How to Cook a New York Strip Steak

Your first task is to pick the best possible cut of New York Strip Steak you can afford. The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, grades meat based on its age and degree of marbling - the white fat found in beef. The younger and more marbled the beef, the better its flavor and texture. Prime, Choice, and Select are the meet cuts available to the general consumer with Prime being the best cut of meat.

Shop carefully. Not all grocery stores carry USDA Prime beef. Look for the actual title of "USDA Prime" and not a lower USDA grade disguised with a brand name. If you can't find Prime at your grocery store, try a local butcher or purchase from a reputable online source. You can get some of the best cuts of meet online and have them delivered to your door often at a discount to your local options.

Look for a New York Strip steak that is at least 1 1/2 inches thick. Steaks thinner than 1 1/2 inches will dry out more easily.

While Choice and Select grade meat can be prepared nicely at home, do not expect them to have quite the same flavor and bite as a steakhouse steak. Knowing how meat is graded, however, can help you find the best cut of these grades. Look for those with the most marbling and test the meat's age by pressing it gently with your finger. The younger the beef, the more tender it will be when pressed.

A strip steak comes from the cut of meat called the short loin, situated next to the tenderloin and top sirloin cuts. It is naturally tender and goes by many names including a Kansas City Strip Steak, strip steak, and shell steak.

Photo used under Creative Commons from ulterior epicure Britax Boulevard reviews.

It doesn't get any simpler than this:

Pull the steaks out of the refrigerator and let them sit on a clean plate or pan for an hour before grilling. An even meat temperature will make for more even cooking.

When the hour is up, rub the New York Strip Steak with cooking oil (do not spray cooking oil on your grill) and follow with salt (kosher is best) and pepper (fresh, cracked). Do not put the seasonings on before the coating of cooking oil as it is believed salt will draw moisture out of the meat. For even more flavor, make a steak rub recipe using your own spices.

A marinade can also be used to add unique character to a steak. I've included some marinade directions and recipes further down this page. If you use a marinade, you should remove the steak from the marinade before letting it come to room temperature. When your steak hits the cooking surface, it will cook more evenly if it is dry.

For the best steak dry rub straight out of a Chicago steakhouse you can buy CharCrust - Seals in the Juices. The Roasted Garlic Peppercorn is a huge favorite!

Grill or stove top directions:

At this point, your meat should be room temperature. When the meat hits the cooking surface, it will sear more easily and more evenly if the meat is not wet.

How to cook a New York Strip Steak on the barbeque:
Pre-heat your barbeque on high for at least 15 minutes. High heat - 500-600 degrees - is important for searing the outside of the steak. Place your steak on the grill, wait 5 minutes and flip the steak. You are looking for the outside to become very dark in color, but not charred. Once both sides are seared, move the steak to a surface of the grill that is not as hot as the main cooking surface and continue to grill at this lower temperature for another couple of minutes. If you have a lid on your grill, you can close the lid and shorten the time per side to 4 minutes for the searing process. Do not flip more than once. If you want nice grill cross-marks on your New York Strip steak, make a 1/4 turn half way through the cooking time for each side. Remove the steak from the grill, place a half of a tablespoon of butter on each steak and let sit for 5 minutes.



How to cook a New York Strip Steak on the stove top:
Use a Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Grill Pan, pre-heat on medium-high for 15 minutes and follow the same instructions as for the grill. You can cover the pan to simulate the effects of a barbeque lid.

If your steak is thicker than 1 inch, you may want to continue cooking it in an oven set at 400 degrees for another 5-10 minutes per side. This is where feeling the meat to sense whether the meat is still rare, medium or well-done is critical. The thickness of your steak plays a significant role here. Press on the steak to determine if it is rare, medium, or well-done. The firmer the meat, the more "done" the steak. Rare will be slightly more firm than when the meat was raw, medium will feel like pressing on the center of your palm, and well-done will feel like pressing on the harder, less fatty parts of your hand.

Using the grill pan will give you a great outer crust but letting the meat continue to cook in the oven is what will finish the New York Strip Steak to your desired expectations. I usually use steaks that are about 1 1/2 inches thick. I like my steak rare so I finish mine in the over for 5 minutes per side. My husband likes his well done so I leave his in longer.

Why a Cast Iron Grill Pan? The grill pan has a ribbed bottom to provide a grill-like cooking environment. Cast iron is a solid, heat-conducting element. Both characteristics are critical when you cook a New York Strip steak on the stove top to ensure even cooking as heat is distributed more easily and thoroughly.

Don't miss out on online meat specials. MyButcher.com offers great deals on the best cuts of New York Strip steak plus other frozen meats and foods.

Photo used under Creative Commons from noonch.

Prefer the flavor of a great steak done on an outdoor grill but don't have a lot of space? The Cuisinart CGG-200 Tabletop Propane Gas Grill is an ideal solution.

Highly rated, achieves a searing temperature that you can use for even thick steaks, has fold out counter space, does vegetables and comes with the reliable Cuisinart name - excellent deal!

The one thing I was missing even after I figured out how to cook a New York strip steak? A good set of steak knives.

The J.A. Henckels International Stainless Steel 8-Piece Steak Knife Set is highly rated by consumers. The knives are one-piece construction made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel and come with a lifetime guarantee.

If you're looking for more than a recipe book about steaks, you can't do better than The Complete Meat Cookbook.

Referred to by readers as "The Meat Bible", topics cover cuts of meat, how to choose the best meats, and how to cook different cuts of meat for the best flavor.

A steak rub is like a marinade with no liquid. It's all seasoning and makes a nice, flavorful crust on your steak. Considering the natural tenderness of a New York Strip steak, dry rubs are a favorite way to add some unique tastes to your steak without overpowering its own natural flavor.

A steak rub recipe is a combination of seasonings which are then literally rubbed onto the steak before putting it on the grill or in the pan. To dry rub steak, make a steak rub recipe from the list below, coat your New York Strip steak with a light coat of cooking oil, and then rub a good amount of the steak rub recipe over both sides of the steak. Apply enough of the steak rub recipe to cover all of the meat but not so thick you can no longer see the meat at all. Remember, you're going to bite through this to get to the steak. You want a little seasoning with your steak, not a little steak with your seasoning.

Super simple Steak Rub Recipe

1/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced

Peppercorn Steak Rub Recipe

1/4 cup black crushed, fresh peppercorns
3 tablesoons Lime Pepper seasoning

Pepper and Parsley Steak Rub Recipe

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Recipe

1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dark chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon dry Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon dry thyme
1 tablespoon dry sweet basil
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons granulated garlic

UPDATE Feb 27, 2011: The folks from Char Crust stopped by to share the following information -

"Thanks so much calling our dry rub seasoning, Char Crust® "the best steak rub"! As you mentioned, it did originate in our family's Chicago steakhouse in 1957, and we still manufacture everything ourselves.

BTW, I followed your link to Carolina Sauce Company and noticed that they have some incorrect info on our ingredients. We no longer use hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, and our first ingredient is roasted garlic, then wheat, spices, salt, sugar, etc. The garlic and spices combined make up most of this rub. You can visit our site www.charcrust.com for recipes and more."

The best cuts of New York Strip don't need any marinade at all, if cooked properly. However, you might want to do something different for a dinner party or a special night. While you can get away with marinading your steak for an hour, your meat has a better chance of soaking up the unique flavors of your marinade if it has a chance to sit for at least three hours. In fact, If you are using a beer marinade, a recent scientific study suggests there is a health benefit if you marinate your steak for six hours.

You might want to know how to cook a New York Strip Steak while adding your own signature taste. Marinade is a liquid seasoning in which you soak your steak to add additional flavors. Marinades are best made with some sort of acidic liquid and any variety of optional seasonings. You may want to try a marinade rather than the simple seasoning described above.

Beer and Red Wine Vinegar

12 ounces beer
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic; peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Beer and Soy Sauce

12 oz beer (lager style)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 T coarse ground Dijon mustard
2 T minced garlic
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T freshly ground pepper
1 t salt

Thyme and Wine/Beer

1/4 cup beer or wine or beef broth
1 Tbs. lemon juice or wine vinegar
1 tsp. dijon-type mustard
fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried herbs, thyme
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. honey or brown sugar
dash of hot sauce (optional)
1 clove garlic, halved

Beer and Lime

12 oz. of your favorite full-flavored beer
Juice of 3 limes
1 shallot bulb, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons salt

Red Wine and Vinegar

1 c. dry red wine
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp. oregano
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. Italian dressing

Red Wine and Mustard

1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp Dijon style mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. coarse ground black pepper