Even the nicest barbeque won't make your dinner taste better unless you take the time to learn a few grilling tips and methods that the pros do. No matter what you're grilling, there are a few simple things you can do to consistently improve your results.
For steak and beef:
• Request that the butcher remove the fat on your steaks to no more than [inch]. Fat drippings cause open flames to fly up, which can scorch your meat. By reducing the quantity of fat that melts off and falls between the grill slats, you can prevent this from happening.
• Grill steaks that are a full inch thick for the best results. The required cooking time is great for trapping liquids and creating full flavour, thus this size is ideal.
• Be brave and purchase ground beef that is a full 15 to 20 percent fat if you want juicy hamburgers. Both flavour and moisture will be trapped by the increased fat.
Using chicken:
• Thinner cuts of chicken are preferred since they cook faster. since chicken needs to be cooked through, it's simple to overcook it on the gyros menu grill, so a thinner cut provides you more control.
• Chicken cooks faster and retains more juices when parboiled for around 20 minutes with a few spices before grilling.
• Another approach to keep liquids in while giving the meat a distinctly barbecued flavour is to sear the outside of the chicken by placing it over high heat during the initial cooking period.
Using pork:
• Pork cuts for grilling should be as least as thick as beef cuts. An ideal thickness for grilling is between 1 and 112 inches. Pork cannot be undercooked and must reach an internal temperature of at least 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Pork should be cooked to a temperature of 175 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pork will finish cooking over high heat in about five minutes, but after taking pork chops from the grill, you should dish them and cover them with foil. Before eating, let the meat rest for about 10 minutes; this will give it a lovely texture and increase its juiciness.
the fish:
• Swordfish, shark, and other firm fish steaks are the easiest to grill. They won't flake or disintegrate as quickly as other fish.
• If you want to grill a salmon steak, try poaching it until it's almost done before grilling it to completion.
Before lighting your barbecue, oil the grill on both sides of the fish cut. By doing this, you can avoid your fish sticking as you turn it, which can damage a flakier cut of meat.
• If you enjoy grilled salmon but are having trouble getting it to cook on the barbecue without falling apart, a grilling plank is a great addition.
General advice:
• Apply sugar- or tomato-based sauces only in the last few minutes of cooking if you're using them. Otherwise, they'll burn, ruining a piece of meat that was otherwise properly cooked.
• Never use a fork to turn your meat; doing so causes punctures that may shorten the amount of time it takes to cook. Use tongs in its place.
• After pulling cooked meat off the grill, don't put it back in the marinade; instead, serve it right away.
• If you marinate your meat before cooking, leave it in the marinade mixture for at least a couple of hours, and use 1 to 2 cups of marinade for every 112 to 2 pounds of food.
Enjoy your grill!
Bill A. Rogers adores grilling and sees himself as a grilling expert. He only shares his many delicious barbecue recipes with Luma Outdoor Entertaining magazine readers.