Char-Grilled Steaks

By á-58

The perfect steaks are salty, sizzling, almost singed on the outside, and juicy, red, and buttery within. We wanted to achieve this contrast on an everyday grill. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

•In order to achieve a respectable crust, the steaks’ exterior must be dry. After trying numerous drying-out methods, including salting and aging, we considered the freezer. The freezer’s intensely dry environment sufficiently dehydrated the steaks’ exteriors, and since we were only freezing them for a short time, the interiors remained tender and juicy.
•Rub the steaks with a mixture of salt and cornstarch before freezing. The salt assures they are well-seasoned, and cornstarch—a champ at absorbing moisture—allowed us to cut the freezing time in half.

Ingredients

• To minimize flare-ups, trim excess fat and gristle from the steaks before grilling.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 4 strip, rib-eye, or tenderloin steaks , about 1 1/2 inches thick
• Pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. CHILL STEAKS Combine salt and cornstarch. Pat steaks dry with paper towels and rub with salt mixture. Arrange on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and freeze until steaks are firm and dry to touch, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. GRILL STEAKS Season steaks with pepper. Grill, covered, over hot fire until well browned and cooked to desired doneness, 4 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plate, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Serve.