How to Grill a Delicious Steak

The oven is the best way to cook meat, especially if you don’t have a grill. Ovens give you better temperature control and are more suitable for indoor use than grills. Here are simple steps to help you grill steak like a pro.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3-18 minutes
Total time: 13-28 minutes

Table of Contents

Choose Beef and Marinate

Choose beef. You can buy meat at markets or grocery stores. Choose steaks that are clearly visible (with thin layers of fat across the grain) and fatty, bright red (beef is raw for a long time or the meat will turn brown after defrosting). ^{[1] X Research Source}

The proper thickness for a steak is about 3cm. If the meat is too thick, the inside may be raw while the outside is already burnt because the temperature is not hot enough to heat the inside.
The rib meat is quite cheap, very tender and juicy (if you know how to marinate). If you don’t see this meat for sale in the store, ask the vendor if there’s any meat in stock. In addition, the tenderloin near the back is also very tasty and a bit cheaper. You can find this type of meat for a fairly cheap price at every meat stall.

Prepare the meat for cooking. How to prepare meat depends on the type of meat you buy as well as your own preferences. You can simply season with salt and pepper, or add more seasoning to give the steak a richer flavor.

For tougher meats like rump and ribs, seasoning with marinade will make the steak tender and richer. Soak the meat in an acidic sauce (such as vinegar) and salt (or soy sauce). This will soften the tough fibers and enhance the flavor of the dish. Place meat in a shallow bowl or plate, drizzle with marinade and cover with cling film.
If you have a good steak like loin (fillet) or New York steak, simply seasoning with fine salt and pepper will suffice. The steak has its own flavor without much seasoning. However, you can marinate with a clove of garlic or a little rosemary if desired. ^{[2] X Research Source}
If you want to marinate meat for longer than 30 minutes, you should refrigerate it at 40°F (or 4.5°C) to avoid food poisoning. Otherwise, you can let the meat rest for about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature for best results.

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Prepare the oven and baking tray. You should adjust the grill so that the meat is about 10cm away from the oven’s heating element, then select the “grill” mode to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

If you’re not sure where your oven’s heating element is, check both the top and bottom of the oven. Most ovens today have a radiator on the top, but there are also some older models that use gas with a radiator located on the bottom of the oven. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
If you want the steak to be medium cooked, it’s best to let the steak come to room temperature then place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes while the oven preheats. This will allow you to cook the inside of the meat without burning the outside.

Spray a thin layer of non-stick solution on the baking tray. The barbecue tray looks like a cookie sheet with small grooves so the water can drain down. Place the steak on a baking tray, excess marinade can drip down the grooves. Do not use glassware for baking. Glassware cannot withstand high temperatures in an oven and is prone to cracking. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Note: it is best to use a baking tray to grill meat, but you can also use a baking tray (lined with foil for easy cleaning) or a cast iron tray. The downside of grilling with a flat tray without a groove is that fat that drips from the meat will collect around the meat and can burn the meat. To fix it, try moving the steak to a different place on the tray so that it sticks to less fat as it cooks. Be careful because the grease is very hot!

Grilled Steak

Grilled steak. Place steak in the hottest compartment in the oven. Cooking time mainly depends on the thickness of the steak, the temperature, and the oven type and mode of cooking. Cooking time can range from 3 to 18 minutes. It is best to observe while cooking. If the inner steak looks cooked through on the outside, flip it over to the other side. Remember to use gloves when handling the oven.

Overall, the basic cooking time is 4 minutes per side. Of course the cooking time for each steak is different. It is best to determine the appropriate cooking time for yourself.

How to determine if a steak is cooked or not. There are many ways to test whether a steak is cooked or not. Of course, your definition of “cooked” might be just a little over-baked, while someone else might say a dry steak is done. The easiest way to test is to cut into the thickest part of the meat to check the color of the meat. A raw steak will have a bright red color and red juices will flow when cut, a rare steak will have a pink color and clear gravy, a well cooked steak will have a grayish brown color and brown gravy. Other methods include ^{[5] X Research Sources} :

Check the appearance of the steak. If your steak is a bit thick, checking the surface can tell if the inside is cooked. When the surface turns from red to pink to brown, the insides will change from raw to pale to underripe.
Check elasticity. Gently pull the flesh between your thumb and forefinger – the muscle, not just the skin. Can you see that this meat is tough but also very tender? It was compressed down and then bounced up again. The inside of a medium rare steak is the same way. To test, press the meat with a stick or knife (don’t skewer it with a fork). Check if the ham is elastic. If you feel the meat is still raw, leave it for another 1 or 2 minutes. ^{[6] X Research Sources}
Listen. As the outside of the steak turns from medium to well done, you’ll hear a louder, more pronounced sizzling sound in the oven.

Remove the steak from the oven and let it rest. Take the baking tray out of the oven and check the steak again. If the meat is cooked just the way you want it to, don’t rush to cut it right away. Letting the steak “rest” for a few minutes before slicing is the best way to keep the meat from drying out. Wait until the meat cools down and the juices stop flowing, usually 4 to 5 minutes.

Of course some people can’t wait, that’s okay. Enjoying the steak right away won’t make it lose its flavor, but be careful as you could burn yourself.

Display and enjoy.

Advice

Turn the meat only once. Let the meat cook evenly on one side and then flip to cook the other side.
If your oven keeps shutting down because of “too high temperature”, you can fix it by leaving the oven door a little ajar. Many ovens have this design. Just leave the door a few centimeters open and the door will automatically open. If not, you can roll up a small piece of tin foil and insert it into the gap between the door and the oven. However, you should remember to use gloves when touching the oven because the oven will be very hot.

Warning

Pour off all excess meat marinade. Raw meat marinades should not be used to make meat sauces. (This water also contains juices from raw meat and can cause illness if ingested.)
Always wash your hands and kitchen counters after handling raw meat.
Always use oven gloves and baking trays.

Necessary ingredients

Beef
Ingredients for seasoning
Dishes
Fridge
Oven with baking mode
Baking tray (or baking tray)
Tongs or forks
Knife
Optional seasoning

Steps

Choose Beef and Marinate

Grilled Steak

Advice

Warning

Necessary ingredients

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