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Everyone loves a good barbecue, at least here in Australia. But do we know what the best steaks for BBQing are?
The simple answer is that the best steaks for BBQing are those with some amount of marbling. Marbling helps to keep the meat moist while it’s cooking on a hot open barbie.
It helps maintain everything that’s great about the meat – the juiciness, the texture and the flavour.
Also don’t cut your steaks too thin. For best results it is recommended to have your steaks about 2.5cm thick and cook to medium or medium rare.
So, here’s our list of the best steaks for BBQing – high in marbling content, and cheaper than you might imagine.
Tenderloin Steak
Striploin Steak
Sometimes also called porterhouse steak, the striploin steak is a barbeque favourite. Known for its flavour (it’s been called by some as the tastiest cut) and marbling, you can get away with barbequing these steaks without too much fuss.
A little garlic and olive oil, and you’re good to go!
Scotch Fillet / Rib Eye Steak
Scotch Fillet or ribeye as it’s known when served with the bone in, is perfect for BBQing.
However if you can’t find a bone-in rib eye the boneless rib eye is just as great. It is one cut that lends itself to marbling, making it absolutely perfect for fast, hot grilling. It has high flavour content and is incredibly tender.
Porterhouse / T-bone Steak
Porterhouse or T-bone steak is also perfectly suited to BBQing. A thick and juicy steak, it’s immaculate when it’s quickly barbecued to medium-rare. You simply won’t find a better-tasting steak when it’s done right.
Rump Steak
Rump steak is one of the more reasonably priced of the recommended grilling cuts. While it does have a firmer texture, it also has a rich flavour. But because of its firmer texture, be careful to not overcook it.
This is performed best when cooked to medium or medium rare.
Oyster Blade / Butler’s / Flat Iron Steak
We’d say that the oyster blade steak, sometimes called ‘butler’s steak’ or ‘flat iron steak’ is fairly underrated. It will have natural marbling, and it’s also one of the most economical steaks on the market. That said, it’s still great eating quality and you’ll be very impressed with the results when you throw it on the barbie.
Tips for your BBQ
Barbecuing is a high-intensity method of cooking, so you’ve got to be well prepared for it. There are few ways of doing this:
- Preheat the barbecue to a high heat, but never apply oil to the cooking surface! Instead, brush your steak with olive oil on either side. This way, the oil won’t burn and smoke up.
- Make sure you use long-handled tongs to turn the steak – BUT, only do it once! Repeat, only turn the steak ONCE!
- Be aware of the different cooking times for different steaks. How long you cook a steak for depends on its thickness. Try the tongs test.
Tongs test
Press the centre of the steak with your tongs. Follow this code:
- Soft = rare
- Slightly firmer and springy = medium
- Very firm, no spring = well done
