The Pitmaster’s Approach to the Grilled Manhattan Style Strip Steak

I first encountered the Grilled Manhattan Style Strip Steak at a high-end steakhouse in New York, and my first thought wasn’t about the white tablecloths—it was that this piece of meat belonged over a bed of glowing coals. Most backyard cooks see a two-inch-thick steak and start to sweat. They worry about the “grey band” or, worse, serving a steak that’s charred on the outside and blue in the middle.

But here’s the thing about BBQ: it’s a game of fire management. In competition, we treat every piece of meat with a specific thermal strategy—much like the approach for a Pitmaster’s Smoked Beef Wellington. For a Manhattan cut, we’re looking for that steakhouse-quality mahogany crust, but we want it edge-to-edge medium-rare. To get there, you have to respect the protein and master your zones.

Fire Management: The Two-Zone Strategy

If you take away one thing from my kitchen, let it be this: if you can’t control your fire, you can’t control your cook. For these steaks, we aren’t just “grilling”; we are managing a high-heat engine. Knowing how to grill manhattan cut steak requires a two-zone setup—direct and indirect.

Think of the direct heat side as your accelerator and the indirect side as your cruise control. We start with the accelerator to lock in that Maillard reaction (the crust), then we slide into the safe zone to let the internal temperature rise steady as a heartbeat. This two-zone grilling steak method is how you get that perfect, butter-tender finish every single time.

The Secrets of the Crust

You’ll notice I mention the “cold-grate” technique. This is a trick we use in competition to ensure a perfectly even sear. Most people drop a steak and leave it until the grate brands it. That’s fine for a burger, but for a premium Manhattan cut, those burnt carbon lines can actually mask the flavor of the beef.

By rotating the steak to a “fresh” part of the hot grate with every flip, you’re using the heat of the coals rather than just the heat of the metal to build the crust. This is the ultimate secret for a successful thick cut ny strip grill. And please, do not skip the dry brine. Salt is the only seasoning that can actually penetrate deep into the muscle fibers of a thick steak. By salting it 45 minutes ahead of time, you’re not just seasoning it; you’re changing the protein structure to hold onto more moisture when it hits the heat.

Why Bourbon-Peppercorn Butter?

The Manhattan cut is a sophisticated beast, so it deserves a finish that nods to its name. Bourbon and beef are natural partners—the oak and vanilla notes in a high-rye bourbon pull out the sweetness in the charred fat, perhaps even better when paired with a Southern Peach & Bourbon Manhattan.

When you place that disc of butter on the steak during the final stages of the indirect cook, it doesn’t just sit there. It melts into the nooks and crannies of the crust, creating a glossy, rich glaze that acts as a finishing whiskey butter steak sauce.

When you finally slice into this—against the grain, please, in thick medallions—you’ll see why we take the extra time. This isn’t just a steak; it’s a testament to patience, fire, and the craft of the grill. Don’t rush the process. Trust your thermometer, not the clock.