Published May 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.
For a grilled steak recipe that would produce meat with a dark (but not blackened) crust, smoky aroma, and deep grilled flavor, we first seared the meat directly over the hot fire, then gently finished cooking it over indirect heat. Positioning the meat so that the tenderloin always faced the cooler side of the grill prevented that portion from becoming tough and dry. Salting the meat in our grilled steak recipe boosted flavor from crust to bone.
When arranging the lit coals in step 2, make sure that they are in an even layer. If the coals are stacked unevenly, large flare-ups may occur, causing the steaks to blacken. We highly recommend thick steaks, but if cooking thinner steaks (3/4 to 1 inch thick), make the following adjustments: Reduce the kosher salt to 1 tablespoon (or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt) and the pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons. In step 2, build the fire with a full chimney (about 100 briquettes). Cook the steaks, as directed in step 3, over the hotter part of the grill for about 3 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare, or about 4 minutes per side for medium, but do not transfer them to the cooler side of the grill; they will be fully cooked at this point.
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