Grilling on my Dad's Old Cast Iron Grill - New York Strip Steaks

An Oldie but a Goodie - Cast Iron Grill Box Style - Vintage Family Grill


New York Strip Steaks - Just About Ready to Come Off the Grill

My brother was coming in today to fix the light cover on my Mom's car. Long story. I won't say how that happened to get busted. In any case, my brother had me take photos and get the car VIN number, so he could get the light cover and paint and fix the car back up.

Mom wanted to have a nice lunch. She doesn't cook much these days. She mentioned steak, and I offered to grill them. It's hard to be inside and outside on a meal, but as a single Mom I've learned that juggling act. As I thought back, I guess it was probably always Dad or one of us kids who did the outside cooking.

The grill was out when I arrived. That was a blast from the past. My Dad died in a traffic accident two year ago. I hadn't seen the grill since then and hadn't cooked on it in years, since I usually do the grilling over here on my Weber grill.

I'd say the old grill must be 30 to 40 years old. When you hear, "They don't make them like that anyone," that's true here. I worked in a metal shop during high school, and I' say this is a solid cast iron grill. Definately it's heavy, but it does have one set of wheels for rolling. The grill has held up over all those many years and grillings, so it's certainly a study high grade of metal. The only damage on the grill is a broken hinge on the right side of the lid cover.

It's a box style grill rather than a kettle shape like Weber. Most all the old grills I've seen or used were in this shape. They're a little harder to regulate and the food is closer to the fire with this shape, but it's fine especially if you've had some experience grilling.

With a box shape grill, I put the coals heavier on one side and lighter on the other. Steaks can go down on the hot side and seal and then over to the cooler side for additional cooking for those who like steaks cooked more than rare. With the cast iron and the excellent conduction of heat, the entire grill maintains a high temperature, but it is possible to maintain some cooler space by using fewer (or even no) coals to one side.

Mom had hoped to get tenderloin steak, but Food Lion did not have any. She went with New York Strip. That's a good steak for grilling as well. There are numerous other names for NY Strip like Kansas City Steak and top loin steak, and hotel cut steak. The meat is cut from the loin across the back of the cow. It is tender, because cows do not do backbends, cartwheels and such. Tougher steaks are ones where the muscles are used more often - an example would be round steak (hard to get right on a grill). New Strip does not have as much marbling as a Rib Eye, but the fat ratio is good for grilling. Some strips are cut away from the bone and some include a small strip of bone but not in the T shape like t-bone steak.

I used a little marinade for a half hour or so to tenderize and to add flavor. New York Strips can also be rubbed and cooked without marinade. I prefer to marinate but not for too long. More than a couple of hours and the meat kind of breaks down - too much tenderizing.

Mom made salads, baked potatoes (both Irish and sweet) and rolls. I'd pop in and give her an estimate on the time for the steak. Dad never did that, and it's kind of hard to be the indoor person and not have some idea on the time.

The meal was delicious. I could have gone a minute or so less on the steaks. It had been so long since I'd cooked on it that it was hard to nail it. Knowing your grill makes a real difference. This grill was familiar and brought back good memories, but it had been years since I'd cooked on it.

If you happen to run across an old cast iron grill, buy it. You'll have a good one. This one has a lot of mileage, but I could see even a glance that it's good for many more years of grilling.

If you love to grill out or want to learn more about barbecue cooking, check out my site Yes You Can Grill. I have loads of tips, ideas and recipes, and I'm adding more outdoor cooking stuff all the time.