Smoke and grill meat like a seasoned pitmaster with the best seasoning for steak

Mastering the correct technique to smoke and grill meat can have you smoking and grilling like a professional pitmaster with years of experience. 

The secret to achieving the perfect steak is to season it well. Following a few simple seasoning techniques can help you achieve restaurant-quality meat dishes on your grill at home.

But selecting the perfect seasoning for smoked or grilled steak might get challenging as there’s a plethora of seasoning combinations that you can choose from. 

What are the best seasoning combinations for steak?

The perfect steak always starts with a balanced blend of spices to elevate the flavour of the steak while leaving it tender and juicy. Follow these simple seasoning combinations to get the perfect smoked or grilled steak every time.

• Classic salt and pepper mix

You can’t go wrong with a good coating of salt and pepper on a slab of steak. A generous sprinkling of freshly cracked pepper and kosher salt can complement the meat—add some flaky sea salt at the end to nail the flavour on the steak.

• Herb-based seasoning

Make your own herb seasoning by combining chopped thyme, rosemary, or sage with kosher salt. This is a quick and easy way to create the best seasoning for steak seasoning that will leave your steak bursting with flavour.

• Custom spice blend

You can make your own steak seasoning that’s jam-packed with flavour by mixing any number of dried seasonings such as garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme, cumin, chile powder, and brown sugar. Alternatively, the easier and quicker option is to purchase a seasoning ideal for a flavoursome steak. 

What are some smoking and grilling tips to help elevate the flavour of the seasoning?

Always remember to be generous with the salt when seasoning red meat, as this type of protein requires a lot more salt than you’d think. This will also depend on the thickness of your steak as you want the salt to season the inside of the steak as well as the outside.

Let the steak rest well after it has been cooked. This will allow the steak juices to redistribute throughout the steak. Always make sure that the steak rests well, otherwise, the meat juices will seep onto the plate upon slicing.

Investing in a meat thermometer is worthwhile, especially if you’re planning on grilling and smoking more often. Using a thermometer is the easiest and quickest way to ensure that your meat is at just the right temperature, which helps enhance the flavour.

How can you properly season a steak for maximum flavour?

To develop that crust every perfectly cooked steak has, make sure you’re generous with your seasonings. The fresher, the better, so if you’re using pepper, for example, always make sure to use freshly ground pepper as it tends to have the most flavour.

Another practice of professional pitmasters is to baste the steak in butter and herbs during the final few minutes of the cooking process. This gives the steak the perfect butteriness that’s found in most restaurant-quality steak dishes.

Amateur pitmaster or not, select the best seasoning for steak for the perfect doneness

If you have a newfound passion for grilling or smoking meats or you’re a ‘well-seasoned’ griller, getting the best seasoning for steak is essential. 

The easiest way to get your steaks perfectly seasoned is to keep it simple and use seasonings that don’t overpower the flavour of the meat and instead complement it.