I've just purchased approximately 3kg of Ribeye steak (which has come in at about 30cm in length as a visual estimate) with the intention of cutting it into multiple steaks to be cooked on a BBQ. The primary reason I've done this is that I find that steaks which are available locally are too thin to allow for sufficient browning/searing whilst also being cooked to medium-rare.
What thickness should I look to cut steaks when the objectives are:
- Medium-rare done-ness
- A good level of browning/crust/caramelisation on the surface
- Pockets of fat in the steak (the best bit!) have sufficient opportunity to cook to a soft, "melt in the mouth" texture
I can say definitively that 2cm, which is roughly the thickness of steaks purchased locally, is not thick enough, but whilst trial and error would be a mostly enjoyable experience, it would also be an expensive one!
Best Answer
It really depends on what temperature you'll be grilling these steaks and for how long. You could do it with 2cm if the grill is hot enough. Honestly, the thicker the steak the better control you have over temperature changes (it takes longer to overcook a thick steak than a thin one, since more meat means more heat insulation).
Back when I followed the excellent Science & Cooking Harvard course they provided us with a tool created by MIT students for demonstrating heat diffusion through meat over time. You can use that tool to figure out steak thickness based on grill temperature, meat starting time, total time, desired doneness, flipping technique...
http://up.csail.mit.edu/science-of-cooking/home-screen.html
(According to the tool, for a 2cm steak starting at 23°C, grilling at 150°C, flipping every 30s for a total time of 3:30 you should get your steak brown on the outside and medium rare on the inside after you take it out of the grill and let it rest for a few minutes)