How to Grill a Steak on Gas or Charcoal: Sources Compared

Red steak grilled with green peppers, sizzling on an outdoor barbecue.

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A good grilled steak comes down to a hot grate, a well-timed flip and a temperature reading. Weber’s steak tips and searing guide, AmazingRibs’ steakhouse-steak article and USDA’s safe-temperature chart mostly agree on that, but they split on salting time, resting and how hot the grate needs to be. This guide covers direct-heat steaks about an inch thick; very thick cuts suit a reverse sear, which has its own article on this site. Celsius figures are our own conversions unless a source gives them.

Set Up the Grill

Weber’s gas-grill page says to preheat with the lid closed for 10 to 15 minutes and brush the grates clean once they reach 500°F (260°C). Its searing guide adds that the grates themselves need to be 500 to 550°F (260 to 288°C) to leave sear marks, though it also says the searing reaction starts around 300°F (149°C) and warns that going past 500°F can burn food. For the steak itself it recommends 450 to 500°F (232 to 260°C) direct heat; its blog recipe for strip steaks says 450 to 550°F. Weber’s direct, indirect and two-zone guide files steaks and chops under “high heat” (500 to 550°F). Treat these as a range, not a contradiction: hot, preheated and clean.

AmazingRibs goes hotter for thin steaks: leave the lid open and use the hottest part of the grill, ideally with the charcoal raised under the grate.

Take the Chill Off, Then Season

Weber’s tips say to let steaks stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes so the interior cooks faster and does not turn gray and dry (its recipe says 15 to 30). On salt, the sources disagree in a way worth knowing:

  • Weber’s steak tips: salt 20 to 30 minutes ahead, so it dissolves into surface moisture and helps form the crust.
  • Weber’s grill skills page on salting beef: salt just a few minutes before grilling, because salting before refrigeration draws out moisture and the meat steams instead of searing.
  • AmazingRibs: dry brine, salting liberally an hour or two ahead (its recipe says two to four hours) and returning the steak to the fridge.

Sear, Flip and Slide

Weber’s searing guide has you put the steak on the grate with the lid closed for 2 to 3 minutes, then flip it onto a fresh part of the grate so the metal is still hot, and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. It also says that searing does not “lock in juices”; AmazingRibs makes the same point. For a steak much thicker than an inch, Weber’s tips suggest a sear-and-slide: sear both sides over direct high heat, then move it to a cooler, indirect area to finish. Weber’s 2013 grilling guide lists 4 to 6 minutes total for a three-quarter-inch steak, 6 to 8 for one inch, and for two inches a 6 to 8 minute sear plus 8 to 10 minutes indirect. Those are guidelines.

AmazingRibs’ method for steaks an inch or thinner differs. It leaves the lid open, keeps the first side down while rotating the steak slightly about every 30 seconds so the grates do not brand it, then flips and cooks the second side for only about a minute. Its goal is an evenly dark surface without distinct grill marks.

Rest or Don’t

Weber’s searing guide says to rest for 30 to 40 percent of the time the steak spent on the grill. Its strip-steak recipe says 3 to 5 minutes, and the grilling guide says 5 to 10 minutes for thick steaks. AmazingRibs argues there is no need to rest and that serving right away keeps the crust crisp. The USDA chart is the deciding factor if you cook to its minimum: steaks are listed at 145°F (62.8°C) “and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes”.

Doneness Numbers

Weber’s steak temperature guide gives “chef standards” of 125 to 135°F (52 to 57°C) for medium rare, 135 to 145°F for medium and 155°F and up for well done. It also says meat rises about 5 degrees after leaving the heat, so a steak you want at 125°F comes off at 120°F. AmazingRibs aims for 130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C) for medium rare and advises erring toward undercooked, since a steak can go back on the grill.

These numbers sit below the USDA minimum of 145°F with a 3-minute rest for whole cuts of beef. USDA says the temperature should be measured before removing food from the heat, and that people may choose higher temperatures for personal preference. Ground beef is different again: 160°F (71.1°C). Weber’s guide also prints a “U.S.D.A. standards” column with different figures (145°F for medium rare, 160°F for medium), which does not match USDA’s current single-figure chart; go by the USDA page itself. Whatever you choose, measure with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the steak, away from bone, as Weber advises.

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