4 Seriously Special Grass Fed Steak Cuts & How to Grill Them

Temperatures are climbing. Days are getting longer. It’s time to make the most of the outdoors and start preparing as many meals on the grill as possible. 

Coulotte Steak

The Coulotte (also called Picanha) is a lean, triangle-shaped steak cut that covers the Top Sirloin. The recipe below from Over the Fire Cooking is inspired by a charcoal method and we recommend you give it a shot, even if you’re normally a gas grill kind of person. It’s super simple and incorporates chimichurri, which is a simple condiment we love whipping up at home to drizzle on our perfectly prepared meats quite often. As simplistic as gas grilling can be, there’s just no replacement for an old fashioned fire grill. And when the recipe is such a light lift, the whole process really balances out on the convenience scale.

Ingredients

• 1 whole coulotte Steak w/fat cap still on
• 2 tbsp of sea salt
• Chimichurri
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. With picanha at room temperature, score the fat cap in order for the flavor to seep into the whole beef. Lather with olive oil & season with sea salt on both side.
2. Use some Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal to light fire and let burn for 10-15 minutes. Once charcoal is white hot, push into one flat pile for direct grilling.
3. Place picanha flesh side down for 2 minutes, flip & sear the fat side for 2 minutes. Pull off grill.
4. Slice the beef against the grain (horizontally) as to make multiple strips out of it. Season the strips with olive oil and salt. Place back on grill.
5. Grill strips for 4-5 minutes per side or until they reach your desired internal temperature. Some of the larger steaks will take longer as will some of the smaller steak be shorter. Take off grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Slice into steaks, top with Chimichurri & enjoy!

Flap Steak

Flap Steak is very similar to a Skirt Steak but generally cut slightly thicker than skirt or flank. The recipe below is from Once Upon a Chef’s blog but is inspired by a Cooks Illustrated original. The marinade quickly comes together with the perfect array of fresh and natural ingredients that really bring out the best flavors of the steak.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 - 2-1/2 lb flank steak

Instructions

1. Make the marinade by combining the olive oil, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Blitz for a few minutes, until garlic and rosemary are pulverized.
2. Place the flank steak in a medium baking dish. Using a fork, poke meat about 10 times on each side. Pour the marinade over top and turn the steak a few times to coat evenly. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
3. Grease grill with oil and preheat to high. When grill is hot, grill flank steak covered for about 5 minutes. Turn and cook covered for about 3-4 minutes more. Let meat rest on cutting board, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice very thin against the grain.

Rib Eye Steak

The Rib Eye Steak (aka Del Monico) is a beautifully marbled steak with a rich cap. It really offers a combination of tenderness and big, beefy flavor that you won’t often find in other cuts of beef. While the steak is great on its own, a good dry rub can really lift any steak, sealing in the natural juices and rounding out the strong flavor profile, which is why we suggest the recipe below from The Spruce.

Ingredients

For the Dry Rub

• 2 teaspoons fresh garlic (minced)
• 2 teaspoons black pepper (coarsely ground)
• 2 teaspoons​ dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons​​ paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (crumbled)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the Steaks

• 2 (12-ounce) beef rib-eye steaks (boneless​ and fat trimmed; 1-inch-thick)
• 1 tablespoon​ olive oil
• Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Grilled rib eye steaks ingredients
3. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, black pepper, mustard, paprika, chili powder, thyme, salt, and cayenne until well blended.
4. Mix spices
5. Brush the oil on both sides of the steaks and place each steak on a large sheet of plastic wrap.
6. Brush steaks
7. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of steaks.
8. Rub spice mixture
9. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
10. Wrap tightly
11. Heat a gas grill to high, prepare a hot charcoal fire until the coals form white ash, or heat a broiler.
12. Heat grill
13. Grill or broil the steaks 4 to 6 inches above the heat source for 5 to 7 minutes on each side for rare, 7 to 9 minutes for medium, or 9 to 11 minutes for well-done.
14. Grill and boil
15. Remove the steaks to serving plates and garnish with thyme sprigs.
16. Serve on plate
17. Serve right away and enjoy.

Tri-tip Steak

This triangular shaped cut of beef comes from the bottom sirloin. It is very lean, but big in beef flavor. As you may know, there is only one tri-tip cut per cow so it can sometimes be difficult to find. When it’s available, make sure you snag this most underrated and inexpensive steak for grilling, then try the recipe below from The Meat Wave.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 whole tri-tip roast (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 1 medium chunk of oak wood

Instructions

1. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, brown sugar, soy sauce, salt, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, garlic, chili powder, and scallions in a small bowl.
2. Place trip-tip in a large resealable bag and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Place in refrigerator and marinate 4-8 hours.
3. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Place wood chunk directly on coals and set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Remove beef from marinade and place on cool side of grill, cover, and cook, turning and flipping occasionally until an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tri-tip registers between 115 to 120°F on an instant read thermometer, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Move beef to hot side of grill. Cook, flipping regularly until well seared and center of tri-tip registers between 120 to 125°F on an instant read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly and serve immediately.