When you cook a steak, the fat shrinks faster than the meat. This can squeeze the juice from the steak and make it tough to eat. Trimming the fat also reduces the risk of flare-ups on the grill. When you trim a New York strip steak, you do not want to remove all the fat because it adds flavor to the meat. You only want to trim the fat so that you do not have a large portion of it remaining.
Place the New York strip steak on a clean cutting board. Wash your hands with dishwashing soap and warm water before you begin trimming the steak.
Remove the excess fat with a sharp knife. Trim the strip of fat on the side of the New York strip steak to 1/4 to 1/8 inch thick. You do not need to cut the strip of fat evenly, but avoid cutting into the steak.
Hold the steak vertically on the cutting board so the fat side faces you. Slice the fat strip with a sharp knife every inch. Cut into the fat, but do not cut into the meat. This will prevent the steak from curling when it cooks due to the shrinking fat.