The Best Way to Cook Steak on Charcoal Grill

Prep the Charcoal

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Open the bottom vent completely. If your grill already has charcoal from the previous grill, shake out the ashes and add a few fresh charcoal lumps on top. You'll need about two heaping handfuls of hardwood lump charcoal per steak. I prefer hardwood lump charcoal to briquettes, because it's simply carbon residue of charred mesquite wood and contains no petroleum, chemicals, or fillers — i.e. no funny flavors in the meat.

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Drizzle With Gelled Alcohol

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Gelled alcohol ignites the charcoal quickly without imparting any flavor or chemicals onto the food like other lighter fluids. Plus gelled alcohol is biodegradable and water soluble. You can find it at most hardware stores. Drizzle it liberally over the charcoal.

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Ignite the Charcoal

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Warning: gelled alcohol ignites quickly, but the flame is invisible, so be very careful. Use a stick lighter, spark it quickly, and back away. Even though you won't see the flames, you'll feel the heat instantly and see the shimmer of heat waves rising off the charcoal. Keep the grill uncovered.

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Let It Burn

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About seven minutes in to preheating, the charcoal should begin to let off smoke. Keep it "cooking" until the charcoal is covered in ash, which should take another seven to 10 minutes. At that point, it's ready for grilling.

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Season the Steak

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While the grill is preheating, get the steak ready indoors. Bring the steaks to room temperature on a rimmed baking sheet. Pictured here are 12-ounce New York Akaushi strip steaks (known for the beautiful fat marbling). Coat both sides in melted ghee (about 1 teaspoon per steak) and generously season with kosher salt on both sides. Seriously, go all out on the salt. Just when you think you've put too much, add more. When the charcoal has turned ash white, bring the steaks outside.

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Add Mesquite Chunks

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Once the charcoal is ash white, with tongs, add a few mesquite wood chunks to the top (I add about four). Then place grill grates on top. Scrape off any residue from previous grill-out using a grill brush.

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Add Steaks to Cool Side of Grill

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We're smoking the steaks first! Add them to the cool side of the grill, aka the side that doesn't have the charcoal. I positioned mine just to the right of the charcoal. Close the grill and smoke for five minutes on each side.

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Close the Bottom Vent Slightly

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As soon as you close the grill top, bring down the heat (when smoking the meat) by closing the bottom vent. This prevents oxygen from blowing onto the coals and increasing the internal temperature of the grill.

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Close Top Vent Slightly

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If you have a top vent, close it slightly too. Less oxygen means less heat.

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Smoke Each Side For 5 Minutes

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Once you've smoked each side of the steak away from the charcoal for five minutes, open the grill and transfer the meat to the grill grates directly over the charcoal using tongs.

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Open the Bottom Vent

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Reopen that bottom vent completely. You want roaring heat to sear the meat.

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Sear For About 2 Minutes on Each Side

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For a medium-rare steak, sear for about two minutes on each side. For a medium steak, sear for three minutes. When red juices pool at the top of the steak, that's a great indicator that the steak is done. You can also use a thermometer (stick it on the side of the steak to the center) to check the internal temperature: rare (130°F to 135°F), medium-rare (140°F), medium (155°F), and well done (165°F).

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Let the Steak Rest

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Transfer cooked steak to a clean rimmed sheet pan, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest for five to 10 minutes. This allows the protein to reabsorb the liquids that have pooled around it so you are left with a juicier, more tender piece of meat.

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Serve It Up

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After the steak has rested, plate it up. I opted for french fries and a simple green salad.

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Behold Your Creation . . .

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Dig In!

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