Food cooking on a bbq

How to cook the perfect steak on your BBQ

What can be better than firing up the BBQ on a sunny day in London? Surrounded by your friends and family, the sun shining and a fire burning away makes for the perfect day. All that is needed now is great food. When it comes to food, nothing says great BBQ more than a plump, juicy steak. So how do you cook your steak just right and impress your visitors? Here are three easy steps to cooking the perfect steak.

1. Choosing your cut of meat

For most of us, a steak means beef. A cut of beef cooks excellently on a BBQ, but which cut should you buy? A fillet is buttery and soft and has a mild flavour, but it is also the most expensive cut and with hardly any fat it’s not ideal for the BBQ. Sirloin is from the back of the animal, is marbled with fat and is cheaper than fillet. But the best cut for your BBQ in London is the rump. It’s meaty and lean but has just the right amount of fat to cook well. Choose steaks that are fairly thick (about 2.5–3cm) and are about all the same size.

2. Preparing your BBQ and your steak

Calor gas is for you if you want to get outside and get cooking straight away. If you prefer to relax outside a bit while the fire is getting ready, then logs or coals are the right choices. Let the flames heat the grill for a few minutes then use a wire brush to clean it. To prepare the steaks, brush on a little oil and season liberally with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

3. Cooking your steak

The heat shouldn’t be too hot so be patient if waiting for coals and logs to burn. You don’t want flames licking through the grill before you start (although they will when the fat drips on the coals). Then the easy bit. Cooking times are two minutes each side for rare, three minutes each side for medium, and four minutes or more each side for well done. Let the meat rest for five minutes to let the juices settle before serving.