Grilled New York Strip Cajun Style

Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by Melissa Reome

I love quick and easy recipes that you can make in a flash when life gets busy.  This grilled New York strip steak recipe can be made both on the grill or easily on your stove top as well.  Grilling a steak lends an extra layer of flavor I adore.  Flames kissing the beef create lovely browning on the steak which is darn delicious.  Whether grilling over gas, charcoal, wood or indoors, it is hard to beat a flavorful steak dinner that can be made in under 20 minutes.

This post is written in partnership with Omaha Steaks

How To Season Grilled Steak

Some of the biggest reasons a steak might not be flavorful is the cut or quality of steak itself or the steak might not be seasoned well enough.  For this recipe I grilled up a Private Reserve 14oz beef strip loin steak from Omaha Steaks.  These are thick, beefy, robust steaks of extraordinary quality.

Once you have a great cut of beef, you just have to know how to season grilled steak appropriately.  More often than not, people tend to under season their beef.  If you are just salting a steak, I prefer to use kosher salt.  You can see and thus control how much salt lands on your steak prior to or after cooking.

If you are using a seasoning blend, be quite liberal with how much you put on the steak. Remember, some seasoning will stick to your plate as your carry it to the grill or your stove.  Some seasoning will also stick to the grill itself or possibly the pan you cook it in.

How To Make New York Strip Steak On The Grill

Regardless of the type of grill you are using, set up your grill for two zone cooking.  To do this, create high heat on one side of the grill and a lower heat zone on the other side of the grill.  If using charcoal just bank the charcoal to one side of the grill.  When using a gas grill, set one side of the grill to high heat and the other side to lower heat.

Two zone cooking on the grill becomes more important especially when cooking a thick steak.  You can either sear the high heat first then move the steak to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking, or do the reverse.  With the “reverse-sear” method, you cook the steak initially over the lower heat area of the grill first.  When you are about 20 degrees from your desired internal temperature you would then sear the steak on the hot side of the grill as your last step.

How To Grill A Thinner Steak

If your steak is an inch or under in thickness, you certainly can still set up your grill for two zone cooking.  It becomes a safety net to insure you have a safe place to put your steak if you have a flare up.  When grilling a thinner steak, sear the steak on both sides then check your internal temperature with an instant read thermometer.

Often, after searing a steak under 1 inch on both sides, your steak will be cooked enough to remove from the grill.  Of course many factors are in play here.  The marbling or internal fat content of the steak, how hot your grill is, how far from the heat source the steak is, all make a difference.  We also can’t forget that you may prefer your steak rare and others more well done.

If you don’t set up your grill for two zone cooking and are purely cooking over direct high heat, that’s okay as well.  Sear your steak on both sides, then flip the steak occasionally until you have reached the desired temperature.

Grilled New York Strip Steak Cook Time

If you don’t own an instant read thermometer I highly encourage you buy one.  It makes cooking meat almost foolproof.  Thermoworks makes accurate, durable products and has a number of different price points for different instant read thermometers.

If you do not have an instant read thermometer, don’t panic.  There are charts available to assist you with approximate grill times available HERE.

Making Your Own Cajun Seasoning

I keep a vast array of herbs and spices in my house because I enjoy creating my own spice blends.  The ingredients for cajun seasoning are mostly items that people who like to cook frequently have in the recipe to your own personal preference.

A note to those with a low tolerance for spicy food.  This recipe might not be for you.  Cayenne pepper is included in the spice blend and it may be too much for you.  Keeping it real here, I could leave the cayenne pepper out and my Mom would still stay it’s spicy from the black pepper alone.  How “spicy” something is, is quite relative though.

Ingredients For Cajun Seasoning

This blend includes, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne, black pepper and salt.  Other herbs can be added as well such as oregano or basil.  There is no one recipe for Cajun seasoning although many just utilize different amounts of the same basic ingredients.  Variations may include cumin, chili powder and other types of pepper as well.  Feel free to play around and jazz it up however you like.

Just blend all the herbs and spices together to make your cajun seasoning mix.  Store any extra in your cabinets just like you store any other herbs or spices.

Sides With Grilled Steak

I must confess, I’m a steak and potatoes kind of gal so potatoes often find their way on my plate.  Grilled vegetables such as asparagus, zucchini and corn on the cob are always quick and easy to make.

For this meal I made steakhouse hash browns and steakhouse creamed corn from Omaha Steaks.  They have a vast assortment of premade sides and desserts that are excellent.  I popped the hash browns in my oven as my steaks were grilling and the corn in my microwave.  after working a long day, knowing I can cook them quickly for my family is a godsend.

Get Grilling!

Make sure your grill is nice and clean prior to cooking.  Once it is preheated, I prefer to spray some cooking spray on the grates.  You can also put some oil on a paper towel then use tongs to wipe the grates down.

Remember that when you remove your steak from the grill to rest it for about 5 minutes prior to eating it.  This will keep the delicious juices in your meat where you want them.

Also note, the temperature of your steak will rise a bit after removing it from the grill and during the rest.  Always pull the steak from the grill at 5-10 degrees under the ideal finished temperature you prefer.

More Great Steak Tips:

For more detailed information on grilling the perfect steak by different methods, check out my post How To Cook Steak Perfectly.  If you are a ribeye lover, my post How To Cook A Perfect Ribeye By Different Methods has a lot of great information as well!

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