Your first step is to preheat your barbecue or flat plate to a medium-high heat. And brush both sides of your steak with olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Avoid using too much oil as this can create smoke and flare-ups.
Tips from the Team: South Ormsby Estate chef, Mark Vines:
“If you’re using traditional charcoal, I would recommend pre-cooking some meats, especially if they have a high fat count like burgers. The burning fat will cause flames that will scorch the meat before it’s properly cooked. I recommend pre-cooking to remove some of the fat for a much more user-friendly experience! Don’t forget to season and if marinated, drain well to avoid too much smoke being generated which can affect the flavour and make for an unpleasant experience for the one doing the cooking.”
Unless you’ve marinated your steak, you’ll probably want to lightly season it with salt and pepper. Avoid seasoning too much as the salt draws out some of the flavoursome juices of the meat, making it tough, and seasoning can mask the natural flavour of the meat. You should season one side, then cook the steak seasoned-side down first to seal the flavour. Then season the other side before turning it over.
Cooking on a barbecue isn’t a race: For the best experience, you should cook your beef ‘low and slow’ with relatively low temperature coals or flames, and with the lid of your barbecue closed as much as possible to capture the flavours from the smoke and any aromatics you add.
When you’re cooking, you should use long-handled tongs to turn the steak until it’s cooked to your liking.
Tips from the Team: Massingberd-Mundy Lincoln Red Beef Project Officer, Finn Bracey:
“Whether you’re cooking steaks or burgers, make sure you haven’t got the heat too high, and that there aren’t too many tall flames as this will impair the cook and the flavour.
If you’re grilling steak, pop your aromatics on top of the steak while it’s on the grill to gently infuse the meat with the flavour, with a lower risk of it burning (whole fronds of rosemary or thyme work great along with whole, smashed garlic cloves).
As our meat is marbled, burgers and beef koftas are also especially great as they stay moist!”