How to Cook a Steak on a George Foreman Grill

We were recently asked if you can cook a steak on a George Foreman Grill and get the same results as an outdoor grill.  We were curious, so we accepted the challenge. If you want a delicious steak at home and you don’t own a grill, the George Foreman Grill may be your answer.  

​What is a George Foreman Grill?

Before we dive into cooking steak, let’s talk about the George Foreman Grill. If you own one, you can skip this section. 

The George Foreman Grill is an electric indoor grill.  It is known for its unique design. It is made of two heated plates that cook your food from both sides, ensuring even cooking. The grill also comes with a temperature control feature, allowing you to adjust the heat to your desired level and ensures a consistent temperature. The GF Grill has an indicator light to help with cook time and to let you know when the meat is cooked.

Another unique feature of the George Foreman Contact Grill is that it is slightly sloped so the excess fat drains away from cooking into a drip tray.  

We’ve owned several George Foreman grills in the past, and we currently own one with removable plates for cleaning (this is the one we have now). In the past, we’ve primarily used it in the winter when we need to quickly cook chicken breasts or hamburgers. However, we’ve never tried to cook a steak on it until now.  

Choosing the Right Cut of Steak

There are many cuts of steak to choose from, and we could have used any for our test: New York Strip Steak, Sirloin Steak, Ribeye Steak, T-Bone Steak or Filet Mignon Steak. We decided to go with a Ribeye and Strip steak on the GF grill. We chose these cuts of beef because they have different marbling levels, and because we were curious on if we could cook both at the same time on the grill. 

How to Cook Steak on a George Foreman Grill

When you want to make the perfect steak, preparation is important. Here’s how we recommend to cook steak on a George Foreman Grill:

Step 1 – Thaw steak: If frozen, allow steak to thaw completely in the fridge.  A cold steak will cook unevenly, so let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before grilling. 

Step 2 – Seasoning: Keep it simple! About 20-30 minutes before grilling, pat steaks dry with paper towels. Then, for best results, brush steak with olive oil and season steak generously with Kosher Salt and black pepper on both sides. When you salt the steak, hold hand 12 inches above the steak and sprinkle with the salt from up high so that it “rains.” This will allow you to season more evenly and completely on both sides of the steak.  The general rule of thumb is to use ¾ to one teaspoon of salt per pound of steak. 

Step 3 – Preheat the George Foreman Grill:  Turn on the George Foreman Grill to medium-high heat and preheat for at least 5 minutes before placing on the steak. 

Step 4 – Grill the Steak: Place the steak on the hot grill. Make sure it sits flat and has good contact with the heated plates. Close the grill and let it cook for the desired cooking time based on the thickness and desired doneness. Since the grill cooks both sides of the steak at the same time, there is no need to flip the steak.

Step 5 – Test steak with a digital meat thermometer: The only way to tell if steak is done is to test it for the desired temperature (see below for temperatures).

Step 6 – Let it rest. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest on the plate for 5-10 minutes so that all the juices and flavor can settle back into the meat.

How Long to Grill a Steak on a GF Grill? 

The cook time of steak will largely depend on the thickness of the steak. Although the GF Grill does have a green light that indicates doneness, the only way to ensure your steak is at the desired level of doneness is to check the internal temperature of the steak with an instant read thermometer.  

For us, this was especially true when cooking a steak on the George Foreman grill.  We’ve cooked so many steaks on our outdoor gas grill, that we’re pretty good at nailing the recommended grilling times and then we verify it with a digital meat thermometer. But the George Foreman was completely new to us. It is a high-heat, indoor contact grill that cooks both sides at once, which cuts down on the total time of the grilling process. This means it’s easy for a steak to go from perfectly cooked to overcooked quickly. We knew we wouldn’t be able to tell the steak’s doneness by how the steak looked, its color or how it felt.  

When testing with the thermometer, be sure to use it correctly. Insert the thermometer most of the way through the steak, and draw it out slowly. As you do, you’ll see the temperature change as you move the probe through the steak’s temperature gradients. The lowest number you see is the best indication of the internal doneness of that steak. Be sure to pull the steak off the grill about 5°F BEFORE it reaches the desired temperature. This allows for carryover cooking.

Steak Doneness Temperature Guide

• Rare: 120-129°F  A rare steak is usually very red in the center and can still be cool to the touch. It’s just past raw in the center. We saw this at about 3-4 minutes on the George Foreman Grill.
• Medium-Rare: 130-134°F  A medium rare steak has a warm red center.  It’s many people’s preferred doneness. 
• We saw this at about 4-5 minutes on the George Foreman Grill.
• Medium: 135-144°F  A medium-cooked steak is very warm and usually pink, not red. The steak will have a slightly drier and chewier. 
• We saw this at about 5-7 minutes on the George Foreman Grill.
• Medium-Well: 145-154 °F  A medium well steak is usually just slightly pink in the center and has lost much of its juices. 
• We saw this at about 7-8 minutes on the George Foreman Grill.
• Well Done: 155°F +  A well done steak has no pink. It’s much tougher since all the juices have been cooked out of the beef.

Tips For a Better Steak on a George Foreman Grill

Here are a few tips when you cook steak on a George Foreman Grill:

1. Preheat the grill properly.
2. Don’t press the steak down. It may be tempting to press on the grill lid to get better grill marks, but it pushes the juice out of the steak. Let it be.
3. Don’t cook thicker steaks. The steaks we cooked were around 3/4-inch thick, and that was just about right. Although we haven’t tried it, our recommendation is to keep steaks around 1-inch thick or less.
4. Clean the grill immediately after use. Once you’re done cooking and the grill has cooled slightly, clean it promptly. Otherwise, the residue sticks to the grill and makes it more challenging to clean.

Final Thoughts

Cooking a Strip Steak and Ribeye Steak on a George Foreman Grill was surprisingly easy, and it made a good meal quickly. That said, if given a choice, both Matt and I prefer a steak on an outdoor grill or pan-seared steak on the stovetop, but the George Foreman still made a great steak. If you don’t own an outdoor grill or you don’t want to go outside because it’s too cold in the winter, the George Foreman is a great option.

One More Thing!

Do you want to learn more about beef? Here are a few other beef posts and recipes you may like. Plus, we have an entire ebook about beef that goes through purchasing and preparing beef from a farmers perspective.

• Egg Breakfast Casserole with Ground Beef
• Best Salt for Steak: How to Perfectly Season Steak
• Steak Rub or Marinade. What’s Best?
• Easy Slow Cooker Pepper Steak Recipe
• Easy Stew Meat Shish Kabobs Recipe vs. Steak Kabob
• 10 Best Homemade Beef Rubs

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