Back to Grilling Basics
Source of Recipe
Grandpoohbah
Everything tastes better off the grill. And nothing could be simpler, right? Well... there
is more to barbeque than tossing a steak on the grill. Experience is a great teacher,
but before you spend years perfecting that secret recipe, you might want to go over
the basics.
Preheating the Grill
The right temperature is always important. Many gas grills come equipped with
thermometers, and reliable grill thermometers are widely available. A thermometer
will tell you exactly what heat you are working with. That being said, the standard is
still the caveman method. This consists of holding your hand approximately 6 inches
above the coals or heat source, about the spot where the food will be cooking, and
counting how many seconds you can keep your hand in this position. Count
'one-barbeque, two-barbeque...'
High Heat: 3 seconds
or 500 F (260 C)
Medium High Heat: 5 seconds
or 400 F (205 C)
Medium Heat: 7 seconds
or 350 F (175 C)
Medium Low Heat: 10 seconds
or 325 deg F (165 deg C)
Low Heat: 12 seconds
or 300 deg F (150 deg C)
Direct Heat vs. Indirect Heat
There are primarily two methods of using a grill. Cooking directly over the heat
source is known as grilling over direct heat. The food is cooked for mere minutes on
a hot grill, and the lid is rarely if ever closed. Thin cuts of meat, fillets, kabobs, sates,
and vegetables are good candidates for this method. Indirect heat is used for larger
pieces of meat, such as thick steaks, roasts, and whole fish. In this method, the food
is cooked just off the heat at about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The lid is
closed, and the cooking times are somewhat longer. On a gas grill this generally
means firing up the two outside burners, and cooking the meat over the middle, unlit
burner. When using charcoals, the coals are pushed to the sides of the grill, leaving a
place in the middle to cook. Traditional barbeque is a form of indirect heat using very
low temperatures over long periods of time.
Timing Is Everything
A table of grilling times is of necessity only approximate. There are a lot a variables,
such as the difference between the 7 seconds Uncle Frank can keep his asbestos
hands over the live flames and the 3 seconds your absolutely normal hand measures
the same grill at the same time. Of course, a thermometer can measure the heat
exactly, but where's the fun in that? There are other variables, less easily tested, that
can make two seemingly identical cuts of meat cook at different times - exact
thickness, texture, age, and temperature of the raw meat.
That being said, timing is everything. There might be only a minute or two between a
moist and tender chop and dry, tough shoe leather. So, check for doneness at the
approximate time given in the recipe. An instant read thermometer is a good tool.
Insert it into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, to measure the
internal temperature of the food. The most popular method of ascertaining the
doneness of the meal is, again, the caveman method. Slice the meat, and observe the
color of the juices. If the juices are red, the meat is rare. Pink juices indicate medium
rare, and well done meat will have clear juices.
Food Handling
* Prepare all ingredients before you begin grilling. Not only is it unsafe to leave a hot
grill unattended, but it can be very stressful to run back and forth between your
kitchen and the grill.
* Do not allow raw meat and fish to come into contact with other foods. Use
separate cutting boards, or thoroughly sanitize the one you are using. Wash with hot
soapy water, spray with a 5 % solution of chlorine bleach, and air dry. Plastic cutting
boards can also be sanitized in the dishwasher.
* Do not carve cooked meat on the board used to hold or cut raw meat.
* Cut the fatty edge of steaks and chops to prevent curling. Slice through the fat at 2
to 3 inch intervals, cutting just to the meat.
* Most basting sauces can be brushed on throughout the cooking process, the
exception is sugar based sauces. Many commercial barbecue sauce preparations fall
in this category. These tend to burn if applied too early, so apply during the last few
minutes of cooking.
* Marinades should be boiled if they are to be used as basting sauce as well.
* Poking and stabbing the meat will cause the loss of juices that keep your meat
moist and tender. Do not attempt to turn the meat with a carving fork. Instead use
long handled tongs or spatulas to turn the meat.
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