20 Grilled-Steak Recipes to Celebrate July 4th

20180806-grilled-steak-recipes-roundup-02 — J. Kenji López-Alt

When it comes to a July 4th cookout, steak is one of our favorite things to cook on an open fire. Beef isn't always my first choice for a cookout, but there is something undeniably satisfying about a grilled steak, whether it's marinated or seasoned with salt and pepper alone.

From a basic grilled steak done right and a Thai-style steak salad to a spicy skirt steak sandwich, keep reading for 20 of our favorite grilled-steak recipes to enjoy on Independence Day. End up cooking too much meat? Don't worry—our roundup of recipes using leftover grilled meats offers some delicious ways to put yesterday's steak to use.

The Food Lab's Perfect Grilled Steaks

J. Kenji López-Alt

If you learn only one grilled-steak recipe, this should be it. The key takeaways: Start with a thick slab of beef, salt it and let it sit at least 40 minutes (and up to a couple days), season heavily, cook it most of the way through on the cooler side of the grill, and finish it right over the flame. Don't forget to let the meat rest for at least five minutes before cutting into it.

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The Best Carne Asada

J. Kenji López-Alt

Calling a carne asada recipe "the best" is a bold move, considering that there are so many takes on the dish, but we think this recipe makes a pretty good argument for its superiority. We make our carne asada with a marinade of orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin seed, coriander seed, and brown sugar—which might sound like a lot, but by balancing out all the flavors, we make sure the beef still shines.

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Grilled Strip Steak With Creamy Yogurt Sauce and Tomato-Cucumber Salad

J. Kenji López-Alt

The problem with cutting steaks that are thick enough to grill properly is that each one often ends up too big for one person. Rather than cut your steaks thinner, we recommend simply buying a thick steak and cutting it crosswise. Here, we grill strip steak using our basic two-zone-fire technique, and serve it with an herbed yogurt sauce and a simple tomato-and-cucumber salad.

Get the recipe for Grilled Strip Steak With Creamy Yogurt Sauce and Tomato-Cucumber Salad
Easy Steak Tacos With Charred Corn and Sriracha

Yasmin Fahr

This dish of cumin-, coriander-, chili powder–, and oregano-rubbed skirt steak tacos can be made entirely on the stovetop, but you can't beat that extra hit of smoke you'll get from using a charcoal grill. We top each steak taco with charred corn (one of my favorite summer ingredients), spicy-sweet sriracha sauce, and a dollop of tangy Greek yogurt.

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Grilled Skirt Steak Fajitas

Melissa Hom

Speaking of Tex-Mex, if you're grilling for more than a handful of people, it's hard to go wrong with fajitas—in this case, grilled skirt steak marinated with soy sauce, lime juice, canola oil, brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, chili powder, and garlic. Skirt steak is a thin cut, so you'll need to get the grill as hot as you can in order to char the outside before the meat overcooks. Serve with homemade guacamole and pico de gallo.

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Mole-Crusted Fajitas

Joshua Bousel

These fajitas pair mole-marinated skirt steak with an earthy ancho-raisin sauce. While it's a rewarding endeavor, making mole poblano from scratch takes an entire day and a couple dozen ingredients, so no one will blame you for using a canned version here. We love skirt steak for fajitas, as its loose texture soaks up marinades wonderfully, but flap, flank, or hanger steak would also work here.

Get the recipe for Mole-Crusted Fajitas
Skirt Steak With Warm Spicy Corn-and-Peach Salsa

Yasmin Fahr

This recipe combines corn with peaches—another of my favorite grilling-season ingredients—to make a summery salsa for pairing with grilled skirt steak. The meat is flavored with a simple spice rub made with cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Like the steak taco recipe above, this one can also be made entirely indoors if you don't feel like firing up the grill.

Get the recipe for Skirt Steak With Warm Spicy Corn-and-Peach Salsa
Grilled Garlic- and Herb-Marinated Hanger Steak

J. Kenji López-Alt

Skirt steak is a great choice for grilling, but don't sleep on hanger steak—it has a similarly loose texture and a super-beefy flavor, with a mineral note that will please eaters who prefer their beef a little more assertive. Here, we marinate it with peppercorns, garlic cloves, parsley, and shallot before cooking it on a hot grill. Hanger steak gets inedibly rubbery past the medium stage, so be sure not to overcook it.

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Grilled Skirt Steak With Mojo Marinade

Jennifer Olvera

The garlic and herbs in the last recipe might have gotten you thinking of mojo, and the citrusy, cilantro-scented Cuban sauce is in fact a great steak marinade. After removing the meat from the mojo, we reduce the marinade into a sauce on the stovetop, so nothing goes to waste.

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Dijon-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak

Vicky Wasik

For this recipe, we turn to a French-inspired marinade made with spicy Dijon mustard, tart Champagne vinegar, and aromatic rosemary. The mustard and vinegar are both acidic enough to tenderize the steak nicely. Need a side dish to round out your steak dinner? Try serving this with a kale salad made with oven-dried grapes, walnuts, and creamy, salty-sweet blue cheese.

Get the recipe for Dijon-Marinated Grilled Skirt Steak
Santa Maria–Style Barbecue Tri-Tip

J. Kenji López-Alt

Despite the name, Santa Maria–style barbecue is really just...grilling. No low-and-slow cooking here. For the most authentic flavor, season the tri-tip with a garlicky rub and serve it with a tomato- and celery-based salsa. Tri-tip has a tapered shape that makes it hard to cook evenly, so if you like your steak medium-rare, be sure to invite over some friends who prefer theirs medium or well-done.

Get the recipe for Santa Maria–Style Barbecue Tri-Tip
Isan-Style Sliced-Steak Salad

J. Kenji López-Alt

In the US, we typically think of salads as being made with greens, but in Thailand, a salad can be so much more than that. This northeastern Thailand–inspired salad pairs sliced grilled steak with onions and tomatoes, then tosses it all in a fiery dressing made with pounded garlic and chilies, lime juice, and fish sauce. Making the dressing with a mortar and pestle might seem like too much work, but it is the absolute best way to get as much flavor from the aromatics as possible.

Get the recipe for Isan-Style Sliced-Steak Salad

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Thai-Style Marinated Flank Steak and Herb Salad

J. Kenji López-Alt

Another Thai-style steak salad, this time flavored with a mixture of palm sugar (or brown sugar, if that's all you have); dried Thai chile flakes; fish sauce; garlic; and lime juice. We use the mix as both a marinade and a sauce for maximum flavor. Aside from the meat, the salad incorporates mung bean sprouts, shallots, and tons of fresh herbs: mint, cilantro, basil, and chives.

Get the recipe for Thai-Style Marinated Flank Steak and Herb Salad
Steakhouse Kebabs

Joshua Bousel

These kebabs give you a steakhouse on a stick by flavoring beef sirloin tips with a robust marinade of Worcestershire, soy sauce, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic, then skewering it with mushrooms and onions. We like sirloin for kebabs for the way the cut balances flavor, tenderness, and value.

Get the recipe for Steakhouse Kebabs
Grilled Stuffed Flank Steak With Roasted Chiles and Pepper Jack Cheese

J. Kenji López-Alt

Flank steak takes well to the grill, but the lean cut is arguably a little light on flavor. One way to fix that is to roll it up with bolder ingredients. We have several stuffed flank steak recipes to choose from, but my favorite uses roasted Poblano or Hatch chiles and pepper Jack cheese. Butcher's twine and skewers help the rolls stay intact as they cook—start them on a hot fire, so that any cheese that drips out chars into a tasty crust.

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Grilled Jalapeño-Marinated Steak Sandwiches With Charred Onions and Cotija Mayo

Joshua Bousel

If you're going to make a sandwich out of grilled steak, why not grill the rest of the ingredients while you're at it? Here, we use the fire not just to cook the beef, but to char the sweet onions and toast the baguette. Raw cilantro adds a little freshness, and a spicy elotes-inspired Cotija mayo adds a creamy kick.

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Grilled Steak, Avocado, and Spicy Crema Sandwiches

María del Mar Cuadra

This comforting sandwich pairs grilled steak with creamy avocado (mashed with cilantro, lime juice and zest, scallions, and garlic) and hot sauce–spiked crema. The steak is seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper before it's charred on a hot grill—it should take only about eight minutes total to cook the meat.

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The Steak Bomb With Flap Steak, Scallions, and Salami-Cheese Crisps

Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot

If you're not from New England, you might not be familiar with the steak bomb, so allow me to introduce you to this gut-busting cheesesteak/hero sandwich mash-up. As much as we like the steak itself, our favorite part of the steak bomb is actually the salami you slide into the roll. To highlight that flavor, we bake salami right into the buns and make salami-cheese crisps to put inside it.

Get the recipe for The Steak Bomb With Flap Steak, Scallions, and Salami-Cheese Crisps
Tender Grilled Short Ribs

J. Kenji López-Alt

Short ribs most often show up braised on American menus, but ask anyone from Argentina or Korea, and they'll tell you that this cut belongs on the grill. Because of their high fat content, short ribs are fairly forgiving to cook, but you should aim for medium-rare—that will get the fat hot enough to start melting, but not so hot that it melts out of the meat and into the fire.

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Argentinean-Style Grilled Short Ribs With Chimichurri

Photograph: Joshua Bousel

To take your grilled short ribs in an Argentinean direction, serve them with chimichurri, a bright sauce made with parsley, garlic, and olive oil. For this recipe, you want "flanken-style" short ribs, which are cut across the bone so that each piece contains about four or five bone segments.

Get the recipe for Argentinean-Style Grilled Short Ribs With Chimichurri