How to Grill New York Strip Steaks

Name: How to Grill New York Strip Steaks
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 14 min
Ingredients: Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste); 2 1 ½-inch thick New York Strip Steaks ((about 10 ounces each))

By Katie Workman

4.89 from 9 votes

on Jun 20, 2021, Updated Jun 20, 2022

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Everything you need to know about cooking those perfect steaks: juicy and pink on the inside.

NY Strip Steak Recipe

New York Strip may be called different things, depending on where you have having your steak discussion. You might see it labeled Kansas City Strip, Omaha Strip, Club Steak, and Top Loin Steak.

Strip steaks are boneless center loin steaks, with a pleasantly chewy texture and a lot of beefy flavor. They usually come between 1 and ½ inches thick, and if you can buy them freshly sliced at a butcher counter that’s the optimal way to go.

Best Thickness of Steaks for Grilling

Cooking Thinner Steaks on the Grill

You can grill a steak of any thickness successfully, but there is a sweet spot of thickness. Steaks that are too thin will probably not get those beautiful pronounced grill marks by the time the interior is cooked to your liking. If you are cooking thinner steaks on the grill, 1-inch or thinner, only flip them once so that the outside can sear up before the steaks overcook. Keep the heat fairly high so the outside has a chance to sear and caramelize before the inside gets too well done.

Cooking Thicker Steaks on the Grill

If you have steaks that are thicker than 1 ½ inches, then you want to be careful not to let the grill heat get too high, or you will risk getting the outside of the meat too charred before the inside is cooked enough. You can also flip these steaks a total of three times as you cook them, turning the steak a quarter turn with every flip. This will result in those tempting cross-hatched grill marks.

Grilling 1 ½ Inch Thick Steaks

I think a 1 ½ inch thick steak is the most perfect thickness for grilling, and the most forgiving. You will have the best chance of getting the interior cooked to whatever rosy pink level of doneness you are after, and the best chance of having the outside have the perfect level of chariness, without burning. With steaks of this thickness you have the option of turning them once during cooking, or three times (as mentioned above for thicker steaks), and getting your steak cooked perfectly all around

How to Buy Strip Steaks

If you have a choice and can discuss it with the butcher (and in a perfect world you should buy it from a butcher — in the ultimate world you will develop a relationship with that butcher, who might give you the best cuts, and some good steak cooking tips!), try to get a steak from the rib end of the tenderloin.

Buy the best grade of beef you can afford. USDA Prime is the top of the range, with only about 2% of the beef in this country earning that label. This will ensure that your beef has nice fat marbling throughout, which is what gives beef steaks their incredible flavor, not to mention tenderness. USDA Choice comes after that, and within Choice there are different levels, so once again, it will come back to the conversations you have with your butcher as to what is best behind the meat counter that day. The grade Select is below Choice, and will be leaner still.

A freshly cut steak should be a pretty bright red color, and have no dark spots. It will turn a more brownish red as it ages, which doesn’t mean it’s bad, just that it was not cut as recently, and the exposure to oxygen causes the darkening of color. Steer clear of any streaks with an odor that is slightly sour, or anything but fresh.

How Long Will Strip Steak Last

You can keep an uncooked strip steak wrapped in its original packaging in the fridge for 4 or 5 days if you’ve purchased it from a place with high turnover and fresh meat (which of course you should always do!). If you plan to freeze the steaks, remove them from their packaging the day you buy them, then wrap them well in plastic wrap, slide the wrapped steaks into freezer proof zipper top bags, press out any excess air, then seal and freeze for up to 9 months. Make sure to label the package with the name and date.

Leftover cooked steak can be eaten within 4 days, as long as it was cooked when it was quite fresh.

Steak Portions

You should plan on about 5 to 6 ounces of strip steak per person, more of course if you know you have big eaters or hungry steak lovers.

A strip steak often weighs about 10-ounces or so, and one steak will feed 2 people. You can serve half of a steak on a plate, or slice the steaks and plate them attractively on a serving platter or individual plates. steaks is intended to serve 2 people, and once the steak is nicely sliced and plated on a serving platter or individual plates that will look like a very ample portion.

How to Get Perfect Crosshatch Grill Marks

First, make sure you have cleaned the grill well. Place the steaks on the grill on the diagonal, at about a 45 degree angle. Grill for about 4 minutes, pressing on the steak gently with a spatula occasionally. Rotate the steaks a quarter turn (90 degrees) so the angle of the steaks on the grill is about 45 degrees in the other direction. You are looking to create a diamond patterns with the grill marks.

Flip the steaks and grill the steaks the same way, at a 45 degree angle to the grill bars, then after a few minutes turning the steaks another quarter turn (90 degrees) so that the grill marks form the same diamond crosshatch pattern on the other side.

Testing Steaks for Doneness Using the Touch Method

There are plenty of versions of this “is it done?” test available, and I like the way William Rice describes it in The Steak Lover’s Cookbook. Rice says:

It will take some practice to turn the following ritual into a practical skill, but soon the touch-system will be your number-one guide to judging doneness.
William Rice

Perfectly Grilled Steaks

For Rare

Let one hand hang limp. With the index finger of the other hand push gently into the soft triangle of flesh between the thumb and index finger of the hanging hand. It will offer very little resistance, give way easily, and feel soft and spongy. That is the feel of rare steak.

For Medium-Rare

Extend the hand in front of you and spread the finger. Press the same spot with the index finger of the other hand. The flesh will be firmer but not hard, springy, and slightly. Resistant. This is the feel of medium-rare steak.

For Medium

Make a fist and press the spot. It will feel firm and snap back quickly, offering only a minimum of give, as does meat cooked to medium.

He concludes with, “No need for further comparison. Cook your steak any more and it will be a lost cause.”

New York Strip Steak with Jalapeno Butter

How Long to Grill Strip Steaks Over Direct High Heat

These times and internal temperatures take into account the fact that the temperature of the meat will continue to climb by several degrees once the steak is removed from the heat to a cutting board.

Thickness	Doneness	Time
½ inch thick	Rare (125°F)	1-2 minutes per side
½ inch thick	Medium Rare (130°F)	2-3 minutes per side
½ inch thick	Medium (135°F)	3-4 minutes per side
1 inch thick	Rare (125°F)	3-4 minutes per side
1 inch thick	Medium Rare (130°F)	4-6 minutes per side
1 inch thick	Medium (135°F)	6-8 minutes per side
1 ½ inches thick	Rare (125°F)	5-6 minutes per side
1 ½ inches thick	Medium Rare (130°F)	6-8 minutes per side
1 ½ inches thick	Medium (135°F)	8-9 minutes per side

What to Serve with New York Strip Steak:

Other Grilled Steak Recipes:

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4.89 from 9 votes