This video illustrates the method of grilling on direct heat. This involves placing your food focus directly over flame, or at least hottest place on the grill, similar to pan frying on an open range. This is best suited for foods where a bit of char might go a long way, but understanding that the middle of the food may not cook fully. It can be great for cooking meats that are thinner, or where the inside can be safely undercooked (like tuna steaks).
In this meal, we used two different types of protein- a flank steak and tuna steaks to demonstrate this method. The flank steak, perfect for leaner cut of beef but thin enough to sear and cook in short periods of time and the tuna steak which is thicker, but perfect with a crust and rare inside. We pair it with a chimichurri sauce, which is perfect complement! If you haven’t had chimichurri, think of it like a “South American” pesto; like American BBQ sauce, it can be created with endless variations to suit individual tastes. It is rich in antioxidants, and usually contains a generous portion of garlic, parsley, cilantro, and olive oil. Feel free to choose one or the other, or feel free to try tofu.
Flank Steak:
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey or agave
Tuna Steak:
1/3 cup sesame oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup honey or agave
With either, marinate anywhere from 1 hour to overnight. When grilling, the key is ensuring your grill is fully preheated. We aimed for about 600-700F on our grill. Once flames were fully lit, and the hand is quickly heated when held about a foot over the grill, it’s time to throw your protein of choice over the hottest portion for about one minute on each side. Remove from heat and allow the meat to properly cool. Cooling is an important step to allow the protein to contract and lock in the moisture. This may take 10-15 minutes, but IT’S WORTH IT!