Discover the best steaks to grill with our Sizzling Steak Awards, where we break down top cuts like ribeye, tenderloin, and T-bone for different grilling methods and preferences. Whether you’re cooking on gas or charcoal, looking for lean or budget-friendly options, or are seeking a showstopping cut to wow your guests, our guide ensures a sizzling success at your next barbecue.
Welcome to the Sizzling Steak Awards! It’s just like the Oscars, but juicier.
Grilling the perfect steak is an art; it all starts with choosing the right cut. With so many options and cooking methods out there, it’s easy to make a mis-steak when selecting the best steaks to grill.
From juicy ribeyes to succulent sirloin, choosing the best steak to grill depends on a few different factors, such as:
- Cut
- Marbling
- Thickness
- Cooking method
- Budget
- Personal preference
Each cut has its own strengths and weaknesses, and its own method or recipe in which they shine. In this guide, we’ll break down the best steaks to grill for different occasions and preferences so you can make your next cookout a sizzling success.
Here are the categories we’ll be covering as we dig into the Sizzling Steak Awards:
- Overall Best Steak to Grill
- Best Steak to Grill on a Gas Grill
- Best Steak to Grill on Charcoal
- Best Lean Steak for Grilling
- Best Cheap Steak for Grilling
- Best Steaks to Grill for a Crowd
- Best Steak for Marinating
- Best Steak for Kebabs
- Best Bone-in Steaks
- Best Steak for Steak Lovers
How did we decide what cuts to feature?
We read as many steak-grilling guides as we could, combined our research with our own experience, and narrowed the options down to a shortlist for each category. We then compared our shortlists across categories to zero in on one cut for each award. Many of the cuts we recommend below were strong contenders in multiple categories,. We wanted to share as many options as possible so we aimed to avoid repetition by awarding the same cut in multiple categories.
Before we dive in, here’s a quick primer on where each of the cuts we’re highlighting below come from:
The location where your chosen cut comes from impacts its tenderness, flavor, and how you cook it.
Now, let’s dive into the nominees and find your perfect steak!
The Overall Best Steak to Grill
The Award Goes To: Ribeye
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Ribeye is a rich and beefy cut with lots of marbling and a generous amount of fat, giving it its distinctive flavor and juiciness. Prized for the “Spinalis” (more commonly known as the “ribeye cap”), ribeye is often considered to be one of the tastiest fast-cooking cuts available and is prized by many as the overall best steak to grill.
Grilling Tips: With unparalleled natural flavor thanks to its first-rate marbling, the ribeye does not need a lot of seasoning or saucing. All you need is a bit of salt and pepper and/or your favorite herb mix and you’re good to go.
How To Grill: Preheat your grill for two-zone cooking. Place the steaks on the grill over direct heat and cook for about 4 minutes per side, flipping once (or as many times as you need to get a good sear). You’ll know the steak is ready to flip if it releases easily from the grill grates. If your steaks aren’t quite as cooked as you’d like after searing both sides, move them over to the indirect heat side of the grill and let them cook for 2-3 minutes longer or until they reach the desired internal temperature.
If you prefer the reverse sear method, Hey Grill, Hey recommends “cooking [the] steaks in two stages using the two-zone grilling method, for a total of around 45 minutes. First…grill the steaks with the lid closed over indirect low heat for around 40 minutes, flipping once in between. This gives your ribeyes time to absorb the smoke and become super tender. Then, we’ll move [the] steaks over direct heat to give them a final sear on both sides.” Try their Reverse Sear Ribeye Steak recipe.
The Best Steak to Grill on a Gas Grill
The Award Goes To: Tenderloin
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Tenderloin is low in fat and high in muscle—and flavor. This means it tends to cook much faster than other steaks and will be more prone to drying out, making it well suited to a quick cook on a gas grill. If you want a cut with a bit more marbling, ribeye and striploin were also close contenders for the best steaks to grill on a gas grill.
Grilling Tips: Since tenderloin steak is a bit lean, you can wrap it in bacon before grilling for extra flavor and better juiciness. We also recommend mixing up a quick compound butter and serving tenderloin with a luscious pat of delicious flavored butter melting overtop.
How To Grill: Let your steaks rest at room temperature for half an hour before grilling. Start by searing your steaks over direct high heat, with the lid closed, for about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove them when you reach your desired temp, and let them rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Follow Weber’s method for succulent grilled beef tenderloin steaks.
The Best Steak to Grill on Charcoal
The Award Goes To: T-Bone
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Cut from the front end of the short loin primal, T-bone steaks consist of a piece of tenderloin and a piece of strip with a T-shaped bone in the middle. This cut is very similar to the famous porterhouse but with a smaller tenderloin piece.
As the meat cooks, it will shrink down and the bone will protrude, preventing the meat from making good contact with a pan’s surface and inhibiting browning. Because of this, T-bone steaks are much better grilled than pan-seared. You can grill a T-bone nicely on a gas barbecue, but we think it’s the best steak to grill on charcoal because coals can get much hotter than gas, meaning you can achieve a perfect sear without overcooking the tenderloin. (Just make sure the tenderloin is facing away from the hottest coals.)
Grilling Tips: Since the tenderloin is so lean and is the smaller of the two sides, it will cook faster than the strip portion. This can result in the tenderloin overcooking if you are not careful, so ensure you position your T-bone with the tenderloin facing away from the fire.
How To Grill: Set up a two-zone fire on your grill. Lightly season your T-bone (it won’t need a lot since the cut is so flavorful) and sear over direct heat before finishing it up on indirect heat. Try this Perfectly Grilled T-Bone Steak Recipe by Serious Eats.
The Best Lean Steak for Grilling
The Award Goes To: Flank Steak
Why Did We Choose This Cut? We chose the flank steak as our best lean steak for grilling because it has lots of beef flavor. It comes from a well-used muscle in the lower chest or abdomen of a steer, which means it can be a bit tough if not cooked properly, but with the right marinade and proper cooking technique, it’s a lean-but-succulent cut that you can enjoy on its own, as steak fajitas, or atop a salad.
Grilling Tips: If you marinate your flank steak before cooking, take a moment to wipe off the marinade before you grill—wet meat can cause flare ups, and excess moisture may end up steaming your steak instead of grilling it. Don’t cook flank steak more than medium-rare—any more cooked and your meat will be tough.
How To Grill: Set up a direct and indirect heat zone. Sear the steaks over direct heat (about 3 minutes per side), then move them to the indirect heat side to finish them off (only if necessary—this will depend on how thick your steaks are). Rest the steaks for at least 5 minutes, then slice against the grain and serve. Need inspiration? Follow this recipe by Serious Eats.
The Best Cheap Steak for Grilling
The Award Goes To: Tri-Tip
Why Did We Choose This Cut? The tri-tip is our best cheap steak for grilling because it’s very lean and flavorful, it smokes and grills well, and it won’t break the bank. Most tri-tips are cut in one whole piece that weighs about 2 pounds and typically break down into 2-4 individual steaks depending on your serving size. And it’s not an overly well-used muscle, so it’s tender and delicious.
Grilling Tips: Tri-tip’s uneven shape can result in the narrow end overcooking if you are not careful, but this may be ideal if you’re cooking for a group and are looking for a range of temperatures and levels of doneness.
How To Grill: Let your meat rest at room temperature for 45 minutes before cooking. To grill, set up a direct and indirect heat zone. Sear the steaks over direct heat, about 2-3 minutes per side, then move to indirect heat to finish cooking. Rest for at least 5 minutes before serving, and be sure to slice against the grain for maximum tenderness. Try this recipe for Grilled Santa Maria Tri-Tip.
Best Steaks to Grill for a Crowd
The Award Goes To: Skirt Steak
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Cuts of skirt steak are available in a variety of sizes to suit any appetite. It also cooks up very quickly, so no matter how many people you are cooking for, there will be enough to go around and you don’t have to worry about being stuck behind the grill the whole time.
Grilling Tips: The skirt steak is a tough cut that calls for a long marinade, so your prep process should start the day before you plan to grill. Once the prep phase is done and dusted, cooking is super fast—you’ll only need 5-7 minutes on the grill.
How To Grill: Wipe off as much of the marinade as you can and preheat your grill to high heat. Grill your steaks over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, allow the steak to rest, then slice and serve. Skirt steak should always be sliced across the grain for maximum tenderness. Try our recipe for Herb Marinated Skirt Steak.
The Best Steak for Marinating
The Award Goes To: Flat Iron Steak
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Cut from the top blade, flat iron steaks are super tender, well-marbled, and offer lots of flavor. Flat iron steaks are also uniform in thickness, which makes them perfect for marinades.
Grilling Tips: Cook flat iron steak to medium doneness at the most—if you cook it medium-well or higher, it will be tough as old boots.
How To Grill: Marinate your steak for at least an hour, up to 24 hours. After marinating, wipe off as much marinade as you can and let the steaks come up to room temperature. Preheat your grill to medium heat, then grill for 3-4 minutes per side. Rest and slice against the grain. Try this Grilled Flat Iron Steak recipe.
The Best Steak for Kebabs
The Award Goes To: Sirloin
Why Did We Choose This Cut? Sirloin offers the perfect mix of flavor, tenderness, and cost. Its fat ratio means it can handle high heat without drying out or sacrificing tenderness when cut down into kebab cubes, and it won’t cost an arm and a leg.
Grilling Tips: Cut steaks into uniform 1” cubes (or larger—1 ½” cubes are more forgiving). If you’re including veggies on your kebabs, toss them lightly with oil and seasoning before threading them onto the skewers.
How To Grill: Marinate the steak cubes for about 4-5 hours before you plan to start grilling. Preheat your grill, set up a direct and indirect heat zone, and cook your kebabs over direct heat. If they are starting to burn, move them over to the indirect heat zone to finish cooking. Here’s how Serious Eats makes great grilled kebabs.
Shop for skewers:
The Best Bone-in Steak
The Award Goes To: Porterhouse
Why Did We Choose This Cut? The porterhouse is similar to a T-bone steak, so it’s made up of a tenderloin and a strip steak separated by a bone. However, unlike regular T-bones, the porterhouse has a larger tenderloin portion. This allows you to enjoy both the exquisite tenderness of the tenderloin and the incredible flavoring of the strip. (Not to mention just a whole lot of steak.)
Grilling Tips: The porterhouse is challenging to grill for the same reason it’s so tantalizing— like the T-bone, it is made up of a tenderloin and a strip. The tenderloin has less fat and will cook faster than the strip, so make sure you are cooking your porterhouse with the tenderloin facing away from the heat source.
How To Grill: Since porterhouse steaks are so thick, they’re a great candidate for reverse searing. Preheat your grill to 225 degrees, with a direct and indirect heat zone. Place your seasoned steak over indirect heat, close the lid, and allow it to slowly rise in temperature for about an hour. When it’s about 10 degrees away from your desired doneness, remove it from the grill and crank the heat up to high. Put the steak back on the grill over high heat and sear for a minute or two on each side, then rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Try this recipe for Porterhouse Steak on the Grill.
The Best Steak for Steak Lovers
The Award Goes To: Tomahawk steak (AKA Cowboy steak)
Why Did We Choose This Cut? The tomahawk steak is not only delicious, but it’s also a stylish piece of meat—basically a bone-in ribeye with an extra-long rib bone. Impressive for both the eyes and the tastebuds, the only drawback to this impressive cut is its price. You may also need to special order it from your butcher, which is why it is best for serious steak lovers.
Grilling Tips: Tomahawk steaks are a lot thicker than your usual ribeye. You’ll pay more per steak, but one tomahawk steak can easily feed at least two people.
How to Grill it: Dry brine your steak for approximately 2 hours before cooking. Preheat your grill for two-zone cooking. Place the steak over the indirect heat side of the grill and close the lid. Cook till it reaches an internal temperature of about 120 degrees for medium rare, about 45 minutes up to an hour, flipping once. A grilling thermometer is key for perfectly cooking this extravagant cut. Move the steak over to the direct heat zone to sear with the lid open for about 3-4 minutes per side. Position the bone away from the heat source so it doesn’t scorch. Rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Try Hey, Grill Hey’s recipe for Tomahawk Steak on the Grill.
Shop for grill thermometers:
Final Verdict: The Best Steaks to Grill
And there you have it—the Sizzling Steak Awards have crowned their champions! From the all-around favorite ribeye to the crowd-pleasing skirt steak, each cut we’ve featured has its moment to shine on the grill:
- Overall Best Steak to Grill: Ribeye
- Best Steak to Grill on a Gas Grill: Tenderloin
- Best Steak to Grill on Charcoal: T-Bone
- Best Lean Steak for Grilling: Flank steak
- Best Cheap Steak for Grilling: Tri-tip
- Best Steaks to Grill for a Crowd: Skirt steak
- Best Steak for Marinating: Flat iron steak
- Best Steak for Kebabs: Sirloin
- Best Bone-in Steaks: Porterhouse
- Best Steak for Steak Lovers: Tomahawk (AKA cowboy steak)
By understanding the unique strengths of each option and matching them to your grilling method, budget, and personal taste, you can ensure every steak you grill is a winner.
