This guide is built around a steak around 2.5cm (1 inch) thick, the sweet spot for the grill, and gives you the timings and temperatures for every level from blue to well done.

Our sirloin, ribeye and rump are cut thick and matured properly for exactly this job, with the fat that bastes the meat and gives you that deep, charred, beefy flavour only a barbecue delivers.

We’ll cover getting your coals right, the golden rule of flipping only once, and why a meat thermometer takes all the guesswork out of it. Most importantly we’ll cover the rest, because a steak carved straight off the heat loses all the juice you worked to keep in. Whether your table likes it blushing pink or cooked right through, this is how you send every steak out exactly the way it was asked for. Fire up the barbecue – summer starts here

Serves any number – the method is per steak
Prep 5 minutes, plus 30 minutes to come to room temperature
Cook 2-10 minutes depending on how you like it, plus 5 minutes resting

This guide is based on a steak about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick, such as sirloin, ribeye or rump. Thicker steaks need a little longer; thinner steaks cook very fast, so drop the times.

Ingredients
Your steaks (sirloin, ribeye or rump work best on the BBQ)
A little oil (olive or vegetable)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Take the steaks out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. A room-temperature steak cooks far more evenly than a fridge-cold one.
2. Pat the steaks dry with kitchen paper, then rub lightly with oil and season well with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Get your barbecue really hot. For charcoal, wait until the coals glow with a light grey ash and no flames. For gas, heat to high. You want a fierce, direct heat to sear the outside.
4. Lay the steaks on the grill and leave them alone. Don’t move or press them – let the crust form. Flip only once, halfway through the cooking time.
5. Use the timings below as your guide, then check with a meat thermometer for certainty (temperatures taken in the centre of the steak).
6. Rest every steak for about 5 minutes on a warm plate before serving. This lets the juices settle back through the meat.

Timings and temperatures (for a 2.5cm / 1 inch steak over a hot BBQ)
Blue – about 1 minute each side – 46-49C – cool red centre, seared outside
Rare – about 1.5 minutes each side – 50-52C – warm red centre
Medium rare – about 2 minutes each side – 54-56C – warm pink centre, our recommendation for flavour and juiciness
Medium – about 2.5 to 3 minutes each side – 60-63C – pink, firmer centre
Medium well – about 3.5 minutes each side – 65-68C – just a hint of pink
Well done – about 4 to 5 minutes each side – 71C and above – cooked through, no pink

The steak will carry on cooking slightly as it rests, so its temperature rises another 2-3C off the heat. If you’re using a thermometer, pull the steak a couple of degrees before your target.

Butcher’s tip: Thickness matters more than weight when it comes to timing. If you know you love your steak a certain way, ask us to cut it to an even thickness and we’ll match it – it makes cooking it perfectly far easier.