Steak Grilling Times Explained

If you are hosting a cookout, the last thing you want to do is overcook the steaks. There's nothing worse than spending a premium on some excellent cuts of meat only to accidentally turn them into a piece of charcoal. With this guide to steak grilling times, you'll make sure they come out perfect every time.

Some Quick Tips

Before I get into the grilling times, I want to let you know of a few tips you'll need to know to make sure your steaks come out the best they could be.

The best cuts for grilling steak are New York strip, porterhouse, t-bone, ribeye, and tenderloin.
Get the grill as hot as you can. You can test whether the grill is ready with your hand. You should only be able to hold your hand over the grate for 2-3 seconds when it is ready for the steaks.
Put salt and pepper on the steaks before grilling.
Only flip the steaks once. This will ensure you get a charred outside but juicy inside.
Don't overwhelm the meat with steak sauce or ketchup. A good steak should speak for itself. For extra flavor, use something subtle like a mixture of butter, parsley, and garlic or olive oil and lemon juice.

Grilling Times

If you have a blazing-hot grill, these times will help you understand when to flip them and take them off the grill. I have organized the list based on the thickness of the steaks.

1": First side 6 - 9 min, second side 3 - 6 min.
1 1/2": First side 7 - 11 min, second side 4 - 8 min.
2": First side 9 - 13 min, second side 6 - 10 min.

The shorter times are for if you want your steak rare; the longer times are for when you want it well. But timing is still a bit variable. To double-check the doneness, you'll need to use a secret method to test the elasticity.

The Thumb Test Method

You know that fleshy mound at the base of your thumb? Well, it turns out that it is firmer or softer when you touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of different fingers on the same hand, and these changes in elasticity are the same as different degrees of doneness! Try it out for yourself.

Open palm: rare
Index finger: medium rare
Middle finger: medium
Ring finger: medium well
Pinkie: well

After you flip the steaks, use this thumb test method to make sure you take the steaks of at the right time. With this method and the steak grilling times above, you'll become the guy who throws legendary cookouts with perfect steaks.