Giada De Laurentiis' Tips For The Best Grilled Steak

Giada de Laurentiis knows that when summer starts to sing her siren song of lazy days by the pool and backyard gatherings with family and friends, we all want to show off our grilling prowess. The California chef with a Hollywood-famed family, who just happens to be BFFs with the grill master himself, Bobby Flay, is not too shabby herself when it comes to firing up the barbecue and grilling up the perfect steak. De Laurentiis' blog Giadzy has compiled a list of tips to help take the guesswork out of the grilling process and to ensure every bite of your succulent steak will be juicy and mouthwatering. 

The site shares it doesn't matter which cut of steak you start with — ribeye, New York strip, T-bone — as long as it's tender. It also emphasizes the importance of taking your meat out of the fridge and allowing it to warm up to room temperature before you throw it on to the grates. Why? Giadzy shares this will allow your expensive cut of meat to cook more evenly. You also want to pat your meat dry before you start seasoning it as the article reveals that the moisture is what causes your meat to stick. And speaking of seasoning, a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt on both sides of your meat is highly encouraged to bring out the steak's flavor. You could also try marinating it. 

Giadzy also shares that while many people tend to oil the grates on the grill, that's not how you should grill up your steaks. Instead, you want to oil both sides of the steak. A little oil goes a long way, and it will help avoid any sticking to the grill as well as any firey flare-ups that can burn your meat to a crisp.

The optimal temperature for grilling your steak is approximately 450 degrees F. Once you have your steak on the grates, don't flip it or move it around until that nice crust that makes a grilled steak so delish has formed. Moving your meat around before it is ready to be moved can cause it to stick (via Giadzy). Additionally, flipping with tongs is recommended over jabbing it with a cooking tool that could cause it to lose some of those yummy juices.

So, how long do you leave your steaks on the grill? Until they are done, and Giadzy says if you need to use a meat thermometer to determine this, you should use one. Depending on how you like your steak cooked, you are looking for a reading of 130 degrees F for medium-rare and between 135 and 140 degrees F for medium. Bobby Flay agrees with this and added to his guide on Food Network that the outsides of your steaks should be browned with a few char marks. Bon appétit!