Blackhawk Steak Pit grilling up the perfect steak in the Sauk Valley

Whether they’re a gourmet or a backyard griller, people love a good steak — and they don’t mind telling you the best way to cook it either.

Propane proponents say you should taste the meat, not the heat. Fans of the flattop think griddles are great. Kitchen cookers like their beef broiled.

Then there’s the Oregon restaurant that’s staked its claim in the culinary art of cooking the best cuts of beef: charcoal. The cooks at Blackhawk Steak Pit summon their grill power to bring their best to the steaks they cook — rare or well done, they just want to make sure everything is done well.

Sizzling sounds from the large grill at the center of the restaurant blend with the music on the sound system, flashes of flames add splashes of light to the dimly-lit dining area and with its selection of meat and seafood and an even larger lineup of wines and spirits, Blackhawk Steak Pit has become a destination for travelers and locals to enjoy dinner in the relaxed surroundings of a supper club atmosphere.

Owner Tiffany Cravatta and her staff want to make sure that when their customers come in hungry, they leave happy.

“It’s like the quality of a Chicago steakhouse in the middle of nowhere,” Cravatta said. “It’s a hidden little gem that people come and visit, and it’s affordable compared to the prices there.”

Meat choices range from a 10-ounce filet mignon, to a 16-ounce black angus ribeye and prime rib roast (available Friday and Saturday only), to 20-ounce bone-in New York strips and porterhouses. Or try a Big Chief center cut top sirloin that weighs in at a whopping 36 ounces (2 pounds, 4 ounces).

Meats are cut fresh each of the four days a week the restaurant is open, Friday through Monday, and its secret seasoning is also made in house each day — but when it comes to the food’s distinct flavor, that’s no secret.

“Charcoal just makes a big difference,” Cravatta said. “The difference with the charcoal is the flavor that it gives. If you’re cooking with gas, I don’t think that adds a lot of flavor. When you’re cooking with charcoal, it adds that charcoal taste to it. When it’s on a flat top, it can cook unevenly; with charcoal, it’s pretty even.

“You can’t go to many places where you can get a charcoal grilled steak other than on a backyard grill in the summer.”

Other options on the menu include chopped steaks, beef shish kabobs, pork and lamb chops, chicken breasts, a gyro platter and a one-pound Blackhawk burger. Seafood plates include Alaskan king crab legs, lobster tails, Rumaki scallops, salmon, shrimp and red snapper filets.

Appetizer selections include calamari, escargot and alligator tail. For the light eaters, there’s a salad bar or a prepared Grecian salad and gluten-free options are available too. The restaurant’s “little friends” have their own kids menu.

The drink menu includes a wide selection of cocktails, martinis and beer, as well as around 20 red and 20 white wines. Gluten-free options are available behind the bar, too: RedBridge gluten-free beer from Anheuser-Busch, made without wheat or barley.

For those who might not be up to tackling its generous portions, the restaurant also offers an option that many places don’t: you can split a meal. Entrees can be cut in half and served on two plates.

“Some people just don’t want to eat a whole ton,” Cravatta said. “We like to do that because we serve big portions. A lot of people are just traveling through, and they may not be able to take a to-go box with them.”

Several options on the menu have a bit of Greek flair, particularly with seasonings and sauces. The tastes of Greece come from Blackhawk Steak Pit founders John and Pete Tsioles, twin brothers from Levidi who opened the restaurant in 1978. They sold the restaurant to Cravatta in 2013, and she kept their menu, environment and way they did things largely intact.

The “Blackhawk” in the restaurant’s name comes from the Sauk Native American chief Black Hawk, whose tribe once called the region home until the early 1830s. Travelers coming to the restaurant from the south can get a glimpse of “The Eternal Indian,” a nearly 50-foot tall concrete statue of Black Hawk at Lowden State Park, viewable from across the Rock River.

Cravatta and her staff have welcomed many diners, from her regulars to those who are visiting Oregon and want to get the most out of the town, to those who are simply passing through on Routes 2 or 64.

“We get a lot of people who will come out to eat here after going out to hike at a state park, or stay at a hotel for the weekend,” Cravatta said. “We have people from states away who come just to have dinner here. I’d say after nearly 50 years, it’s kind of become a destination.”

Blackhawk Steak Pit, 1429 North state Route 2 in Oregon, is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Monday.

For more information, visit the Facebook page, go to blackhawksteakpit.com or call 815-732-2500 for reservations.