5 TIPS FOR COOKING FROZEN STEAK
1. Freeze It Right
One thing that makes a big difference in your grilling success is how you freeze your steaks. In order to have the most surface area of the steaks exposed to the grill grates, freeze them on a completely flat surface (like a baking sheet)—or make sure the frozen steaks you buy are perfectly flat. Then transfer them to a resealable freezer bag, press out all of the air, and seal. Of course, you can also buy frozen steaks to grill—just make sure they’re perfectly flat.
Also, make sure you don’t let your steaks hang out in the icebox too long—you don’t want to be disappointed by freezer burn. When wrapped properly, frozen meat will stay freezer burn-free for about three to six months in the average home freezer.
2. Use Thick-Cut Steaks
This technique works best with steaks that are 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick. Porterhouse, ribeye, or T-bone would be great choices. Kim doesn’t recommend cooking frozen thinner steaks like skirt or flank, because their interiors can overcook before the exteriors are well-browned. For the record, Kim also likes using this technique with thick-cut pork chops. She’ll even partially freeze a roast to achieve similar results—but that’s a whole other story.
3. Set Up a Two-Zone Grill
The most important thing to do when cooking frozen steak is to set up a two-zone fire. That means creating two areas on the grill: one for direct, high heat, and one for indirect, lower heat. That way, you can sear the steak until it’s nicely caramelized, then move it to the cooler side to cook through to perfection.
4. Sear, Season, then Cook Through
First, sear the frozen steak on the direct-heat side of the grill, until the exterior has a nice caramelized crust, 10–14 minutes. When you’re ready to flip the steak and sear the other side, be sure to generously season both sides of the steak with salt (we like kosher salt for its clinging ability) and pepper. (No matter how hard you try, salt, pepper, or any other spices just won’t stick to a frozen steak, so it’s best to season it after it’s warmed up a bit on the grill.)
When the steak is seared, move it to the indirect-heat side of the grill to gently cook it low and slow until the interior has reached your desired doneness (see below for temperatures), 10–15 minutes more. Let the steak rest 5 minutes to evenly distribute the juices, then serve.
5. Monitor Your Temperature
Since you may not be used to the timing of cooking a steak this way, the only surefire way to know what’s going on inside is to take its temperature with an instant-read thermometer. You certainly don’t want to serve up a steak that’s still frozen in the middle or—even worse—overcooked. The interior of the steak will come to the desired pull temperature slowly, so feel free to check it multiple times to get a steak that’s cooked exactly how you want it to be.
You’ll want to cook the steak to its “pull temperature”—about 5 degrees shy of the final desired temperature of the meat, since carryover cooking will bring the temperature up another 5 degrees as the steak rests:
Rare: 115-120°F
Medium-Rare: 120°–125°F
Medium: 130°–135°F
Medium-Well: 140-145°F
Well Done:150°F and up
Tips posted by Marika Tegmann
