How Long Does It Take To Cook Steak On Grill

Grilling steak can be intimidating—especially when everyone has a different opinion about how cooked it should be (medium rare!). But I promise you that, in reality, it's easier and faster than grilling chicken. Below is our basic guide for grilling steak. Follow our rules and cooking times, and you'll be a grill boss in no time.

Remove the chill.

Steak right out of the fridge will cook unevenly. Set yours out at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling

Be direct.

Direct heat means you're cooking something directly over the flame (whether it be gas or charcoal). It's what gives grilled meat that beautiful dark char. Indirect heat means you're cooking the food to the side of the heat source. For steak, you're mainly dealing with direct heat. (Indirect heat is better for slow-cooking foods like ribs.)

Temperature matters.

The next thing to consider is temperature. If you're not super comfortable in the kitchen, yes, you should go buy a meat thermometer if you don't have one already. If you like your steak medium rare, 130-135° is your range. For medium, it's 135-145° and for medium well, 145-155°. Please don't go any higher than that! For all you grill bosses out there, a good way to check if the meat is done is by touch. It should give in a little bit in the middle but bounce back quickly after you press it.

If you're working with a leaner cut, marinate it!

If you've got time (even just 30 minutes!), marinate the meat, especially for flank and skirt steak. Our flank steak marinade is perfect, but it's really really easy to make your own. Start with olive oil, then whisk in something bold (like balsamic vinegar + mustard), something fresh (herbs, citrus, or a combination of the two), and something sweet (brown sugar or honey).

Let it rest.

Don't even think about slicing into your steak until it's had a minimum of10 minutes to seal in all its glorious juices.

Slice against the grain.

Cutting against the grain (perpendicular, not parallel) ensures a tender bite.

Pick your cut.

Our all-time favorite for grilling: the ribeye. Thick and beautiful, with the ideal amount of marbling of fat (aka flavor!), it doesn't need a marinade.

Create a crust.

Guarantee a crispy exterior by seasoning with—repeat after us!—a THICK blanket of kosher salt and pepper.

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 0 hours 5 mins

Total Time: 0 hours 20 mins

1 lb.

steak

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

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FLANK STEAK

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare.

SKIRT STEAK

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 3 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

RIBEYE

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 4 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.

FILET MIGNON

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.

SIRLOIN

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.

TRI-TIP

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 5 minutes per side over direct heat, then 7 to 10 minutes per side over indirect heat for medium-rare.

STRIP STEAK

Preheat grill over high heat. Season steak generously with salt and pepper.
Grill steak over direct heat 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Ethan Calabrese

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Delish: Eat Like Every Day's the Weekend

Lauren Miyashiro Food Director Lauren Miyashiro is a contributing recipe developer at Delish, and our former Food Director.

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