Grilled Steak Recipes: Easy, Healthy, and Tasty

by Darrin on August 9, 2010

grilled steak recipesSummer’s still in full swing, and you have every reason to hit the grill every chance you get. Here’s some grilled steak recipes you can throw together at any time to bring out your inner caveman.

Steak Is Health Food!

First thing’s first, I know a lot of you are thinking that steak shouldn’t be featured in a health blog due to its fat and cholesterol content. Our society has been conditioned to believe that red meat is inherently “bad.” No way, buddy. Steak is health food, and I’ll prove it to you.

First, people often assume that fat in the food leads to fat on the body, and that saturated fat is particularly insidious. Not so fast. Many cultures (including the French and coconut-chowing Tokelauans) have thrived on high-fat diets without the drastic weight gain and incidence of diseases of civilization such as diabetes and heart disease that we have in the United States.

As for cholesterol, our bodies will produce it even if we don’t consume it as a part of our diet. And besides, half the people with heart disease have so-called “normal” cholesterol levels, therefore it is clearly a poor determinant.

The fact is, meat (and red meat in particular) has always played a big part in the human diet and it is foolish to think we are somehow poorly adapted to eating it. Ever notice there aren’t any more woolly mammoths roaming around? That’s because our ancestors killed and ate them all.

I know I used to feel guilty when I ate red meat, so I just wanted to ease your fears and encourage you to up your red meat intake and fill the grill with deliciousness!

The Ingredients

  • Steak of your choice (New York strip, porterhouse, t-bone, ribeye, and tenderloin are ideal)
  • Salt and pepper

The Recipe

  1. Set your grill up for high direct heat. For electric and gas grills, simply crank the heat up. For charcoal, get a nice layer of blazing hot coals prepared. To test the temperature, hold your hand just over the grate. You should only be able to keep it there for 2-3 seconds.
  2. In the meantime, rinse the meat and pat it dry. Cover with salt and pepper.
  3. Now throw the steaks on the grill! Flip them once halfway through. Here’s a table to help you figure out how long to grill them.
Steak ThicknessFirst SideSecond Side
1"6 - 9 min3 - 6 min
1 1/2"7 - 11 min4 - 8 min
2"9 - 13 min6 - 10 min

These times should be viewed as just a rough guide. There is no more accurate way to test the doneness of the meat than by pressing it with a finger to test the “give.” I suggest using the thumb test method to accurately determine this. By making a “ring” with your thumb and different fingers on your hand, you can change the muscle tension in the fleshy mound at the base of your thumb, which corresponds with the elasticity of different levels of doneness.

  • Open palm: rare
  • Index finger: medium rare
  • Middle finger: medium
  • Ring finger: medium well
  • Pinkie: well

Here’s a video demonstrating this method:

The Variations

Like all of the recipes I post here at LMVM, I stress the importance of learning the basic recipe first that you can then improvise with to create literally hundreds of different dishes. I hate having to consult a cookbook all the time for really fancy recipes and encourage you to take this same low-maintenance approach. Here’s a few things you may want to try to change things up:

  • If you want to save money on steak and buy cheaper cuts (flank, skirt, top round, shoulder) you’ll just need to tenderize them beforehand. To do this, cover them with salt (and I mean COVER) for up to one hour before rinsing, drying, and throwing on the grill.
  • To add some more flavor, try marinating the steak overnight in the refrigerator. Throw them in a container or bag containing olive oil, lemon juice or vinegar, salt and pepper, and any other dried or fresh herbs you want to add in.
  • Coat the steaks in a dry rub before tossing on the grill. You can pick up a pre-made mix from the grocery store or throw together the dried spices you already have in your pantry.
  • After taking the steaks off the grill, skip the commercial steak sauces that overwhelm everything (and don’t you DARE touch that ketchup bottle!) and stick with something a little more low-key to accent the steak. Mix together softened butter, chopped parsley, and minced garlic in a bowl to top it off. Alternatively, add a bit of olive oil and lemon juice.

The amount of grilled steak recipes you can create from this blueprint are endless. Enjoy making the most of your grill time before the snowflakes start fallin’!

{ 9 comments }

Dave - Fitness Training Tips August 9, 2010 at 5:52 pm

Well you certainly have me salivating! Good thing steaks are on the menu for my bbq Sunday!

Alykhan - Fitness Breakout August 9, 2010 at 9:56 pm

Darrin,

Steak is amazing. Going to a steakhouse and ordering a big steak with veggies on the side is one of my favorite healthy options for dining out. It’s a shame that red meat gets such a bad reputation.

Alykhan

Raymond-ZenMyFitness August 10, 2010 at 5:43 am

When I cook steaks they tend to turn out better by marinating them before hand maybe it has something to do with tenderising.
For sure lean meats are very good to increase health sure there is some saturated fats but they give you all those macronutrients that you can’t get easily from other sources … Kangaroo meat is the one of the leanest you can get but being our national emblem just doesn’t seem right to bite into.
Reports I read now a certain amount of saturated fats are needed in our bodies … and I’m sure cavemen didn’t care.
Raymond

FitXcel August 10, 2010 at 10:17 pm

I’m a big fan of lean top sirloin steaks. At my local grocer, the fatty ones are $8 for an 8 oz. steak! However, you can get 2 8 oz. top sirloin steaks with FAR less fat on them for only $6. That’s a super deal.

Agree totally about the preparation method. I generally just grab one, coat it in kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper and set it out on the counter to come to room temp. Usually takes about half an hour to 45 minutes or so. Makes grilling it go super smoothly.

Also, I recently discovered that Wal-Mart sells cast iron grill pans for about $18, and they’re pre-seasoned. That’s how I grill all my steaks now. Beats going outside in the heat to warm up the grill. I can just throw the grill pan on the stove on high heat and grill away! And that’s a super cheap price for cast iron.

Keep these recipes coming, man!

-Drew

Darrin August 11, 2010 at 2:19 pm

@Dave:

Nice! Enjoy your cookout, I’m sure I’ll be doing the same.

@Alykhan:

I know, I know. I’m personally on a mission to get the world to realize the awesome health benefits of red meat.

@Raymond:

Kangaroo meat? I’m too adventurous not to try this now! Guess I’ll be seeing you in Australia soon!

@Drew:

You really can’t go wrong with keeping things simple when it comes to steak. A quality cut and some salt and pepper and you’re good to go. I’m going to have to look into those grill pans.

Kelly-Fitness Overhaul August 11, 2010 at 6:38 pm

I love Steak! We have been eating Filets a lot this year. Once you get a great cut of steak, that just kind of melts in your mouth, it’s hard to get a lesser cut. I would rather eat it less often, but get a better steak, than eat it more often with one that is not as good. This is one of the reasons that I love summer so much! Cooking out on the grill is one of the highlights for me, for sure!

Darrin August 13, 2010 at 4:50 pm

@Kelly,

I’m with you there. I’m also looking forward to my first winter in Southern California, where it sounds like I can still be grilling without freezing my butt off!

Kelly-Fitness Overhaul August 13, 2010 at 6:30 pm

Is that where you live? That would be awesome! I went to San Diego to watch the Steelers play them and thought it was sooo nice. I would of loved to spend more time there. We made a big trip out of it from Pittsburgh to LA, to Vegas, back to LA, to San Diego to watch the Steelers lose, back to LA, and then back home to Pittsburgh. It was a great time, but kind of hard to come back to the cold after being in such nice weather! You can think of me in the subzero temps this winter while you’re in shorts and flip flops!
-Kelly

Darrin August 16, 2010 at 4:45 pm

@Kelly,

San Diego is an awesome city. I moved out here a few months ago and couldn’t be happier with my decision. I spent my entire life before freezing my butt off in Minnesota, so I know how bad winter can suck! I’m also starting surfing lessons this weekend – gotta take as much advantage of my situation as possible!

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