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Grilled NY Strip Steak is a tender and flavorful cut of beef with amazing marbling. It’s a perfect cut for grilling. In this recipe, we add a simple marinade and rub with coffee for a flavorful coffee-rubbed steak that is rich, intense, and flavorful.
Table of Contents
We have used coffee in many of our recipes to add a richness in flavor that is subtle, like our award-winning brisket chili for example. It is subtle, so it isn’t overpowering the dish, instead adding a nice background to the flavor. In this recipe, we are using coffee in the marinade and the rub. The steps are also pretty simple.
Ingredients
- NY Strip – Also known as strip loin, or strip steak.
- Binder – There will be enough of the residual marinade that you don’t need any oil for the beef prior to adding the seasoning.
- Seasoning – Add unused finely ground coffee to our SPG seasoning, which is equal parts kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and granulated garlic.
- Marinade – The marinade balances brewed coffee, red wine, brown sugar, Worcestershire, shallots, garlic, and red chili pepper flakes.
What is NY Strip Steak
NY Strip steak comes from the strip loin of a cow. Also called strip steak, this tender area of the cow is along and just under the backbone. The entire strip loin is cut into smaller steaks and the front end of the roast is the NY Strip Steak. It’s tender because it is not moving like a brisket or the sirloin, giving a nice marbling and tender bite. It’s great for grilling and one of our favorite cuts.
The quality of beef is also important when grilling. When selecting a NY Strip Steak be sure to look for distinct marbling throughout and also a small fat cap.
Alternatively, the Ribeye Steak or T-Bone (bone-in combination of NY Strip and Filet Mignon) is another great option with similar marbling.
Coffee Marinade
In a one-gallon plastic bag combine the following for this simple coffee beef marinade:
- Strong brewed coffee – can be your leftovers from the morning
- One cup of red wine
- Worcestershire, garlic, onions, sugar, and some dry rub and spices
Place the unseasoned raw steak into the marinate and let it soak for about two hours tops. You do not want to marinate for too long or you will lose the beefy flavor from the steaks.
When ready to grill the NY Strips, remove them from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel.
You can discard the marinade or you can add to a sauce pan and bring to a boil and simmer for up to 20 minutes to reduce into a sauce. Strain when done and pour over the steaks.
Grill the NY Strip Steaks
Use a two-zone (or direct/indirect) method of grilling using lump charcoal. For a coffee-rubbed steak, the flame will hit the coffee grounds and it will lift out some of the coffee flavor while still getting a nice crust.
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- Preheat Grill: Prepare the grill using the two-zone method using lump charcoal. Target 450 degrees Fahrenheit over the direct side before applying steaks. This will take about 20 – 30 minutes depending on your cooker.
- Season Steaks: After removing the steak from the marinade, pat it dry with a paper towel and then apply the dry rub.
- Grill Direct: Grill the NY Strip steaks over direct heat on each side to get a sear, about 3 minutes per side.
- Grill Indirect: Move the steaks to the indirect side, close the lid, and then continue grilling for at least 8 more minutes or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches your desired level of doneness. We like 125 degrees F for rare measured using a Thermoworks Thermapen One or your favorite instant-read thermometer.
- Remove and Rest: After the steak reaches your desired temperature, let the steak rest for 10 minutes to account for carry-over cooking. Then slice and serve it.
For even more flavor consider adding a compound butter while it rests.
Chef’s Tip
Be sure you take the internal temperature of the beef and remove it from the grill a few degrees lower than you desired internal temperature to account for carry over cooking while it rests.
Temperature Ranges for Beef
Beef Temperature Ranges
Be sure to take into consideration the carry-over cooking that happens while the steak rests. For steaks remove them 5 degrees lower than your desired temperature. For roasts remove them 10 degrees lower. The steak’s internal temperature will rise as it rests.
Black and Blue | 100 – 120° Fahrenheit (F) | 37 – 48° Celsius (C) |
Rare | 120 – 130° F | 48 – 54° C |
Medium Rare | 130 – 140° F | 54 – 60° C |
Medium | 140 – 150° F | 60 – 65° C |
Medium Well (not recommended) | 150 – 160° F | 65 – 71° C |
Well Done (not recommended) | 160 – 170° F | 71 – 76° C |
NY Strip Steak and Wine Pairing
While Cabernet Sauvignon is a standard choice for a NY Strip Steak steak, it’s not the only choice. You want something with power and structure to stand up to the bold flavors of the coffee-rubbed steak, but also with good acidity and moderate tannins to cut through the fat and richness of the dish.
We tried this steak recently with a Rhone red from Gigondas and it was a remarkable match. As the wine opened it showed lots of fresh ground pepper, earthiness, and even a savory meatiness that was so interesting matched with the steak. If you can’t find Gigondas look for another Rhone-style blend.
Other Grilled Steak Recipes
- Cowboy Ribeye with Coffee Ancho Chili Rub
- Grilled Picanha Steaks
- Bavette Steak Grilled with Peppercorn Sauce
- Reverse Seared Ribeye
Best Sides with NY Strip Steak
This post was first published in July of 2018 and updated with more details on the grilling steps in October 2020.
About Vindulge
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
Grilled NY Strip Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 whole NY Strip Steaks
Coffee Marinade
- 1 cup coffee
- 1 cup red wine, (we used Pinot Noir)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Worcestershire
- 1 small shallot, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
Coffee Dry Rub
- 2 tablespoons SPG Rub
- 1 teaspoon dry ground coffee
Instructions
Coffee Marinade
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a large plastic bag and mix. Place the NY strips into the bag, and let sit in the fridge for two hours.
- After two hours of marinade, remove the steaks from the fridge, take them out of the bag and pat dry before applying the dry rub.
Coffee Dry Rub
- Combine dry rub ingredients (equal parts salt, pepper, garlic), then add the ground coffee. Season the steaks with the dry rub as you prepare the grill.
Grilling
- Preheat Grill: Set your grill for indirect or two-zone cooking using lump charcoal. Typically this will take 20 – 30 minutes with a charcoal chimney starter.
- Grill Direct: Place the steaks over the direct heat for three minutes or until you see a nice crust. Then flip for another three minutes over direct heat.
- Grill Indirect: Move steaks to indirect heat and cover for around 6 – 8 minutes or until your desired internal temperature. We like to pull the steaks rare (125 degrees Fahrenheit) using an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest: Let the meat rest for 10 minutes, and then cut and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe. I used Death Wish Coffee Dark Roast whole beans ground super fine. For the wine I used a Robert Mondavi Bourbon Barrel Merlot. Great pairings. The coffee crust was delectable.
Grilled over the weekend using the marinade and rub recipe. It was OFF THE CHARTS good ! My new GO TO !!! This is a DO NOT MISS
Those strips steaks look amazing! I’ve heard about using coffee in a marinade, but I’ve haven’t tried it yet. We will have to give your recipe a try the next time it’s warm enough to grill outside.
Oooh, yum, that rub sounds delicious!!!
This steak looks absolutely amazing and the wine sounds delicious – I love a “meaty” wine but always have a hard time finding them, or knowing what to look for.
I love the idea of a coffee marinade to give a slightly bitter roasty hint of flavor to everything I assume?
Very cool! I bet Portland has a bunch of different coffees that would work well. It’d be an interesting experiment to try out different brands and roasts to see how it affected the end tastes.