Cayenne Rubbed Steaks | Backyard Grill Recipes

I have a thing for dry-rubs, especially when they use simple seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne. Letting the rub really ‘soak’ into the meat is the key to perfect flavor.

I just so happened to be having a surf ‘n’ turf grill night, where I also made some delicious ginger and garlic BBQ shrimp kabobsginger and garlic BBQ shrimp kabobs. I rubbed my steaks down with the salt, pepper garlic and cayenne pepper mix, then let them rest while the shrimp marinated, so about an hour. You’ll know the rub is ready when it appears ‘wet’ and is darker in color.

Spray down the grill with some non-stick spray, then slap on the steaks and sear to your personal perfection. I prefer my steaks on a rarer side, so I seared mine for about 2-3 minutes per side, to result in a medium-ish rare steak, with a warm pink center. Cooking tip: for awesome grill lines, rotate the steaks 90 degrees halfway through cooking each side.

Depending on the cut and thickness of your steak, you may find you need to adjust the cooking time per side: 2-3 minutes for rare, 3-4 for medium rare, 4-5 for medium, 5-6 for medium well, and 6-8 for well done.

We just bought a new home, so for my inaugural grilling sesh, I cooked up some prime steaks, shrimp kabobs, corn and charred onion. I also used the cool gas powered cooking top on the side of the grill to saute up some broccolini, white asparagus, and serrano peppers.

Just prior to serving, let the steaks rest for about five to ten minutes, to really seal in all the juices. One of the biggest mistakes people make when grilling steak is cutting into it to see how well done it is – if you can avoid doing that, you will be much better off flavor-wise and guaranteed a nice juicy steak. Use a meat thermometer to determine the temperature of your steak instead of cutting it for a peak inside.