SCA what do you guys think?

grill marks

We cook steaks on a grate like this to get this grill marks. We preheat the grate in there so it's good and hot when the steaks land on it.

I would get a set of grill grates. They are simple to use and really help with getting good clean grill marks.

I entered my first SCA event a few weeks ago (Grill Your Steak Off in West Newton, PA) with my 9yr old son and we both loved it. It was a great time for us to get out of the house and spend time together plus the other teams thought it was awesome he came out and taught him a few things. It was a very family friendly event and I plan on hitting up as many as I can around PA/OH/MD/WV next year.


I went in with very low expectations for placing, I just wanted to see what it was about. I bough my rubs at the store the event was at, went to the Dollar General for additional supplies and cooked on my PBC. I knew I wouldn't get grill marks but the flavor on my practice steak was amazing. I found myself addicted and the fact we were in/out in 8hrs was great for a guy with a crazy shcedule. The biggest thing I learned, ask questions/advice from the teams around you. I ended up having the 1st and 3rd place teams next to me and their tips were invaluable.

Rusty Kettle said:

Picked up some steaks from Sam' Club. Going to practice tomorrow night after work. Going to get Tommy to help me tomorrow night too. Should be fun.

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Sam’s club steaks are likely to be thicker than what you get at a contest. Keep that in mind during practice

This is a good video to watch to get your steak turning and flipping down. And I know its counter intuitive, but you should cook the steaks one at a time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEShU6exOr8

Ron_L said:

Cast iron grates can work, but GrillGrates are better for grill marks. If you would rather sear, then a cast iron skillet or flat griddle would work.

Grill Grates are easy to use. Get them hot and put the food on them :-D Just like everything, there are some tricks. I prefer to have them at 600 degrees for SCA steaks (an IR thermometer is a great tool). That gives me good grill marks and still gets some color on the rest of the steak. Too hot and the marks can get scorched and the rest of the steak will be gray. At 600 degrees my cook time is approx. 6 minutes (90 seconds, rotate, 90 seconds, flip, 90 seconds, rotate and 90 more seconds. unless the steak is thin, or at one comp, at a higher temperature to start due to excessive heat, that usually gets to to around 120 internal. Then I move it to indirect and cook to my desired internal temp for medium.

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Great map for anyone getting started! When will you be posting your video covering current trends on trimming, shaping, and sculpting?

So, Rusty what did you think?