Recipe for Grilling Success
Learn Fleming’s prime beef grilling techniques.
By Jan Walsh
Ah! Aromas of your neighbor’s steaks sizzling on the grill tempts. Yet memories of burned beef and doneness complaints from your kids (and those who act like kids) give you pause—help is here. Before firing up the grill, get a taste of Fleming’s Steakhouse & Wine Bar’s beef grilling tips.
First and foremost, buy top quality meat. Although only one percent of all beef is prime, at Fleming’s all beef is prime. It is chosen for its marbling and flavor profile. And the steaks are wet aged and hand cut.
After marinating the meat in a heart healthy marinade. Build a charcoal fire. Beyond the beef, don’t skimp on the charcoal either—try Kingsford or Cowboy Charcoal brands. For grilling on a wooden deck purchase a fireproof mat. And start with a hot grill. After lighting your charcoal, leave the lid up until the coals burn down to a white color and have a red glow. But if the coals won’t get hot enough, simulate the fat of meat dropping on the coals by pouring one half cup of vegetable oil over them. But stand back from the rising white smoke. For coals that are too hot, let them burn down rather than pouring water on them or closing the lid.
Once hot, use tongs to place the steaks on the grill at a 12:00 angle. By using tongs you can look at the top, bottom, and sides of the meat at once and feel the weight reducing as it gets done. Close the lid for a charcoal, smoked flavor. This also slows the cooking process and decreases the chance of flame flare ups. Every minute or so, open the grill and flip the meat over, placing at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 consecutively. Use tongs to turn the meat. Allow one to one and one half minutes at each angle to create the grill marks—just like at Fleming’s.
Yet more important than grill marks is the degree of doneness. Rare is a red, cool center. Mid rare is a red, warm center. Medium rare is a pink, hot center. Mid or medium done is a grey center, and well done is fully cooked. But if none of those suits you, trying adding a plus symbol to your order, which is the mid point between two degrees of doneness. Use “The Touch Test” to determine if a steak is cooked to order. A mushy feel and a nice spring back is mid rare, medium spring back is mid well, and no spring back is well done. And a nice brownish red color also indicates mid rare. Medium is darker in color and firmer. The meat goes directly from the grill to the table unless it is to be used on a salad.
Leave the lid open afterward, and allow the fire to burn out before removing charcoals and cleaning the grill. Make sure the ashes are cold. Then dump or scoop ashes and coals after each grilling, and tie them in a trash bag.
Clean the grill with dishwashing liquid, unless you have a ceramic grate. Pour vegetable oil over a wire brush, and scrape the grate clean. Next pour the oil over a clean towel, and wipe the grate clean. This method prevents food from sticking and also preserves the grill. For a stainless steel grate, he recommends cleaning with just dishwashing liquid. Or if this all sounds like too much trouble, make a reservation at Fleming’s!