Who doesn’t love a flavorful, juicy, tender steak?  At my house, we love to grill steaks on Friday night.  It sets the tone for a fun, relaxing weekend.  Main Man grills the steak, after I have marinated them.  I also cook the sides (usually a baked sweet potato or broccoli).

You will need:

1 great ribeye steak for each person you are serving

1 bottle of Allegro Original Marinade

Here is how we like to prepare our steaks:

About 1-2 hours before you plan to grill your steaks, marinate them in a shallow dish.  Pour a little of the marinade in the dish.  Put in the steak, so that they lay flat in the dish.  Poke holes in one side with a fork, them turn them over and poke holes in the other side. Pour more marinade over the top.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  In about 30 minutes, flip them over.  Rewrap and put back in the fridge.  About 20 minutes before they are going on the grill, take them out and set the the dish on the counter to come to room temperature.

Some people prefer charcoal and some like gas.  The advantage to gas is that it is quick and easy, without major clean up.  Whichever you choose, clean your grill with a wire brush before you start.  Once brushed, coat the grill with a cooking spray, in order to keep the steaks from sticking.

Preheat your grill.  If using charcoal, allow 40-45 minutes for the grill to get to the proper cooking temperature. If using gas, preheat the grill to 500 degrees.  If your grill does not have a temperature gauge, put it on medium-high heat for 10 minutes.  You want the grill to be really hot before you put the steaks on it.

A hot grill is going to sear the steak and lock in the juices to insure it retains its moisture while it cooks. Remember to check the time when you put the steak on the grill in order to keep track of how long the steak has been on the grill.

The key to a perfect steak is time and temperature.  Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the steak.

Check the steak periodically, but do not turn it.  Wait until the steak has blood pooling on top of the steak.  At the point where blood pools on top of the steak, then turn the steak over.  Make note of the time again, figuring out how long the steak has been on the grill from the start.

For steak that is perfectly well done, but not over cooked, cook it for the exact same amount of time on the other side.  If you like your steak medium well, medium or medium rare, you deduct from the time it is cooked on the second side.  For example, with an 8 ounce ribeye, that is approximately 1 inch thick, cooked at 500-550 degrees, the blood will pool in 7 to 7 1/2 minutes.  Turn the steak.  If you want well done, cook for another 7 1/2 minutes.  If you want medium well, cook for another 6-61/2 minutes.  If you want medium, 5-5 1/2.  If you want medium rare, cook for about 4-4 1/2.  If you want rare, cook an additional 3-3 1/2.

Remember the cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the steak.  The key for turning is the pooling of the blood. That is half way point for a well done steak. After the flip, back off that time to get it to rare, medium, etc.

If unsure, you can put a small cut in the steak to check it.  Don’t forget that it will continue to cook after it is taken off the grill. Especially if you cover it with a foil tent or plastic wrap.  It will continue to cook for about a minute.

If you are cooking with gas, be sure to turn off the grill and turn off the valve on your tank.

Now you can serve and enjoy your perfect Great Steak of Texas!  Thanks Main Man!