How to Grill the Perfect New York Strip Steak

The New York strip steak with decadent compound herb butter is probably the easiest of the more popular cuts to grill. Unlike grilling the perfect ribeye, this cut is simple for a few reasons.

First, it’s uniform in shape. Similar to this incredible bourbon basted London broil, but unlike a skirt steak, for example. It’s nearly impossible to cook a skirt steak to a uniform doneness because of the shape and inconsistent thickness of the cut.

Second, the strip steak isn’t typically cut too thick, like a filet mignon, for example. The thickness of the filet mignon makes it difficult to cook evenly throughout unless you’re using some of the more advanced cooking techniques. 

Finally, the strip steak doesn’t consist of more than one muscle, like the ribeye for instance.

The ribeye cap cooks much faster than the eye of the ribeye, so it’s challenging (but not impossible) to get a consistent doneness on that cut as well.

We won’t be using the reverse-sear method that I am such a fan of on this New York strip steak. A typical strip steak isn’t cut thick enough to take advantage of that technique.

Instead, we will use the multi-flip technique. There’s an old myth floating around that you should only flip a steak one time once you place it on the grill.

That’s not great advice—in fact it’s horrible advice—and it often results in a steak that’s overcooked on the outside and raw in the center, like the steak below.

The multi-flip technique is as simple as it sounds. We are simply flipping the steak often (every 20 seconds or so) and continually placing it on a different spot on the grill grate.

Grilling New York strip steak with this technique, which is great for cuts less than 1.5 inches thick, will result in even doneness from edge to edge of the steak, like the steak below. It’s also great when you’re applying a marinade or sauce to a steak, like this bourbon molasses steak.

No matter the technique used, however, you have to start with a good quality steak. I love shopping local, and if you have a great local butcher I highly recommend that.

If you have a trusted local butcher, just ask him or her if they can cut you a New York strip steak from the chuck end or middle of the strip loin. Most are happy to do it and actually appreciate when a customer knows exactly what they want.

This will eliminate the tendon that runs through a strip steak harvested from the back end (sometimes called the “nerve end”) of the strip loin.

What Is a Strip Steak?

A strip steak is a cut of beef that comes from the short loin of the cow. You’ve likely heard of the T-bone steak or the porterhouse steak; read my blog about the difference between those two cuts if you’re interested.

In any case, both of those steaks are actually a combination of the filet mignon and the strip steak. The strip steak is slightly less tender than the filet mignon, but it generally has better marbling. Better marbling equates to more flavor, of course. 

Tips for Grilling the Perfect NY Strip Steak

Know Your Steak’s Temperature: Grilling the perfect steak with consistency is impossible without using a reliable meat thermometer. Trust me, this is the one tool I talk about most, and it’s a must-have for anyone who cooks. 

Be Careful: We are cooking at extremely high temperatures on this one so use a long set of tongs to flip your New York steak.

Be Patient: Because of the extremely high temperatures used for grilling this steak, the meat will be very tight coming off the grill. The rest period is a must; you’ll lose all the meat’s juices if you slice it too early. 

Make Use of the Hot Grill: Don’t forget the side dishes when planning this steak. Plan for some that benefit from high direct heat like this grilled broccolini or grilled baby bok choy.

How to Grill the Perfect NY Strip Steak

Serves: 2 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 5-7 Minutes

Ingredients
2 NY strip steaks
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp compound butter (per steak)

Grilling New York Strip Steak Pefectly

Step 1: Place the steaks and compound butter on the counter and allow them to come up to room temperature for about an hour.

Step 2: Light grill and set up for high direct heat. You’ll want to get the coals as hot and as close to the cooking grate as possible.

If using a gas grill, allow the grill to preheat with the lid closed for at least 15 minutes.

Step 3: Evenly coat strip steaks with olive oil and season them liberally with kosher salt. Put two pats of compound butter on each plate and set aside.

TIP: Putting pepper on the steak at this point as personal preference. The extreme heat will burn it, producing a slightly bitter flavor that some enjoy. I don’t recommend using a premixed rub as many of them contain sugar which will also burn. Trust me on this one, just use the salt and let the meat shine through.

Step 4: Place steaks directly over hot coals and flip every 20 seconds. With each flip, place the steaks in a different spot on the grill grate. This allows the best searing to take place through conductive heat.

The steaks below have been on the grill for about 2.5 minutes total, and you can already see that nice crust forming.

Step 5: After about five minutes of total steak grill time, use a reliable quick-read meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steak. Remove steaks from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 115 °F for a medium-rare steak. 

Step 6: Place steaks directly on top of butter pats and tent the steaks with aluminum foil. Allow them to rest for five minutes. Carry-over cooking will continue, and the final serving temperature of the meat will be in the neighborhood of 125 °F or so, the perfect medium rare.

Step 7: Slice steaks and top with additional compound butter for serving. Need the perfect side for these steaks? Try them with grilled broccolini and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.