Jax-Tiger's guide to nice grill marks...

Grill marks are more than just pretty lines on a steak. Just the right amount of charring on your meat enhances the flavor.

Do you have problems getting those great looking grill marks on your steaks. The kind that make your steak look like an ad for a steak restaurant? Or do you end up with a steak that is overly charred and tastes burnt?

Well, you can get restaurant quality grill marks with the right technique. Like this:


The compound butter, grilled potatoes, and sliced tomatoes are optional, but the first thing you want to do is get a nice, high quality steak from your local butcher. Steak always tastes better when purchased from a butcher, rather than the supermarket. I think this has to do with you subconsciously believing that you purchased a better steak vs. the reality that you probably just overpaid for the same steak you can get at Winn Dixie. I like strip steaks.


You then use good quality kosher salt and loosely ground pepper to season the steak. Then put it on a microwaveable plate and put it in for about 3 minutes, before flipping them and cooking them for another 3 minutes.


After letting the steaks rest for a few minutes, paint on the grill marks using a high quality grill mark paint. Try to avoid the lead-based paints if you are still planning on having children. I used a quarter inch wide brush on the steaks, and then turned the brush sideways to get thinner marks on the potatoes. I always brush a little extra around the edges for extra flavor. Your steak may look silly the first time or two, but soon you will have your steaks lookng like they were cooked on the grill by a professional. The paint is still drying here, but it's best to let it dry before eating. Otherwise, the runny paint can stain your teeth.



Again, the key is if you use this:


You can end up with this:


Hope this helps.

Edited to change thread name...