Since time immemorial, man has been barbecuing his meat over the flames and coals of a fire, with varying degrees of culinary and aesthetic success. Today’s avid outdoor cook gets to choose from wood, charcoal and gas fuel, all of which essentially provide a heat source under a grill.

The Australian tendency to rev the barbie up to high and constantly toss the meat about, grog in hand and mates to the side proffering largely useless advise has seen many a charred offering presented to a disappointed table. An unutterable and unnecessary waste, too often the result of too much beer and bravado and not enough care.

Anyone who can be bothered though, can learn to perfect the cooking of a steak on a barbeque. The elements are simple enough and involve dedication to each of the following : The preparation of the meat and the barbeque, the correct cooking of the meat and the resting of the meat.

Preparation
The steak must be removed from the fridge in advance of cooking and bought to room temperature. All wrappings need to be removed and discarded and the meat patted dry with paper towel, covered and set aside in a draft free area. Depending on the temperature of your room, this requires 1 to 2 hours. (Unrefrigerated meat must be cooked in 2 hours or returned to the fridge). Once the barbeque is at medium to hot heat and the meat is at room temperature, season the meat by rubbing salt and freshly ground pepper into the steak with olive oil before placing it on the clean grill.

Cooking
Know your barbeque. They all have hot spots. Essentially, thinner cuts can tolerate the highest heat, so don’t clutter up your hot spots with the thickest steaks. Cooking time for a 250g medium rare steak (one that has been bought to room temperature and will be rested after cooking) is 2 minutes one side and 3 minutes the other. Use a timer. Pushing the meat with your finger is the best indicator of degree of doneness and comes with experience, soft and cushiony meat will be rare, once it is firm though, it is overcooked.

Resting
Meat will continue cooking once it has been removed from the heat, so do not wait for the juices to stop running on the barbeque before you remove it. Use the timings above and rest the meat at the end of cooking for at least ten minutes. This allows time for the juices to return to the flesh and no matter how rare it is, rested meat will not gush juices onto the plate when it is cut. I guarantee you will be the toast of the party.

Ingredients

• 250g Scotch fillet or Porterhouse Steak per person
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Butter
• Chopped parsley
• Lemon Wedges

Method

• Remove the steak from the fridge, pat dry and set aside for up to 2 hours, bringing it to room temperature
• Preheat the barbeque and test for medium – high heat. A simple way to know the heat is medium to hot is you must be able to hold your hand 10cm (4 inches) above the grill for 3 – 4 seconds.
• Rub salt and pepper seasoning and olive oil into the steaks
• Place the steaks on the barbeque grill and cook for 2 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other. To get the criss cross pattern from the grill, rotate the meat ninety degrees half way through cooking each side.
• Remove from the meat from the heat onto a clean platter. Season again with salt and pepper, place a dollop of butter on each steak and set aside, uncovered in a warm, draft free area for ten minutes.
• Move the rested meat onto a warmed serving platter.
• Drain the juices from the resting platter and whisk into a small bowl with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper.
• Drizzle this dressing over the steaks, garnish with chopped parsley and a wedge of lemon.

Have prepared a colourful garden salad and serve with a robust red wine, roast potatoes or ideally a potato gratin if you have the time and the energy. We have been known to send a runner for hot chips from the local fish and chip shop. Provide mustards and horseradish.

NB: If, for whatever reason, you prefer to use a pan rather than a barbeque, do so. Ideally, use a heavy iron pan and cook using the technique described above, preheating the pan the way you preheat the barbeque.

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