Grilling Tips

By North Star



Grilling is a variation of broiling, which is usually done on a grill with charcoal or gas flames. Charcoal briquettes are commonly used for grilling. When starting charcoal, highly flammable materials are used often used that cause large amounts of open flames. These flames should be allowed to burn off and the charcoal should become a gray color. Although they require a longer preparation time than gas they burn very hot and consistently for a long period of time.

When the charcoal becomes gray and the heat is even throughout the grill. The meat is placed on the grill and is browned on side, seasoned, and then the other side is grilled to the desired doneness. The flames from the charcoal or gas should never be aloud to come in contact with the meat. Flame-ups should be avoided by sprinkling with a small amount of water.

Grilling is a method of cooking beef over open flame or an intense heat source. Often meat is rubbed with spices or marinades before grilling. Steaks should be 1-1 ½” thick and fillets up to 2” thick.

To Grill Beef: If you are grilling outdoors, your charcoal coals should be ash gray and you should only be able to hold your hand over the grill for 3-4 seconds. The thickest pieces of meats should be placed at the coolest section of the grill because they will need longer to cook. Cook to desired doneness.
Grilling is a very popular method of dry cooking for steaks and chops. Start the charcoal, or preheat a gas grill, 30 minutes or so before you plan to grill the meat. The coals should be covered with a light gray ash when you begin to grill.

Steaks or chops for grilling need to be at least three quarters of an inch thick. You should trim the excess fat from around the edges to prevent flare ups. Also place cuts into the remaining fat at about one inch intervals, which will prevent the meat from curling. Make sure you always use a tongs when turning meat on the grill. A fork pierces the meat and causes the loss of juice.

Grilling times for steaks and chops can be approximated, and only approximated. The following times should be considered reasonable estimates rather that hard facts. The total cooking time for a three quarter inch thick steak will be about 12 to 16 minutes for a rare to medium degree of doneness. With a one inch thick steak the total cooking time will be about 15 to 20 minutes. A one and one half inch thick steak will have a total cooking time of 22 to 28 minutes. The only safe way to obtain the degree of doneness you wish with steaks is to make a small slit near the bone to see the color of the meat. You can also use an instant read thermometer to check the middle temperature of a thick steak or chop. Judging by the color of the meat will give you much better results than generalized time estimates.

When you grill a beef tenderloin, the total cooking time will be about 8 to 10 minutes for a thickness of one and one half inches. It should be turned with the tongs, and the degree of doneness confirmed by making a small slit into the meat. The same kind of visual test should be used for a pork tenderloin.