Think of that last T bone steak you ate. Chances are good that it was mouth-watering, juicy, had great flavor and kept you full for hours.

In fact, there’s no meal more filling than a nice big T bone steak with a baked potato, another vegetable, and a salad! There’s hardly room for desert. Surprisingly, quite a few fancy chefs leave the baked potato off the plate and report that the T bone steak with a vegetable such as green beans or asparagus is plenty for a meal, although most chefs will also add a small dinner roll with butter and possibly a dessert of one type or another.

But how do you grill a T bone steak like a professional chef ?

Does it take long to learn? What are the potential pitfalls while grilling? The process is actually not that difficult, and the steps are very similar whether you decide to grill the T bone on a charcoal grill, electric grill, in a skillet or in the broiler.

Assemble What You’ll Need

A chef without the proper tools is like a fish without water. To grill a T bone steak, you’ll need a T bone steak or two, your grill of choice, long-handled tongs, and a meat thermometer.

After collecting these simple tools, consider the other foods you’ll eat with the T bone and how the T bone steak will taste: For a smoke flavor, you’ll need wood chips, pellets, chunks or sticks. The minimal amount of flavor should be salt and pepper, and if you want bursts of flavor in a simple way, use a salt mill to grind coarse salt and a pepper grinder for grinding fresh peppercorns. If you’re looking for the strongest flavor, add mesquite wood chips or hickory.

Next, Fire Up the Grill

In this step, you do what men do best: fire up the grill. Get it going, no matter what! No one likes to wait for hours for a meal! In the meantime, offer your guests a little beer or wine to keep them happy.

Start the Food Preparation

Timing is everything in a meal. If you focus all your efforts on the steak, you’ll be scratching your head while looking at the plate wondering what to serve with it! In that case, you better run to the freezer for the frozen vegetables. Seriously though, fresh vegetables or sautéed vegetables are preferred. Decide what your guests prefer best and get it ready.

Now think about this for a moment: if you start cooking the steak and then decide on the vegetables while it’s cooking, how are you going to focus on two things at once. The steak will burn but you’ll have great sautéed vegetables. So give the vegetable department some serious thought before you start cooking the steak.

When cooking a T bone steak, remember that steaks 1-1/2 in thick should be on a rack 4 inches over the heat. Allow about 2 to 3 minutes per side for rare doneness. Serve the steaks on a heated plate.

These are the simple basic facts about how to grill a T bone steak! Grab a drink and get cooking!