Burnt burgers and partially-cooked chicken define far too many backyard barbeques. If you spend time and money on purchasing high-quality, organic or pasture-raised meat, you want to cook it so it’s safe and healthy, too.
Here’s how.
Safety First
First, make sure you’re familiar with basic grill safety. Second, identify and categorize your grilling candidates into those that need short cook times over direct heat (burgers, steaks) and those that need longer sessions with indirect heat (chicken, most tofu-based grill items). Grill like with like. Then no matter what crazy variety of grill-ables pass across your grill, everyone can eat with pleasure.
Key Tips for Meat:
- Use an instant-read thermometer to determine whether it’s done cooking, not a knife.
- Let meat come to room temperature before cooking (except burgers!).
- Pre-salt meat to help keep it juicy.
- Always let meat rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Steaks: Cook salted, room-temperature steaks over direct heat on a hot grill. The grill is ready if you can hold your hand an inch above it for only about 2 seconds. The steaks should sizzle immediately. Let them cook until they release from the grill on their own (about 4 minutes), then turn them over and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes. Remove for a rare steak; otherwise, move steaks to indirect heat and continue cooking until done to taste (moving to indirect heat will inhibit charring and the formation of HCA’s). For a 1-inch-thick steak, total cooking time should be 8 to 9 minutes for rare, 10 to 11 minutes for medium rare, 11 to 13 for medium, and 15 or more for well-done. Your thermometer should read 125º for rare, 130-135º for medium-rare, 135-140º for medium, and 155º for well. (Note: insert the thermometer in through the side of the steak to get an accurate reading.)
Burgers: Burgers are the one meat you want to put on the grill when they’re cold. Cold fat takes longer to melt and drip out of the burger, which reduces flare-ups. Cook over direct, medium-high heat until they release, and turn only once. Another note: don’t press on them with a spatula. It’s hard to resist, we know, but all the liquid that squeezes out is what would have made your burger deliciously juicy.
Chicken: Chicken fat likes to flare up, avoid this by grilling chicken over indirect heat. Let a bird cook slowly and gently: About 12 to 15 minutes for a boneless breast, and up to 90 for an entire bird (in all cases you want an internal temperature of 160-165º). Move it over direct heat at the end if you want a crisper, browner chicken. Most of the fat will be rendered by then, reducing the chance of a final flare up.
Sausages: Avoid flare-ups by cooking sausages over indirect heat or by dunking them in a pot of boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes before grilling. This cooks up the exterior a bit and pulls off some of the fat. Once they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165º, move them over direct heat until attractively browned.
Shrimp: Grill shrimp fast and furious, preferably with the shell on. If you’re grilling a lot of shrimp that are of a good size (i.e. they won’t fall through the grill), you can just throw them on the grill. For a bit more control and less chaos, try skewers, allowing you to turn a whole bunch of shrimp at once. In either case, cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turn them and cook until they are bright pink.
Fish: If you grill fish frequently, buy a fish basket. They make grilling fish a snap. Without one, make sure to oil your grill, keep the heat even and not too hot, and use a wide, flat spatula to turn the fish. A good rule of thumb is to cook for 10 minutes per inch of thickness.
Soy-based burgers and dogs: These are pre-cooked, so grilling is just heating them up. Indirect heat is the best way to do this without burning them (they burn easily). Although a crisper exterior can be achieved by a brief exposure to higher, direct heat once they’re hot.
Learn More
Propane grillers might want to take a look at the US Consumer Product Safety Commissions’ fact sheet on safe gas grilling.
The USDA has a Barbecue and Food Safety fact sheet for information about food borne illness and safe handling of raw meats.
