Grill, Smoke or BBQ? I never refer to cooking a steak over direct heat as BBQing. That’s grilling. BBQing is slow cooking over indirect heat. Smoking is the same, but with wood chips. The steaks I’ve listed below (excluding Prime Rib) are meant to be grilled over direct heat. I preheat my grill to about 400 degrees. I put the steak on the hot grill and let the meat sear on one side, usually about 3 minutes, then turn it over and sear the other side. Never ever poke or cut a hole in your meat. I use tongs to handle the meat and I know it is done by how spongy the meat is. If the meat has a little bounce to it when I press the center with the tongs, it’s on the rare side. If it has very little give it is getting done in the center. With a little practice, you’ll be surprised how easy it is. Below I’ve identified several of the most popular cuts of beef used to cook (grill) as steaks. I’ve also included Prime Rib as many fine steak houses offer this cut on their menu.

T-Bone: This is probably the most popular steak because of its distinctive look and you get a lot of bang for your buck. The T-Bone steak has the characteristic "T" shaped bone and the large muscle known as the Top Loin on one side and the smaller muscle on the opposite side is the tenderloin or filet.

Porterhouse Steak: The Porterhouse is similar to the T-bone steak, only bigger. This cut also has an extra muscle located in the center Top Loin section on the upper side. This steak is usually at least a quarter to half inch thicker that the T-Bone. It is a bold steak, not for the light of heart or someone with a small apatite. This is like two steaks in one.

Top Loin, bone-in or out (a.k.a. Strip Steak, New York Strip, Kansas City Steak, etc): This cut comes from the boneless large eye muscle from the T-bone or Porterhouse. It is average when it comes to tenderness. Best when only cooked to medium rare at the most, as it becomes tougher if cooked longer.