So it’s getting to be that time of year again and we start pulling out the grills and think about barbequing. Here are some helpful tips on good grilling and the recipes you can find on H3daily.com.
First and foremost we want to make sure that when we are grilling we are using the leanest meats there are. Chicken breast, turkey breast, pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin, lamb chops, and of course fillets of fish. Now that you know what is the leanest you still have to remember to keep your ounces into consideration. Seafood can range from 5-6 ounces and meats can range from 4-5 ounces each. So those monster chicken breasts that are provided by your grocer need to be fileted in half for two servings instead of one.
Next tip is not drying out our meats, so the use of the thermometer is key. Sure you can poke at the meat to see if it’s done, but you will know for sure when you use a thermometer. What you might not know is that there is a slight indent on your thermometer about 1 ½ inches up, and that is actually how you temp your items. Using the tip of the thermometer is not what is reading the temperature. Now you may ask so what temperature do I look for? Check out the chart below.
Internal Temperatures for Doneness
Beef/Lamb
Rare 120 - 125°F
Medium Rare 130 - 140°F
Medium 145 - 150°F
Well done 155 - 165°F
Pork
Tenderloin 145°F
Fresh Shoulder, Hams 170°F
Poultry
All poultry 165°F
Seafood
All seafood 145°F
(Cooking fish- ten minutes per inch of thickness)
Ground Meats
All ground meats 155°F
By not overcooking your meat, you will then be able to use less sauce, and everyone will be happy because it’s juicy and tender.
Seasoning Tips
- Marinate or season meats ahead of time for at least 20 minutes.
- Using acidic items such as lemon, lime, white wine, and balsamic are great tenderizers, that also add flavor to meats. – but if used alone marinating should be no more than 20 minutes especially on small cuts of meat.
- Make sure to season all items before grilling.
- If using a basting method, such as barbeque sauce make sure to do that towards the end. – It prevents the sugars from burning.
- Use herbs and spices for all types of grilled items, or make your own low salt rubs.
Grilling Tips
- Make sure not to touch the grilled meats too much unless you truly feel that they are burning.
- The more you pick up and turn the meats, the longer they will take to cook and their juices might all juice out.
- Make sure to have all your tools out and ready for your use- such things as a long pair of tongs, grill brush, carving fork, hot pads, and a clean pan for items that are ready to be used.
Depending on the type of grill you have here are some tips on how to get set up using the specific types of grills.
Charcoal Grilling:
- Pick a charcoal such as Kingsford
- Make sure to purchase lighter fluid
- Depending on the amount being grilled, always make sure you have enough charcoal to create a nice bed of heat.
- Give yourself enough time, for the charcoal to heat up before trying to grill.
- Ideal for all types of grilled items, fish, meats, vegetables, tofu and fruit.
- Can be messy after charcoal is burned down.
- Temperature can’t be adjusted on charcoal grills.
Gas Grilling:
- Preheating the grill is still ideal, but perhaps only 20 minutes time is needed for preheating.
- Once grill is hot, you can start grilling.
- Gas grilling is cleaner than charcoal grilling, but you don’t get as much of a grilled flavor.
- Ideal for all types of grilling items.
- Temperature can be adjusted on gas grills.
Electric Grill:
- Needs plenty of time to heat up, perhaps 30 minutes depending on age of electric grill.
- Grids need to be cleaned after each use, as the debris left from the food won’t clean off as easily as either of the above.
- Any types of grilling items can be done on such equipment, but depending on the grill, it may take longer than other types of grilling.
Good luck grilling and look for our Sante Fe Chicken recipe on H3daily.com, this marinade works great with pork tenderloin, and fresh tuna.
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