Cookin' a steak over fire.
So I don't know where yall all are but here in Tx a steak from Walmart will run you about twenty bucks a pop. Less if you go early and snag the discounted meat that needs to be cooked that day. But still, it's not cheap. Ground beef is seven or more per pound. So to feed all four kids and the husband we end up eating more ground beef, pork, and chicken.
But once in a while, like every few months, we have steak. Four steaks cut in thin slices is enough for everyone to have some. Long ago I would get six steaks and everyone would have their own, but we aren't oil barons.
Anyway, when we do buy steak I have to factor in the cost along with the best way to prepare it. If you go to a restaurant a steak will run you some horrifyingly high number and come out both grey and with grill marks. So when I cook them at home I do my best to cook them properly. The cow died so I could eat it, I owe it proper preparation.
Long ago I'd grill the steaks outside on our cheap square grill over some "just light the bag" coals. Everything, and I mean everything, tastes better cooked over wood or charcoal. Gas is good for lighter stuff like fish, burgers, and sausage where you need exact temps or the smoke gets too strong.
About ten years ago we switched from grilling to cooking steaks with the cast iron skillet in the house. This of course, makes the entire house smell like burnt grease. You can get a good sear if you do it right but it's way too easy to overcook a steak that's too thin. It will be hard and grey before any sort of charring occurs. And you really need the crust on a steak. That flat surface will create a steam pocket on ribeyes as they curl up. It can be great to baste butter and herbs over the meat and finish in the oven and reverse sear etc. But we had a huge failure rate with thinner steaks.
With very thick steaks, yes you can let it dry out good and sit on that skillet forever while the crust forms and then toss it in the oven and cover it in butter and garlic.
These days not only can we not afford thick steaks but most grocery stores don't stock thick ones. So how do you cook a thinner (1 inch) steak? Cook it hotter and faster. Not something that works well with a cast iron pan. The charcoal grill however...
Even if you accidentally overcook it, the flavor from the smoke and the increased speed of the maillard reaction make it worth the buying the meat. The fat on those ribeyes will render so much better. Even the cheapest hotdogs taste amazing over charcoal. If I have to pay steakhouse prices for raw steak I want to make sure it tastes like it.
Plus, if it gets really smokey in the grill, the carbon monoxide will make the meat appear red and medium rare when in fact it's past done. And it will still be soft and juicy with a crispy salty outside.