eyes roll back in her head. 

Using a room temperature piece of meat:
- Pierce rows of holes with a fork, about half way into the meat, effectively "peppering" the surface with holes.
- Several liberal splashes of Worcestershire Sauce
- Liberal sprinkle of Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Here's the important part.......

Put steak into a Ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.
While enjoying your favorite beverage, and cleaning/preping the grill, have the steak sitting on a hot table that's sitting in full sun. Occasionally flip the meat allowing both sides to "cook".
When the dinner table is set, and everybody is ready to eat, THEN put the steak on to cook. Count to twenty, then flip over. One word of caution, I needed a spatula to pick the meat up. A fork wouldn't do it. It was that tender.

Bob

[some young guy]

I'm surprised no one mentions resting the steak here...

I also prefer simple when it comes to steaks. Room temp. meat, salt, pepper and onto a hot grill. 2 minutes, then flip it. 2 more minutes, then turn and flip. 2 more, another flip and off the grill to rest for 5 minutes or so.

I also like the balsamic, but I have some 100 year old stuff that needs no reduction or addition to it. I just add a few drops to the done meat and it's good to go! 

[sts9fan]

Thats the REAL balsamic.  I have 100ml of 75yr that is for special stuff.  Its never cooked always the star.   
Ever see how they make it?  Very cool.

[some young guy]

Yes I have seen and read about it as well. Treasures from the Italian Table is a great book, with an excellent discription of the process.
I have some friends that started making it some years back. All was going well until one of them got a little careless with a forklift and knocked the rack of barrels over... 

[ctviggen]

I'm surprised no one mentions resting the steak here...

I also prefer simple when it comes to steaks. Room temp. meat, salt, pepper and onto a hot grill. 2 minutes, then flip it. 2 more minutes, then turn and flip. 2 more, another flip and off the grill to rest for 5 minutes or so.

Supposedly "resting" at room temperature prior to cooking does nothing other than decrease the cooking time.  (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.)  At least that's what Cook's Illustrated says.  Resting afterward, though, helps the juices redistribute. 

I'm considering doing a test with two steaks.  I'd add salt to one of them about 24 hours beforehand, and for the other, I'd add salt normally (relatively close to cooking).  I'd see if there's a difference. 

[bummrush]

 Nothing that hasn't been said,,salt pepper, and coals dumped straight out of the chimney starter,

[Occam]

For a really good cut of meat, I've nothing to add to the above. But for economical lesser cuts, flavorful but tough, like rump roast cut into steaks or chuck cuts, I use a marinade of 4 parts Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids (hippy health food store all natural hydrolyzed vegetable protein, aka sorta soy sauce) and one part red wine vinegar. Marinate for 1/2 hr or longer, depending whether refrigerated, and the thickness. Throughly pat dry before grilling or sauteeing.
It also works well on factory raised pork chops. The Braggs is also nice as a marinade for salmon, but without the vinegar.

[turkey]

Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids (hippy health food store all natural hydrolyzed vegetable protein, aka sorta soy sauce)

AKA MSG

[turkey]

I was playing around with some sauce for roasted veggies for the 4th. It wound up being sort of a roasted garlic, lemon, sriracha, sherry vinegar sauce.

It was excellent when brushed on veggies before and during grilling. It was so good on the veggies that I used it on a chunk of salmon too.

I'll have to experiment with it on some steak next time I do some grilling (probably next weekend). I'll report back if the results are good and see if I can cobble together a written recipe for it.

[Wayner]

First of all, good steak requires that you start out with "good steak". The FDA has 3 distinct cuts that are usually sold by local butcher shops. The are "choice", "select", and "prime". Of course there are varying degrees of each, but the real key is marbling. Fat is good, and when the steak has lots of very small marbling veins of fat, it is going to be delicious. One of my favorite steaks is ribeye. It should be cut no thicker then 1" and when it is at room temperature, should have the consistency of a wet dishrag, like it has no body, just hangs there.

The next thing is temperature. Emeril has convinced everyone to cook steaks on the highest heat possible, but they always look burnt and I certainly don't want one like that. It is important that your grill has a wide range of temperature zones. I used the highest zone to sear the steak, until it releases from the grill (about 30 seconds) on each side, then move them to a cooler area to finish the cooking process. To tell how the steak is coming along, use your finger and poke it. If it feels like when you poke your wrist, it's done to well done, mid-arm, will be medium, at the elbow, rare to medium rare. As the meat cooks, it tightens up, so this is the why the finger technique works very well. Once you figure out the association, you'll be good to go.

Seasoning is also done way over the top. I do not recommend salt at all, during the cooking process. It sucks the jucies up out of the meat and dries it out. If you want to season it, cracked pepper is fine, and if you like a little smashed garlic, that's fine too.

When it's off the grill, let it rest for 5 minuets, no more. I like my steak warm. Now you can season the steak with salt, sea salt of course, finely ground, not course.

If you use steak sauce, throw the steak out the window. Give it to the dog.

For me, there are no other recipes.

Wayner

[Bob in St. Louis]

I'm surprised no one mentions resting the steak here...

Umm.... Did you see the post above yours? 

[some young guy]

Supposedly "resting" at room temperature prior to cooking does nothing other than decrease the cooking time.  (Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.)  At least that's what Cook's Illustrated says.  Resting afterward, though, helps the juices redistribute. 

I'm considering doing a test with two steaks.  I'd add salt to one of them about 24 hours beforehand, and for the other, I'd add salt normally (relatively close to cooking).  I'd see if there's a difference.

It was the post grill resting that I was talking about.