Cooking Ny Strip On Grill

Learn to grill your strip steaks to perfection with this easy step-by-step photo tutorial. You are just a few minutes away from being the "grill master." This never-fail method will serve you well for many years.

close up a strip steak with grill marks with potatoes on a light gray plate

Introduction

Strip steaks, AKA Kansas City or New York strip steaks, are one of the most popular steaks, and your grill is the perfect way to prepare them.

This post had been "requested" by many readers. I have a great post on Pan Seared Oven Roasted Strip Steak. But nothing beats the grill. It is like grilling a porterhouse or t-bone since the main portion of those cuts is a strip steak.

My Rating

Always a solid five.

🐄Strip Steak

The strip steak is a cut from the short loin from a cow located behind the rib area with the tenderloin. They come from the longissimus muscle that does very little work but a fair amount of fat that makes it tender.

The strip steak is the bigger side of t-bone and porterhouse steaks. The only difference between the t-bone and porterhouse is the amount of beef tenderloin included in the cut.

location of strip steak - Image licensed May 16, 2017, from Fotolia. Copyright by foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Image modified in accordance with the license. — Image licensed from Fotolia. Copyright by foxysgraphic - Fotolia. Image modified in accordance with the license.

You can buy the whole strip loin and cut your own steaks. Also, you can occasionally find the "bone-in," which is basically t-bone without any tenderloin section.

You may run into something called "first cut," which may sound great, but it is not. It is closer to the ribeye and only worth about half the cost of the prized "center cut."

Quality does matter. The simple answer is to buy USDA Choice. Look for a nicely trimmed, well-marbled piece. USDA Prime is way expensive but great if you want to pay the price.

USDA Select is a big step down usually and not what you want. The grade of beef is critical to your outcome.

Now let's talk thickness. The "experts" want 1 ½ inch, but that is a pound and a half of a cow. I like one inch thick, but this works up to 1 ½ inch thick.

I generally use a 1-inch thick steak, but ¾ inches will work and can be excellent but be sure to watch the internal temperature closely, or you will overcook. You have been warned.

If you want to grill a strip steak 1 ½ inch thick or more, you will need a different technique.

🧂The Seasoning

To your taste with salt and pepper is suggested, but we like garlic, so my 7:2:2 seasoning is perfect here.

Salt's timing: Salt will pull the water out of meat, but in 45 to 60 minutes, the salt and water will reabsorb, and that is good. So salt at the start of the rest to room temperature or just before hitting the grill but not between.

Oil the meat?: not needed from my point of view, but some experts want a nice coat of oil on the meat and not the grill grates. I can't tell the difference—your choice.

Steak sauce: you are not seriously considering this.

♨️The Grill

Any grill should work; you just need to get it very hot. Either gas or charcoal is fine. It just needs to be very hot.

⏰Time

Usually, it takes about 9-11 minutes over high heat. For me, done is about 140°-145° internal temperature, still with a little pink but firm. Under 140° is heading into the rarer territory, and over 150° is medium-well to well done.

YOUR TIME WILL VARY and NEVER COOK BY TIME ALONE. There you have it. I apologize for "yelling," but I can not emphasize those points enough.

Like most cooking, there are many variables.

The size and thickness of the meat
The exact temperature of the meat
The grill temperature at the start of cooking
How much heat your grill loses during flips
Your desired final internal temperature

This is why you must have an instant-read meat thermometer to do this correctly.

Doneness	Internal Temperature	Approx. Grill TIme
Rare-cold red center	125°-130°	6-7 Hard to get right
Medium Rare-warm red center	130°-135°	7-8
Medium-pink and firm	140°-150°	9-11
Medium Well-minimal pink	150°-155°	12-14
Well Done-firm and brown	160°+	14+

Approximate times give for planning only and will vary by thickness, grill temp, and rest time—NEVER COOK BY TIME ALONE and use a thermometer. Cook to the internal temperature you want, allowing for 2°-4° temperature rise after removal from the grill. You can not uncook meat but can always cook it a bit more.

📖Steak Recipes

The Best Steak Marinade

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

If possible, rest the steaks at room temperature for about 1 hour, allowing the steaks to come to room temperature.

Trim the beef of extra fat to prevent "flare-ups" that will burn your steak.

It is best to apply salt and pepper at the start of the resting period. Just before starting to grill is OK if you skip the rest, or you forgot. Use coarse salt and pepper. I used my 7:2:2, which is kosher salt: pepper: garlic.

Preheat your grill to as hot as it will go. Clean and oil well. Do not just olive oil here due to the low smoke point.

Place on the grill over direct heat. Closed lid. Grill for five minutes on the first side. If you want crossed grill marks, you should rotate the meat 90 degrees after the first 2 ½ minutes. Flip at 5 minutes.

two grilled strip steaks on a blue plate

Grill for approximately three additional minutes for rare, about 4 minutes for medium-rare, and 5 minutes for medium. Your time will vary with the thickness of the steaks and the grill. Never cook by time only—always cook to a target internal temperature.

Your temperature will rise a few degrees during the post-cooking rest so cook to 3-4 degrees less. Lightly tent with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

📖Full Recipe

a strip steak with grill marks on a gray plate

How to Grill a Strip Steak on a Gas Grill

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 2

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

▢ 2 strip steaks - 12 oz trimmed well. ¾ to 1-inch thick recommended.
▢ kosher salt and pepper to taste - or 7:2:2 seasoning

If possible, rest the steaks at room temperature for about 1 hour, allowing the steaks to come to room temperature.
Trim the beef of extra fat to prevent "flare-ups" that will burn your steak.
It is best to apply salt and pepper at the start of the resting period. Just before starting to grill is OK if you skip the rest, or you forgot. Use coarse salt and pepper. I used my 7:2:2, which is kosher salt: pepper: garlic.
Preheat your grill to as hot as it will go. Clean and oil well. Do not just olive oil here due to the low smoke point.
Place on the grill over direct heat. Closed lid. Grill for five minutes on the first side. If you want crossed grill marks, you should rotate the meat 90 degrees after the first 2 ½ minutes. Flip at 5 minutes.
Grill for approximately three additional minutes for rare, about 4 minutes for medium-rare, and 5 minutes for medium. Your time will vary with the thickness of the steaks and the grill. REMEMBER YOU ARE COOKING TO A FINAL INTERNAL TEMPERATURE, not by time. Times are provided as a rough estimate only.
Your temperature will rise a few degrees during the post-cooking rest so cook to 3-4 degrees less. Lightly tent with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

Pro Tips

I'm going to say this first and last. Never cook by time alone. Times are given as estimates to assist you in timing.
Any grill should work; you just need to get it very hot. Either gas or charcoal is fine. It just needs to be very hot.
I suggest about 1 inch thick steaks here. 1 ½ inch thick or more requires a different method. ¾ inch thick will cook faster and is easy to overcook so be careful.
Seasoning: To your taste with salt and pepper but we like garlic, so my 7:2:2 seasoning is perfect here.
The timing of the salt: Salt will pull the water out of meat, but in 45 to 60 minutes, the salt and water will reabsorb, which is good. So salt at the start of the rest to room temperature or just before hitting the grill but not between.
Oil on the meat: not needed from my point of view but some experts want a nice coat of oil on the meat and not the grill grates. I can't tell the difference. Your choice here.
Steak sauce: you are not seriously considering this.
Last but not least. You need to use an instant-read thermometer to do this right. Cooking times are provided as general guidelines for planning the meal, not as exact cooking instructions. Do not cook by time alone.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Grilled|Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Originally Published February 8, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.