by Brian Vandenbroek

Created on: January 08, 2010   Last Updated: February 25, 2010

There are few things I find as viscerally enjoyable as a good steak. Caramelized on the outside, juicy and red on the inside, and with that opaque strip of fat around the edge, all crisp on the outside. Slap a little Montreal steak spice on there before you cook it, and we're talking pure, beef flavored heaven. The thing is, with the price of beef being what it is, it's really important for me to do a proper job of preparing that steak. Which is why I put this article together, in the hopes of sharing what I've learned.

No matter what I cook, my first rule is picking quality ingredients, and so it is with steak. The first thing I look for is marbling, which ensures your steak will turn out moist, juicy, and flavorful. There should be a fair amount of fat along the exterior as well as streaks and flecks throughout the interior. As the steak cooks, this fat melts and bastes the meat much in the same way as you would do when cooking a roast. And one of the signs of a fresh steak is making sure that fat is as white as possible.

Next, I look at the meat itself. It should be bright red with a moist surface. You don't want anything too dark or with a surface that's wet and sticky. You also want to make sure there's no liquid in the bottom of the package. This indicates the meat's been frozen one too many times. And that loss of liquid means your steak will be drier and tougher than it should. Finally, get something a couple inches thick. This ensures you can brown the outside nicely without overcooking the inside.

Now when it comes time to cook your steak there are two things I consider to be key: seasoning, and starting temperature. Bringing your steak to room temperature means you can brown the steak on the outside while cooking it adequately all the way through. Seasoning your steak with a little salt and pepper will help bring out the steak's delicious, beefy flavor. When it comes to seasoning, simple is better. Let the steak speak for itself. And don't worry about salt drawing out the steak's moisture. It will only do that if you season your steaks far in advance of cooking.

There are so many ways of cooking steak, I can't go into all of them here. I'm going to presume you want to cook your steak on a gas grill, presuming you've purchased a good cut of meat. Light your grill, turn the heat up to high and put the lid down. Let the grill heat up for about 20-30 minutes and bring the steak out of the fridge to let it warm up. This is also when you'll want to season

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