Grill Your Own Steak Tips From Fleming's Prime Steakhouse

Backyard grilling is an institution. It's as American as apple pie, the democratic process and drinking on the beach. It's one of those activities that is shared by every generation. From your 4-year-old niece to your octogenarian grandmother to your fraternity brothers, we all enjoy an old-fashioned BBQ.

Steak is king in the land of the grill. If you can master it, everything else falls into place. First, you need to know how perfection tastes. You need to know where to set the bar. You need to go to Fleming's.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is the store of all steak knowledge. Nationally renowned for its Prime beef and steakhouse fare, Fleming's is sophisticated yet comfortable. The top brass knows the regulars and greets them as old friends. It's the kind of place where you daydream about running into the Rat Pack just after a day at the Del Mar races.

Fleming's features USDA Prime corn-fed beef, aged to perfection and hand-cut daily on the premises to ensure the highest quality possible. They offer a wide selection of cuts and sizes ranging from an 8-ounce petite filet mignon to a 40-ounce porterhouse cut for two (or one massive appetite). Fleming's is also renowned for the Fleming's 100, an award-winning wine program that features 100 wines available by the glass - an oenophile's dream. Ask the sommelier to suggest the perfect vintage to pair with your meal; you might be surprised, as these days they tend to match for intensity rather than color.

This is the setting where Chef Calvin Hollady strives to present diners with steak at its highest form. Since fine dining is his passion, his process is a little beyond our reach. He hand cuts his daily shipped Prime beef in the morning to exact specifications, seasons liberally with kosher salt and coarse ground pepper then broils at 1,600 degrees. The seasoning combined with the intense heat creates a caramelized crust that complements the beef's flavor. It's simple and amazing - this is where you set your bar.

The only problem is that most of us don't have hand cut aged Prime beef and a 1600-degree broiler on hand. So how can we grill a 5 star steak at home, you ask? Good question.

1. Start with Quality: select your steak carefully. A Ribeye will be fattier and give you more flavor, where as a New York strip will be leaner. Bone-in will give you more flavor, but be careful not to burn the bone. You're looking for bright red color with white marbling, and make sure it's very firm. A good steak smells like butter.

Find quality meat at Whole Foods, Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats, Iowa Meat Farms, Bristol Farms and even Costco. You're looking for Choice or Prime grade beef, Prime being the highest quality and more expensive and harder to find. Season with coarse ground pepper and kosher salt.

2. Mind Your Grill: coal or wood are preferred over gas - they will give you a smoky flavor. To determine if you have the right temperature, grab a rag dipped in canola oil with your tongs and wipe down the hot grill. If it catches on fire it's too hot, if it does nothing you're too cold. You're looking for it to smoke lightly - that's the perfect temperature.

3. Leave it Be: don't mess with it. A cardinal sin of ruining a steak is playing with it too much - flipping, pressing, and squishing will all remove the juices from your steak leaving it dry and unfulfilling. Ideally you only want flip your steak once. If you'd like to add diamond grill makes for presentation simply rotate your steak 45 degrees half way through the cooking of each side. For most that's grill for a minute, rotate, grill for another minute, flip and repeat. When the meat begins to sweat, when the juices pool on top of the steak, it is going from medium rare to medium.

4. Let it Rest: do not cut into your steak right when you pull it off the grill. Let it rest for 8-10 minutes before cutting. Itwill retain more of the juices instead of spilling them all over the plate. If you serve it on a hot plate, food will retain temperature longer.

Most of the tips in this article were provided by Chef Partner Calvin Holladay and Operating Partner David Trainer of Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, La Jolla. They have also supplied some summer grilling recipes below, halfed for home use.

Herb Oil

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin: 2 Cups
Basil, Fresh Minced : 1.5 Tbsp.
Rosemary, Fresh Minced: 1.5 Tbsp.
Black Pepper, Table Grind : 2 Tsp.
Kosher Salt : 2 Tsp.
Garlic, Minced: 2 Tsp.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and blend with a hand mixer for 10-15 seconds.

This herb oil recipe is great for a bread dip or to brush on vegetables before placing them on the grill. If you're grilling asparagus be sure to shave the bottom 4 inches to remove the fibers.

Tarragon, Dry : 2 Tbsp.
Black Pepper, Fine Grind: 2 Tbsp.
White Pepper, Ground: 2 Tbsp.
Garlic Powder: 2 Tbsp.
Ginger Powder: 2 Tbsp.
Cinnamon: 2 Tbsp.
Thyme, Dry: 2 Tbsp.
Oregano, Dry: 2 Tbsp.
Basil, Dry : 1/4 Cup
Cayenne Pepper: 1/4 Cup
Sugar: 1/4 Cup
Paprika: 1 Cup
Kosher Salt: 12 oz.
Corn Oil: 1 Tsp.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

This dry rub is great for tuna, chicken, shrimp or tofu. It'll add some spice to the meal without burning the way sauces can.

Soy Sauce: 1/2 Cup
Brown Sugar: 1/2 Cup
Sesame Oil: 1/2 Tbsp.
Sesame Seeds: 1/8 Cups
Red Chili Flakes: 1/2 Tsp.
Green Onions: 1/2 Bunch
Water: 1/4 Cup
Minced Garlic: 1/2 Tbsp.

Chop the green onions and place them in a mixing bowl then add all other ingredients and whisk thoroughly. Marinate for 3 hours then grill. If you want to marinate over night stay away from marinades with high acidity or salt content as the meat will cook prematurely.

Remember: a marinade will completely change the taste of your meat and is better used for lower cuts such as a flank steak.

Insider Tip: For the "grill your own steak" experience without the hassle of the grill, simply head out to the Gaslamp Strip Club (as in the steak, not the dancer) or to the Turf Supper Club in Golden Hill. You're paying for a good piece of meat, so just follow steps 3 and 4 and you'll have a nice meal. Not to mention avoid ridicule from other patrons (me and my friends).