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How to grill a steak

Set up a two-zone fire, one side hot and one side cooler. Sear the steak over the hot side, flipping often, then move it to the cooler side to finish if the outside browns before the center is ready. Pull it about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for a thick steak, then rest it 5 to 10 minutes.

By Gene · Updated November 6, 2026

Illustration of steaks on a grill grate over glowing coals

What do you need?

Ingredients

  • 1 steak, about ¾″ to 2″ thick
  • Kosher salt

Equipment

  • Gas or charcoal grill
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Long tongs
  • Grill brush

Not sure what temperature to aim for? See the steak doneness chart and how to take a steak's temperature, or plan your exact steak below.

Step by step

  1. Salt ahead. Salt the steak at least 40 to 45 minutes before grilling, or up to overnight uncovered in the fridge. Pat it dry before it goes on.
  2. Build two zones. On charcoal, bank the lit coals to one side. On gas, run the burners on one side high and leave the other side low or off. Clean and preheat the grate.
  3. Sear over the hot side. Lay the steak over the hot zone and flip it often until both sides are well browned.
  4. Finish on the cool side. If the crust is done before the center, move the steak to the cooler zone and close the lid so it finishes gently.
  5. Check the temperature. Check the thickest part from the side with an instant-read thermometer. Pull it about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for a thick steak.
  6. Rest and slice. Rest the steak 5 to 10 minutes, then slice it across the grain.

Why use two zones instead of one hot fire?

A single hot fire browns the outside fast while the center lags behind, which makes the grey band wide on thick steaks. The cooler zone lets the center catch up gently. You can even reverse the order: start on the cool side and sear at the end, the same idea as a reverse sear.

To set one up, bank the coals on one side, or run one side of a gas grill on high.

How long does it take to grill a steak?

Grilling time by steak thickness
ThicknessFireTime to a medium-rare pull
About 1″Hot, directroughly 3 minutes per side
About 1½″Two-zoneroughly 10 to 17 minutes in total

These are published test-kitchen times, and fires vary a lot, so use them to plan and a thermometer to decide. Published times for 2-inch steaks disagree by a factor of two or more, so we do not give one. For steaks that thick, a reverse sear on the grill's cool side is easier to control.

Should you grill steak over gas or charcoal?

Either works. A full charcoal fire can run hotter than the regular burners on most gas grills, which helps build a crust fast. Flavor matters less than you might think: on a quick cook like a steak, test kitchens find little flavor difference between the two. Smoke shows up more on thick cuts and long cooks. The setup that matters most is two zones, on either fuel.

Why flip a grilled steak often?

Flipping every 30 to 60 seconds cooks a steak roughly a quarter to a third faster than flipping once, with a more even interior. Each side spends less time soaking up direct heat and more time spreading it inward.

When should you take the steak off the grill?

The center keeps rising after the steak leaves the fire: about 3 to 5°F for thin steaks and 5 to 10°F or more for thick ones. Pull it about 5°F below your target, or 5 to 10°F below for thick steaks cooked hot. A hot grill drives more carryover than a gentle one, so lean toward the larger offset when the fire is roaring.

When to take the steak off the heat for each doneness
DonenessFinal tempPull: thin steakPull: thick steak, high heat
Rare125°F (52°C)120°F (49°C)115 to 120°F (46 to 49°C)
Medium-rare130°F (54°C)125°F (52°C)120 to 125°F (49 to 52°C)
Medium140°F (60°C)135°F (57°C)130 to 135°F (54 to 57°C)
Medium-well150°F (66°C)145°F (63°C)140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C)
Well done160°F (71°C)155°F (68°C)150 to 155°F (66 to 68°C)

How long should a grilled steak rest?

Rest it 5 to 10 minutes. That gives carryover time to finish. Rested and unrested steaks sliced at the same internal temperature lose about the same amount of juice, so a longer rest does not keep the steak juicier.

Does a steak need to come to room temperature before grilling?

No. An hour on the counter warms the center only about 9 to 12°F in an hour, which barely changes the cook. Grill it straight from the fridge.

Plan your steak

Preset to grill. Pick your cut, thickness and doneness to see the pull temperature and every step.

Pull at
120 to 125°F
Final center
130°F
Rest
5 to 10 min
Cut
1½″
Doneness

Warm red-pink center. Juicy and tender, the classic steakhouse order.

Method

Watch it cook

Roughly 10 to 17 minutes in total on a two-zone fire for a 1½″ steak (America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats).

The animation is a heat-transfer simulation of the inside of the steak, not a timer. Stoves and grills vary, so cook to temperature: check the center with an instant-read thermometer.

    Common questions

    How long do you grill a steak?

    A steak about 1 inch thick takes roughly 3 minutes per side over a hot direct fire. A 1½-inch steak on a two-zone fire takes roughly 10 to 17 minutes in total to a medium-rare pull of about 125°F. Fires vary, so go by an instant-read thermometer.

    Is charcoal or gas better for grilling steak?

    Charcoal can run hotter than the regular burners on most gas grills, which helps the crust. On a fast cook like a steak, test kitchens find little flavor difference between the two, so use whichever grill you have and set it up with two zones.

    Why use a two-zone fire for steak?

    The hot side builds the crust and the cooler side lets the center catch up without burning the outside. It also gives you a safe place to move the steak during flare-ups.

    How long should a grilled steak rest?

    About 5 to 10 minutes. Tests show rested and unrested steaks sliced at the same internal temperature lose about the same amount of juice, so there is no need to wait longer.

    Keep reading

    Sources

    Every fact on this page is checked against at least two independent sources. How we check facts.

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