The Perfect Grilled Steak

(next time I'll clean up the plate and give y'all some sliced shots.  Working on this pictures thing...)

I used to buy New York Strip steaks. Until I tried a ribeye.  Sold on the ribeye.  One is enough for me and The Chief-Mess-Cleaner-Upper to split. Sometimes I top it with crumbled blue cheese, sometimes I'm a purist.  Tonight I'm a pureist. 

A few tips for grilling steaks.

• I always start with a room temperature steaks. I find it's easier to control done-ness if the meat is room temperature and not cold in the middle.  If you tend to overcook a steak, perhaps a cold center would help you.  I also used to prefer mine DONE but have evolved to appreciate the fabulousness that is a perfectly cooked medium rare.
• Never, never, never, NEVER poke your steak, cut it, stick it with a fork or otherwise compromise the integrity of the crust you create by grilling to check for doneness.  You poke that steak and all those steak juices are going to flow right out of the hole you poked and you're going to end up with a dry steak. Invest in a good, large grill spatula and learn the touch technique to check for doneness. 

I tried to search for 'touch for doneness' and came up with other stuff.  I learned it as the fleshy part of your hand between your forefinger and your thumb.  When your hand is relaxed and slack, poke that little fleshy area. That's rare. 
Now strech your forefinger to show about an inch and a half.  That fleshy part of your hand is more taut, that's medium rare. 

Now make an 'L' with your finger and thumb.  That's well done. 
To test your steak for doneness, poke the middle of your steak with your own finger to 'feel' for doneness.  If you poke your steak with thermometers and forks, I can't help you.

• High Heat.  It is nothing short of a miracle that my dad hasn't burned down a number of houses with his grill fires.  But he's on to something.  I like to drop my steak on a grill when the coals are right (I don't do gas grills) and the grill grate has been over the coals for at least 10 minutes (I also use a chimney for coals). Hot coals + hot grate = perfect steak in no time.  All that being said, I proved my steak awesomeness a few weeks ago during a wicked wind storm.  We were hesitant to light any open fires what with the wind and the dry season and what-have-you so I applied the same knowledge to a screaming hot cast iron skillet.  Heat skillet ahead of time, preheat oven to about 450. Sear steak on one side (3-5 minutes) turn and throw in the hot oven.  A hot oven and a hotter skillet will create the same environment as a grill with the lid on.
• Pat your steak dry then season with salt and pepper only.  I used to marinate steaks but I generally reserve this for flank or flatiron steaks now.  If I'm going to buy a gorgeous ribeye then I want to taste steak, not worchestershire or garlic or some other nonscense.  Steak is steak. Enjoy a steak when you splurge on the purchase.
• Second most important to not poking is resting.  REST YOUR MEAT.  I always balked at this and thought it would result in a cold steak. It doesn't. What is DOES is ensure that your juicy steak doesn't juice all over your plate when you cut into it. Resting your meat keeps a juicy anything, juicy.  Dry meat sucks; Don't do it.