Grilling steaks is HARD – especially if you are looking for that perfect pink center. But this recipe for the best Charcoal Grilled Steak is the solution for hitting the perfect internal temperature, every time.
Table of Contents
- Save This Recipe ✉️
- What Is a Charcoal Grilled Steak?
- Perfect Grilled Steak Ingredients
- How to Make the Best Steak on a Charcoal Grill
- Girl Carnivore Expert Steak Grilling Tips
- What to Serve With Your Char-grilled Steak
- Leftovers & Reheating
- More Grilled Steak Recipes
- Save This Recipe ✉️
- The Best Charcoal Grilled Steak Recipe Recipe
- FAqs
In this recipe:
Tired of trying to get the perfect steak on your charcoal grill with no success? You’ve come to the right place. Unlock the secrets to grilling the perfect steak over charcoal, where smoky flavors meet juicy, tender beef. This recipe will spill all the secrets on how to grill a steak on your charcoal grill.
What Is a Charcoal Grilled Steak?
This cooking method uses charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal as the heat source, reaching high temperatures perfect for searing. The intense heat quickly locks in the juices of the steak, creating a flavorful crust on the outside. As the fat from the steak drips onto the hot coals, it creates smoke that infuses the meat with a subtle smoky taste.
Need wood recommendations? Check out our guide to the best smoking wood for grilling.
Perfect Grilled Steak Ingredients
- Sea salt and black pepper – This simple seasoning is all you need for this recipe.
- Cornstarch – Helps evoke the Maillard reaction when grilling.
- Ribeye steak – Ribeye shines on a charcoal grill. Its marbling melts for rich flavor, the high heat creates a delicious crust, and the fat renders for juiciness. Ribeye’s thickness allows for a good sear without drying out, and the char complements the meat’s richness.
How to Make the Best Steak on a Charcoal Grill
- In a small bowl, combine the salt and cornstarch.
- Pat the steaks dry and rub with the salt mixture.
- Place the steaks on a wire rack and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will help the outside of the steak dry out, resulting in a nice crust.
- Meanwhile, build a fire on your charcoal grill and clean the grill grates for when those steaks are ready to go. You want to set up a two-zone fire for direct and indirect heat.
- Season the steaks with pepper.
- Grill for 4 to 8 minutes per side (for your desired doneness – 4 is our lucky number for medium-rare steak).
- Remove from the hot grill and tent with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- To serve, slice thin on an angle against the grain.
Girl Carnivore Expert Steak Grilling Tips
- Let your steak come to room temperature before grilling to ensure even cooking.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steak. Check out our steak temperature guide to check your preferred level of doneness.
- The level of doneness will depend on the thickness of your steak, so make sure to keep a close eye on it while grilling. If you’re steak is over 1 1/2″ thick, consider making a reverse seared steak.
- Clean your grill once you’re done cooking to keep it in tip-top shape.
What to Serve With Your Char-grilled Steak
This recipe goes with pretty much anything. If you want to keep things on the lighter side, serve up your ribeye steak with some air fryer vegetables. If you want to bulk things up a bit, you can’t go wrong with beef tallow fries or a smoked baked potato.
Need toppings for your steak? Try some umami smoked mushrooms, a tangy horseradish cream sauce, or a rich red wine sauce.
Leftovers & Reheating
You can store leftover steak in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. However, we never recommend freezing cooked steak, unless you want to chop it up for soups.
Before reheating, let your steak thaw in the fridge if you stored it in the freezer.
To reheat, place a skillet over medium heat. Sear the steak lightly on both sides for a couple of minutes or until warm. You can also reheat your steak in the oven at 250ºF for 10-15 minutes.
More Grilled Steak Recipes
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Garlic Butter Basted Grilled Teres Major Steak
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Grilled Cowboy Steak
Beef Recipes
Grilled Denver Steak with Herb Butter
Beef Recipes
Grilled Strip Steaks
Fire up the grill and master the art of charcoal grilling with this recipe for a juicy and flavorful ribeye steak.
Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.
The Best Charcoal Grilled Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tspn salt plus more for seasoning
- 1 tspn cornstarch
- 4 rib-eye steaks about 1 1/2" thick, around 1 pound each
- pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the salt and cornstarch.
- Pat the steaks dry and rub with the salt mixture.
- Place the steaks on a wire rack and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, build a fire on your charcoal grill and clean the grate for when those steaks are ready to go.
- Season the steaks with pepper.
- Grill for 4 to 8 minutes per side (for your desired doneness – 4 is my lucky number).
- Remove from the grill and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- To serve, slice thin on an angle against the grain.
Notes
Nutrition
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FAqs
The cornstarch and salt mixture, along with the sprinkle of pepper right before you begin grilling, will help perfect your “Maillard” effect. The Maillard effect refers to the unique caramelization of these ingredients on the meat. The smell and taste of the meat and seasonings simply defy description… which is probably why the French were compelled to create a word for it.
The key to creating a perfect Maillard reaction is making sure your meat is well seasoned, dry, and your cooking heat is nice and high.
Want to practice? Our go-to method for getting an edge-to-edge sear when a grill isn’t handy is pan-searing. But if you’ve got the grill, this is the way to go for a serious layer of flavor!
This is very common question. Many people think that it is critical to start with high heat in order to keep the juiciness sealed inside. We have looked into this extensively and that really is not the case.
If you start the steaks on low heat to help them cook on the inside first, then finish them with high heat to create the perfect char marks and get the Maillard reaction, then that actually keeps the moisture intact best. Aka, reverse searing.
Starting with low heat causes the moisture to be absorbed into the tissue of the meat.
You will still see folks debate this to the point of dueling with pistols at dawn. Don’t let it come to that. But we do recommend trying both methods with two very similar portions of steak. The end result of the flavor will still be the same.
You will notice the difference in how long you need to rest the meat after bringing it off the heat and how much water flows out when you cut it open. The less water the better. That is the difference between a juicy steak and an incredibly juicy steak.
To attain perfect grill marks, follow this simple strategy: Put the steaks on the high-heat area of the grill at an angle. About halfway through being done with that side, turn the steak to the reverse of that angle, 45 degrees. It would be like making an “X” with the steak.
When that side is done, then flip it and follow the same exact steps. When you pull off the steak, there will be a steak with square grill marks you could place chess on.
You can use almost any type of steak for this recipe. We love using ribeye for this recipe as it has plenty of excess fat, but you could use New York strip steak, filet mignon, t-bone steak, and porterhouse steak for a similar result. If you want to use leaner steak cuts such as flank steak or skirt steak, you can totally do that.
Just keep in mind that they should be marinated first to help with tenderness and flavor. Make sure not to overcook these cuts, as they aren’t as forgiving as thicker steaks.
I have not tried your interesting recipe, but I may, I am simply having trouble with the lack of seasoning of any type? No Montreal Steak spice, no garlic or onion powder, etc. I don’t think I have ever had a steak with only salt and pepper. Certainly not with cornstarch, but I certainly under the use of same, from my oriental recipes. Gave you 5 stars for originality and I do believe I will try it very soon! Cheers!
Can’t wait to hear what you think when you try it. If you’re worried about the spices, try finishing the steak in an herb or umami compound butter while it rests!
Can you tell me what the cornstarch does to the steak. Thanks for your time. Anthony
Hey Anthony, the cornstarch helps to absorb any moisture on the steak – making it a dry surface, producing a better sear.
Cheers,