Oil on your steak before you grill it (gas grill) ? (burgers, skillet)

[fibonacci]

Yup. Always use olive oil and use a rosemary branch to brush it on. I use charcoal, not flame/fire, to grill, so I 've never had problems with flames/burning. yet another reason why charcoal will always be far superior than propane.

[texantodd]

I sometimes, though not always, use oil to rub a nice steak. It helps hold that seasoning on, as well as imparting a touch of it's own flavor.

Originally Posted by SATX56

Problem, I'm sure, was your fire control.

This was your problem. What you did might have been fine to cook to a medium rare (the way a steak should be eaten ). But 14 minutes on a grill? That is an awful long time, no matter how thick of a cut that steak was. You said you cook to medium I'm thinking that is enough to go way past medium. If you want to cook that to that doneness, you need to back that heat way down and go lower/slower on your cooking.

[AverageGuy2006]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

the steaks were probly not that thick, and cooked quickly,,,most grills have hot spots and dead spots,,,you probly hit a hot spot..

the oil is a personal taste thing, not necessary,,,,i like putting oil on oven roasts but not steaks

what kind of steaks were they?? if they were lean steaks,,,they seem to cook quickly, because they are dry and chewy

go with bnls rib eyes next time,,about three quarters to an inch thick-

The steaks were about an inch thick. I have grilled steaks before, although I'm not expert... evident through me grilling some toasty steaks

This was your problem. What you did might have been fine to cook to a medium rare (the way a steak should be eaten ). But 14 minutes on a grill? That is an awful long time, no matter how thick of a cut that steak was. You said you cook to medium I'm thinking that is enough to go way past medium. If you want to cook that to that doneness, you need to back that heat way down and go lower/slower on your cooking.

I DID just replace the propane tank, so I probably ran the flame a bit hotter than I should have. But one of the steaks was basically completely cooked and then some in about 4 minutes, no more than 5 minutes.

[nmnita]

I will marinade them usually but make sure most of the juice is off before hubby grills them. If I don't marinade them I do use a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic on both sides before putting on the grill. The burning must have been caused by something else. As someone mentioned, maybe they weren't as thick as you are accustom to grilling, or maybe too much oil was used. When i say I use a little, I mean either a spray or I use a meat brush and just ligtly dust the meat.

[CountryFisher]

I just pour some peanut oil in a frying pan and bread the steaks with flour and fry it.

[Bulldogdad]

It was the grill master not the oil.

BTW IF your going to put oil on a decent steak before grilling always use Organic EVOO. Otherwise just top it with a little butter after you take them off while resting.

The only reason to put an extra fat on the steak is for an extra layer of flavor and complexity that the extra fat imparts.

[Capt. Cave Man]

Oil'n wasn't the problem. Oil the grates or the steak, same thing.

I know you've cooked plenty of steaks, but for medium put the heat on high on one side and low to off on other. Grill direct to get crust then move to indirect to finish the steak.

I oil my steaks to help hold seasoning on, or use dave's or worchest sauce. Or i'll just go simple with s&p and on it goes. You'll actually carmelize(crust) more with no oil, from my experiences.

Direct and indirect is your friend for med cook.

[AverageGuy2006]

Thanks everyone for the advise and comments. The honest truth is I probably had the flame too high, and didn't turn the steaks in time.
The oil probably burned off pretty quick, and had little to do with the burning of the steaks.
Initially I was wondering if the oil may may added to the flammability of the steaks, and contributed to the increased cooking time. But, From the multiple comments here, I was to blame, not the oil.

Thank goodness I didn't lose my cool and blame the gf for 'improperly' seasoning the steaks.
I may not be a grill master yet, but at least I'm not an ignorant jerk.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Bulldogdad

It was the grill master not the oil.

BTW IF your going to put oil on a decent steak before grilling always use Organic EVOO. Otherwise just top it with a little butter after you take them off while resting.

The only reason to put an extra fat on the steak is for an extra layer of flavor and complexity that the extra fat imparts.

Before the days of evoo, daddy always used butter...

[cosmicrowbar]

Make sure the steaks are dry...no moisture/blood/marinade, etc. Then season as you wish and lightly rub or spray with olive oil. You'll get a nice caramelized brown crust even on a steak cooked rare. Wet steaks are more apt to stick to the grill and do not brown up well.
Same goes if you're browning meat in a pan on the stove, pat it dry with a paper towel, season, and presto, brown crust. Makes a stew or roast so much better in flavor and color.