Customers who are unfamiliar with Lobel’s fresh, dry-aged meats frequently want our recommendation about what to buy, asking: What’s the best steak for grilling?
Honestly, there’s no single answer or best cut. It’s all about deciding the best steak for each individual’s taste preference.
In fact, ask master butchers Stanley, Evan, David, and Mark Lobel and you’ll find little consistency to their answers – just individual preferences and the reasons why. See below for each Lobel’s go-to cuts when choosing what to grill for family and friends.
Butterflied Leg of Lamb – “There’s really no trick to cooking this great piece of meat. With it being butterflied, it’s nice and flat, so it cooks very evenly. Turn it carefully with two pairs of tongs or a big fish spatula. You’ll also want an instant-read thermometer handy to get it just to medium-rare. Grilled lamb is great alongside some grilled vegetables with Mediterranean herbs.”
Bone-In Veal Strip Steak – “You can cook this pretty much the same way you would a bone-in strip steak, though being smaller it will cook a little quicker. They’re really nice and tender with a light, mild flavor—so they’re perfect for summertime.”
Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steak – “A Porterhouse is the steak for grilling. You’ve got your filet portion and you’ve got your strip portion, all cooked on the bone. You can get a 36-ouncer that will serve 3 people. If you’re not comfortable using indirect heat, a nice trick for such a big steak is to cook it over direct heat, about five minutes on each of the five sides: the top, the bottom, and each of the three edges of the steak. Because of its triangular shape you can cook on direct heat the entire time and get it nicely medium-rare.”
Dry-Aged Boneless Double Strip Steak – “You’re able to use direct and indirect heat to cook this big steak. You can even infuse a bit of smoke when cooking over the indirect heat. Because this steak is so thick, you can offer nice wide slices to guests. I like to sprinkle them with a little Maldon salt just before serving—not only does it look really nice, but it draws the moisture up to the surface so your guests can see how juicy the steak is. Their mouths will water just looking at it.”
Skirt Steak – “I’m not sure why, but this steak just reminds me of summer. You can simply grill it real hot with just salt and pepper, or it will take to a marinade easily. Plus, it’s very versatile and is a great cut for fajitas and steak salads.”
Dry-Aged Bone-In Filet Mignon – “You just don’t see this cut very often. And having the bone in, plus the length of time that we dry age it, makes this filet something really special.”
Dry-Aged Bone-In Rib Steak – “I like a 20-ounce steak, which will be about 1 1/2 inches thick. This is a single-serving steak with incredible flavor. When oiled properly before grilling, it can have an incredible crust while still being rare in the middle. It’s has rich and robust flavor unlike other grilled steaks. Buying USDA Prime is a must with this steak!”
Skirt Steak – “Also called Romanian Steak, I was brought up on this cut as a youngster. It’s got a great mystique to it—it’s very unique with a different flavor, though it can be tough sometimes. Marinating can help with the toughness, but takes away from the great flavor. Since this steak isn’t very thick, you can grill it rare with an incredible crust.”
Lobel’s Wyoming Burger – “Our 1-pound burgers provide an incredible grilling experience. They’re so thick you can get them nice and charred and crisp on the outside while still being rare in the middle—which is how I like them! What I’ll do is grill these, then slice them across the middle, creating two 1/2-pound burgers that are both well done and rare at the same time. Just be careful when you eat these: they’re so incredibly juicy they’ll be dripping right out of your mouth!”
Dry-Aged Boned & Tied Rib Roast – “A lot of people don’t think about grill-roasting, but it’s really not as hard as you think. A boned and tied roast is great for the grill because the bones act like a built-in roasting rack, and you get all that great flavor from cooking on the bone. But then you just snip the twine and you’ve got a boneless roast to carve plus a rack of delicious beef ribs—and everyone always wants one of those! It’s great for summer parties, like Father’s Day or Memorial Day.”
Ready-Made Kabobs – “These little kabobs are so simple, you just can’t go wrong. They literally cook up in minutes. They’re just perfect for when you don’t have a lot of time but everybody’s hungry. My kids love them. We’ll grill a couple different varieties so everyone gets their favorite. We like to do the unseasoned kind with all different dipping sauces.”
Dry-Aged Bone-In Strip Steak – “I know a lot of people consider New York Strip Steaks to be an old favorite grilling stand-by. But I like to take the flavor up a notch by keeping the bone in—it just adds a really nice flavor. You can sear these right over the flame, then finish them over indirect heat. Carve them off the bone and slice across the grain to serve, and they will be juicy beyond belief.”
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