Special Barbecue: 10 Tricks for Grilled Meat Cooking
In this article we want to give you some quick instructions on how to cook grilled meat: keep them in mind, along with these other useful tips for preparing grilled meat … and the result is guaranteed!
1. Not from the grilled fridge!
First rule: the meat cannot arrive on the barbecue as soon as it is taken out of the refrigerator. Why? Too much temperature variation between the meat and the grill causes the temperature to drop too abruptly and as a reaction, the meat would lose precious liquids. So, room temperature always!
2. Marinating is a good and right thing
Flavouring meat before cooking is always a good rule: a few hours before friends arrive, prepare a sauce with lemon juice or white wine, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and let the meat soak for 2-3 hours. A master’s touch: as soon as you put the meat on the grill, put rosemary and bay leaves to burn in the embers… it will give the meat a delicious scent!
3. Barbecue accessories
Shoes are for women as men are for barbecue accessories. Fish grill, rotating pliers, maxi chicken spit and of course… super-equipped apron for cooking a whole ox. If you are looking for a birthday present for a barbecue enthusiast, you’re ready to go!
4. The perfect degree of cooking
Tastes are tastes as you know, but there are some general rules for cooking different meats on the grill and we recommend you follow them: white meat should never be cooked in blood but “to the point”, like veal and lamb, or even well cooked, like pork, rabbit, turkey and chicken. On the contrary, a good rule of thumb is that red meat should be served in blood or to the point!
5. Inversely proportional” cooking
To cook the grilled meat in a perfect way it is important to keep in mind a rule: temperature inversely proportional to the size of the piece of meat. Large pieces of meat should be cooked at low heat and slowly, small pieces of meat at high heat and quickly.
6. The meat is attached to the grill… no!
There is nothing worse than going to turn the meat to cook it on the other side and not succeeding because the meat does not want to know to detach from the grill. The trick to avoid this unpleasant inconvenience? Dry meat when you put it on the grill and hot grill so it makes the crust form that will keep all the juices inside and will prevent the meat from sticking to the grill.
7. Seasoning in Running
Keep your hands off the salt before and during cooking of the meat on the barbecue! Salt should only be placed at the end of cooking to prevent the meat from dehydrating. The same applies to the oil: before putting the meat on the grill, dry the marinated meat and do not oil it. You can do it during cooking and if you don’t have the appropriate brush use a sprig of rosemary or sage… guaranteed result!
8. Chef’s squared pattern
Everyone has noticed at least once the checkering on the steaks served in restaurants, a little trick that ensures a great effect on diners. Once you’ve cooked the first side of the meat, don’t just turn it over to the other side: just turn the meat 90° and you’ll get the famous squares.
The wait has been long and the hunger is great, but hang on a second! Once the meat has been removed from the grill, do not cut it immediately but let it rest for a couple of minutes: the juices will be distributed evenly and the meat will be even softer!
10. Who cleans the grill?
The most tedious part of the barbecue is undoubtedly cleaning the grill. But here’s an easy and cheap grandmother’s remedy: once the meat has been removed from the heat, let the last pieces of meat that remain attached burn a little, drying out and making it easier to remove them. Then take half an onion, stick it with a fork and pass it on the grill: a guaranteed result!
