Broke Out the Grill Last Weekend

This past Sunday, the weather was really nice most of the day.  Sunny, not much of a breeze, it was really quite delightful.   And not surprisingly, the beautiful spring day got me thinking about breaking out the grill for the first time of the season.   As it happened, one of the area stores had had an incredible special deal on Amana NY strip steaks - a pack of 5 beautiful, 8-ounce steaks for $15.  By the time I actually got back home from the office, the weather wasn't quite as nice - it had gotten clouded over, though there still wasn't much wind - but I wasn't going to let that get in my way.

I decided I'd season the steaks with the seasoning blend I came up with recently for Pan-Seared Steaks.  I seasoned the steaks on both sides, then left them out as I got the coals ready.  As it turns out, it works great for grilling, too, and since a grilled steak is pretty much always going to be better than one cooked on a stovetop or in an oven, this seasoning blend ends up being even better with a grilled steak.

The steaks cooked up quickly; four minutes on each side was enough to edge them to the medium side of medium-rare.  They had a great, browned outer crust while remaining juicy and tender on the inside, and the seasoning enhanced the rich beef flavor without overwhelming it.  I served the steaks up with a Caesar salad and Fast Baked (microwaved) Potatoes topped with sour cream and garden-fresh chives.  That combination made for a great dinner.

I'm glad the 5-pack of steaks was simply too good a deal to pass up.  I sliced up the leftovers for steak sandwiches.  The next morning I made up a couple sandwiches, topping them with slices of the Cabot extra-sharp cheddar we like.  Microwaved for a minute or so, Juli and I both thought these were the best steak sandwiches we'd ever had.

Cooking Tip:
If you haven't yet discovered the wonder of a chimney charcoal starter, I strongly recommend you check into one.  They make it fast and easy to get your charcoal ready for grilling, with no mess and without the chemical flavor you can get from using starter fluid or treated charcoal.  Weber makes a few models, including the one I use, the 7416 Rapidfire Chimney Starter.  It's easy to find, sturdy, reliable and a great buy for the cost.