9 Tips for Grilling Beef

Today I am sharing 9 Tips for Grilling Beef and a recap of my trip with The Ohio Beef Council to Columbus, Ohio to learn about Ohio Beef farmers, how to prepare and cook beef and so much more! 

9 TIPS FOR GRILLING BEEF

I don’t know about you but I do a ton of grilling in the summer months, and actually year round. Grilling is one of our favorite ways to make beef, especially steaks and burgers.

Today I am excited to share 9 Tips for Grilling Beef {you will find those at the end of the post} and also share a recap of my trip with the Ohio Beef Council  to Columbus, Ohio in the spring. It was an amazing beef adventure with some of my fellow food bloggers, where we got the opportunity to talk with two Ohio Beef farming families, learn about beef and the beef industry and how to cook and prepare beef.

Our tour started with a trip to Dusty Rose Farms to get a peak inside their cattle operation.  Jim and Dee Jepsen reside with their family near Amanda, in southwest Fairfield County, where they operate Dusty Rose Farms. The farm consists of 850 acres of row crops and 60 beef cows.

The cows are predominately Angus based, with one herd being purebred and the balance being crossbreds. Most calves are retained for their farm’s feedlot, with an increased focus on meeting freezer beef customer demand. I loved talking with this beautiful family and seeing firsthand the care and passion they have for their cattle. You can truly see the pride they take in their business.

Next we were off to Hoffman Farms where we saw a bigger family cattle operation. It was nice to see a small and a large operation and learn how each of them run their daily operations. Founded in 1976, Hoffman farms has focused on innovating and diversifying to stay as a leading cattle operation in the state of Ohio.

Christian and his father Bob have been growing and diversifying Hoffman Farms over the past several years to enhance their cattle’s health, value and environmental impact. Together operate a 700-head feedlot. Christian handles the cattle, while his father oversees the crops. But it takes both ventures for the farm to support both men.

Here is a great infographic that gives you more information about grass or grain fed beef. I know there can be a lot of perceptions out there about the type of beef that you should be eating so this might help clear things up! It is interesting to see the nutrient comparison of grass-finished or grain-finished beef.

I have always enjoyed visiting beef farmers in person and learning from them firsthand. The care and passion each of them has is inspiring and really shows you the love they have for the cattle they are raising. You can feel good about the beef you are eating, knowing that it is coming from such hard working, caring farmers.

After our visit at the farms we had a beautiful progressive dinner with the Cameron Mitchell restaurants in Columbus, Ohio. If you have ever been to Columbus you know that they have a lot of really outstanding restaurants in the area and they serve Ohio Beef.  While remaining independent and privately held, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants has grown to 32 units and 12 different concepts with locations in 12 states. In addition to Cameron’s, the concepts are: Cap City Fine Diner & Bar, The Guild House, Hudson 29 Kitchen + Drink, M, Martini Modern Italian, Marcella’s, Ocean Prime, and Molly Woo’s Asian Bistro, The Pearl, Restaurant, Tavern & Oyster Room, The Barn at Rocky Fork Creek and The Avenue Steak Tavern.

Our progressive dinner included a stop at Marcella’s for delicious appetizers, a stop at The Pearl and Guild House. Each course was packed with amazing flavors, fresh ingredients, delicious Ohio beef and of course a few handmade cocktails, which are Cameron Mitchell restaurants specialty.

I can’t say enough good things about the meals we ate and the presentation of the food and cocktails. Cameron Mitchell restaurants are top notch!

We ended our beef tour with a cooking lesson at The Guild House. First of all, The Guild House is one of the most beautiful restaurants I have ever seen. I just adore their decor and the food they serve. We spent the moring learning from chef Peter Chapman, he is the head regional chef. We learned all about different cuts of beef, tip and tricks for cooking beef and how to prepare some fabulous beef dishes.

My favorite was the Kimchi Fried Rice paired with beef and an egg. Heavenly!

We also spent time with Andrea Hoover, who is the Beverage Operations Manager and the best cocktail maker I have ever met. She showed us how to make some very fun and different cocktails that would be perfect for summer entertaining.

Do you love to grill as much as I do?  Here are 9 Tips for Grilling Beef from The Ohio Beef Council. These are the key to grilling success! 

1. Choose the cuts that are inherently tender. The Ribeye, Tenderloin, Porterhouse, Strip or even the Flat Iron steak are all primetime performers. Why? Marbling. The little flecks of flavor inside the red of the muscle make for a very enjoyable eating experience.
2. Marinade or Rub? Marinades add flavor but they also tenderize. Cuts for the grill are already very tender. If you choose to marinade, keep it to 30 minutes. Rubs on the other hand, can add a little something extra.
3. Prep Your Grill. Starting hot is the key to success. Never start cooking your steak or burger before your grill hits 450 to 500 degrees. After cooking your steak for one to two minutes at that temperature, back the temp to medium high for the remainder of the cooking time
4. Know Your Grill. Know where hot spots are located. These are areas that tend to flare up and cook the steak unevenly.
5. Diamonds are a grill’s best friend! How do we make those beautiful steakhouse diamond marks? Make professional diamond grill marks by placing your steaks on the grill with the ends at 10 and 4 o’clock. Once the meat has seared, turn them clockwise, with the ends at 2 and 8 o’clock.
6. No poking! Always use tongs or spatula to move steaks on the grill. Poking with a grill fork or knife only allows those tasty juices to escape leaving you with a dry unsatisfactory steak experience.
7. When do I flip it? When you put a steak on a hot grill and you hear the sizzle, you will notice that the steak is stuck to the cooking surface. The steak may still be stuck three to four minutes into cooking. This is the steak telling you that he’s not ready to be rotated for grill marks or flipped. Once the steak is fully seared, it will release from the cooking surface and liquid will collect on the raw side of the steak. When these two things happen, it is time to flip your steak.
8. Determining doneness by using a meat thermometer. Inject the thermometer into the side (not the top) of the steak. If you want to enjoy your steak at 145° (medium rare) pull your steak off of the grill when it reads 135° and let it rest for 10 minutes. Steaks will continue to cook once pulled from the grill. The resting time lets the juices redistribute in the steak and allows it to reach its final end-point temperature.
9. Cutting Steak also aids in eating experience. When cutting steak, always cuts against the muscle grain. This will enhance the steak tenderness.

 

Today’s post is sponsored by the Ohio Beef Council. As always opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that allow me to create new and exciting recipes.