How to Grill a Perfect Steak

Alright, anyone familiar with grilling knows that perhaps the most satisfying experience in one's life is grilling an excellent steak, whether sirloin, tenderloin or what have you. I know full well that there are many women who enjoy grilling and can do it well, but frankly, there is some primal link between metal, meat, fire and testosterone that sends my head spinning every time I light up my cow-cooker.

Seriously, think of the classic American family sitting around the table enjoying a generous cut of steak and a baked potato. Few things warm my heart as much as this. Father comes home after a long day of work but gets a relative second-wind for the day when asked to fire up the grill. Sparkles come to his eyes as he lays the lovely steaks onto the grilling surface as children look on in wonder and mother smiles inwardly.

Yet I have been to many of my friends' and other family members' homes in which no one knows how to prepare a classic, delicious and juicy steak. This, folks, is a downright tragedy...almost un-American! I take it as my solemn duty as a corn-fed American male to instruct anyone who reads this on how to, in fact, grill a little cut of heaven on your patio.

What kind of steak should you prepare?

There are few parts of a cow that the Good Lord has not deemed as delicious, but for excellence in grilling the best choices are rib-eyes (also known as Delmonicos), tenderloins (commonly known as Filet Mignon), boneless top loin (the New York Strip Steak), T-bones and my favorite, the Porterhouse. The Porterhouse is a glorified T-bone, with succulent sirloin on one side and tenderloin on the other - making for a meal of both substance and unquestionable quality.

Flank steaks and Swiss steaks could be grilled, but are usually used in other recipes as an addition to, and not focal point of, a meal. Example: flank steak is great marinated and used in steak fajitas. The former cuts are simply of better quality and stand firm as a central piece of meat for a steak dinner.

How should you prep your steak for grilling?