Win The Grill Wars-Great Steak Edition

All men are born with the genetic knowledge and desire to cook meat over fire. It springs from the gender unconscious and forms a large part of the archetypal zeitgeist of what it is to be a Man.

Every Grill Master has his own special techniques, tips and tricks. To help you win the Grill Wars by producing the perfect steak this summer, here are a few of mine.

The grill: I've used a lot of grills, and nothing works better for all-around use than an old-school charcoal grill. Yes, it's more trouble than gas, but nothing gives you that classic grilled steak flavor like charcoal.

The charcoal: Get the good stuff. It's just not worth the aggravation that cheap charcoal will cost you. There's no need for lighter fluid if you use this hack:

-cut out the sides and top of a paper (NOT FOAM) egg carton. Fill each slot with a charcoal briquette and close the top to hold them in place. The cutouts let air circulate to help the charcoal burn.

-make a pile of Doritos chips on the side of your grill where you want the fire to be (always have a hot side and a cool side for a grill so you can move the meat around to control the heat).

-light the Doritos with a long lighter. They'll burn easily because of the oil that's in them.

-once the Doritos are burning well, place the egg carton on the pile. Make sure it catches, then close the grill for 20-30 minutes. You should have a nice row of coals exactly where you want it, ready for grilling.

The steak: a good steak needs nothing more than salt, pepper and a dash of garlic powder, but you can give it an extra flavor kick by rubbing it with a mix of beef bullion/olive oil (1 cube/1 Tbl for 2 steaks), then salt/pepper/garlic and let sit for 20-30 minutes before grilling.

The heat: sear each side of the steak for 2-3 minutes on the hot grill then move to the cool side to finish. Medium rare is 110-115 degrees internal, medium well is ~120. Don't guess-use a thermometer.

When your steaks are done, remove them from the grill and rub them with a knob of butter, then let them rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.