Can I Cook A Steak On A Small Grill?

Though not as versatile as larger outdoor barbecue grills, small, portable grills are ideal for grilling steaks, which typically cook within a few minutes on each side over direct heat sources. Smaller grills come in both gas and charcoal varieties, allowing for the preparation of steaks on the go. Proper attention to detail leads to a flavorful steak from these smaller grilling surfaces.

Direct Grilling Method

Steaks are among the best candidates for preparation on smaller grills with limited surface area for cooking because of the direct-heat grilling method steaks require. Because steaks are thin cuts of meat and often possess fat marbling -- keeping them tender even when cooked quickly -- they lend themselves to cooking over direct heat sources. Direct heat grilling is the strong suit of smaller charcoal grills, which lack enough room on the coal grate for offset piles of coal, and of smaller gas grills, which often have only one or two burners.

Heat Zones

The greatest challenge of smaller grills is the limited surface area for cooking. In larger charcoal grills, it's easier to build a cooking fire with several zones of heat -- one section with thick coals for maximum heat, a second section with a thin layer of coals for less heat, and a coal free zone to move meat when it's cooking too quickly over the other two areas. Smaller charcoal grills leave little room for creating these heat zones, meaning you must be careful to monitor and turn your steaks regularly so they don't burn. Most steaks require only a few minutes of grilling on each side before they're ready to serve.

Controlling Flareups

Flame flareups, which can burn food or lead to injury or grease fires, happen quickly in smaller grills without the proper precautions or a quick reaction. In gas grills, flareups are best controlled by scrubbing the cooking grate with a wire brush after each use while the grate is still hot. Grease that cools and sets up on a cooking grate is harder to remove and catches fire when touched by flames. Some portable gas grills have grease traps for runoff. These must be emptied regularly to prevent grease fires.

Charcoal grill grates must be kept clean too. Grilling with the lid closed virtually eliminates all significant flareups, because it keeps oxygen levels inside the grilling chamber lower, starving the flames. The coals receive enough oxygen to stay hot with the lid closed as long as you open all the vents wide.

Charcoal vs. Gas

Charcoal grills requires a bit more patience and preparation as you must build a coal fire prior to grilling. However, charcoal imparts better smoky flavor than gas grills -- especially when using natural hardwood charcoal. Gas grills are more convenient than charcoal grills because you simply light the burners. Most gas grills maintain more even heating than charcoal as well, with knobs to control heat levels.