When grilling steak, you’ve got to master the art of using direct heat AND indirect heat. A combination of the two is best when you’re cooking steak.

Direct heat is just that – placing the meat directly above the heat source (the flame on a grill). The lid is open and this method is best used to first sear the steaks. Yum!

After the searing over direct heat is done, you can move to indirect heat. That’s when you use the reflected heat to cook the meat with the lid closed. Use the area of the grill set up for this – many times the center of the cooking grate. The meat is not directly over a flame but is getting cooked good and juicy.

But the more you open the lid the longer it takes when using indirect heat. Keep that in mind.

Really great steaks require both direct and indirect heat to make them truly special. And the extra time it takes makes all the difference in your final product.

So get out there and use that direct and indirect heat to your advantage this grilling season!

Oh, man, does a steak butter give steaks an amazing flavor or what?

Nothing beats that butter-drenched flavor when you bite into a ribeye steak.

So fire up the grill and try out this delicious pancetta butter recipe on some grilled ribeye. It’s rich and buttery and it really brings out the meaty flavor of the ribeye steak.

Pancetta butter and ribeyes are a match made in heaven!

Grilled Ribeye with Pancetta Butter

Ingredients:

4 10 oz. ribeyes
2 3 slices pancetta (or bacon)
1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
1 tbsp. chopped shallot
1/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. chopped parsley
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions: Cook pancetta in a pan, saving rendered fat. After it’s cooled, chop pancetta and mix with reserved fat and butter in a bowl. Add shallot, garlic, parsley, lemon juice and zest. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place on parchment paper or plastic wrap, rolling to create a tube. Put in refrigerator until ready to use.

Grill steaks to desired doneness. Let steaks rest for 5 minutes. Remove butter tube from refrigerator and slice, placing a palette of butter on each steak.

Servings: 4

Source: The Kansas City Steak Company

Sunny barbecues in the backyard – my happy place! And Memorial Day is the quintessential “barbecue in the backyard” day.

It’s almost upon us, so let’s get our ducks in a row and plan some amazing meals out on the patio with these delicious Memorial Day recipes!

Steaks are first up on my list. But the long, leisurely weekend gives us a bit more time to explore something new so why not go for this Memorial Day recipe for Grilled Kansas City Strip Steak and Blue Cheese Mashers? While you’re grilling steak, get your helpers to dive into making the mashers. Everybody wins!

For us, burgers are ALWAYS on the sunny holiday menu. This time, we’re going to mix it up a bit with this Tropical Burger recipe. Pineapple and mango chutney will make you feel like you’re in the tropics!

It’s a long weekend, right?

Serve it with this Fresh Cilantro Picnic Salad – perfect for a group of hungry holidaymakers!

Enjoy good food and relaxation this Memorial Day weekend – I know I will!