Four Simple Expert Tips To Make Your Steaks On the Grill This Weekend A Masterpiece

Over the next few days, barbecue grills across the country will be fired up as millions of outdoor chefs engage in this popular holiday tradition. For some it might be hot dogs and brats, for others it could be burgers, chicken, or k-bobs - while others will spare no expense and throw some big honkin' slabs of steak on the grill. I expect to throw something on the grill, I'm not sure what. Typically, I'm not a steak kind of guy. Give me a juicy hamburger any day. But, for the celebration of American's Independence I'm thinking maybe steak is the way to go. I don't want to mess it up, so I sought out some advice on grilling steaks and thought I would share it with you.

For these grilling tips we thank the Daily Meal, which consulted expert John Schenk to provide assistance to those of who are perhaps lacking in grilling skills. Schenk is the corporate executive chef at Strip House Steakhouse.

1) KEEP IT HOT
Schenk says high heat sears the cooking surface of the meat, allows charring to happen, and helps keep juices in.He suggests keeping two sides of the grill hot and moving the steak to the other side if the first one is aggressively flaming up. Dousing the flame with water should be a last resort because you want to keep the grill hot.

2) MINIMIZE THE FLIPPING
Schenk says if  you flip the meat too often it's going to interrupt the charring process and as a result you'll lose much of the seasoning on the meat. He cautions against dragging the meat over the grill when flipping it over.Schenk suggests you pick it up and place it back down with the same motion.

3) WAIT BEFORE YOU CUT!
Schenk says once you've achieved the desired temperature, take the meat off the grill and place it on a grate over a pan for about five minutes. This will help suspend the cooking process. He says the internal juices will redistribute through out the steak, which will relax and become tender.

4) ONE MORE TIME
After the steak has "rested", Schenk recommends returning the steak to the grill for about 30 seconds on each side, with a little sprinkling of gray sea salt to re-season the meat. You are ready to serve!

Good luck with your holiday grilling. Maybe next week we can get together and compare notes on how we did.