Discover easy ways to make your BBQ sessions better than ever and grill restaurant-quality meat at home.
We all love a good BBQ party. Don’t we? Some of us wait for the BBQ season all year long. It is truly worth waiting for. However, not all BBQ parties are the same; some of them have nothing special while some are worth remembering. Have you ever thought about why some parties fail to wow you?
Whether you are planning to grill something for the first time or you are not satisfied with how your BBQs are coming out, this article will surely help you out. It outlines small steps that can elevate the quality of your grilled items and make you feel like you are dining at a restaurant.
Control the Temperature
When it comes to grilling, hitting the right temperature is key. Not getting it right can severely affect the taste and texture of your meat. It might turn out dry or chewy. One common mistake a lot of us make is taking it out of the freezer and putting it on the grill right away. If you are guilty of doing this, this might be the reason your steak is dry or flavorless.
As we all know, in order to grill a good steak, you need to cook the meat at a high temperature for a short amount of time. So, if you are putting frozen meat on the grill, it will first melt, then it will reach room temperature, and then finally it will start cooking. As you can tell, this process elongates the cooking time a lot; the longer the meat stays on the grill, the dryer and tougher it gets.
Another thing to keep in mind is to let your grill heat properly first. You shouldn’t put meat on the grill before it is fully heated. Again, if you try to grill the meat before the grill is heated, it will take way longer to cook. So, be patient and wait for the grill to heat up properly before you put meat on it.
Get the Right Grill
It is very obvious that you would need a grilling machine if you are planning a BBQ. If you don’t already own one, there are a few things you need to keep in mind before getting one. There are a lot of options available in the market. You should get the one that serves your needs best. Consider how much you plan to use your grill and how much you may need to grill at a time.
You can also choose between gas or charcoal-operated ones. Most people get gas-operated grills because they are easier to find and operate. You can even get an electric grill if you don’t want to mess with propane or charcoal grills. Tabletop grills are a great option as well. They take up a lot less space and are user-friendly too. You can consider a stainless steel tabletop grill if you don’t plan to use your grill very often or don’t grill a lot of stuff at a time.
Use A Meat Thermometer
This is something all professional grillers swear by. Using a meat thermometer is a must regardless of whether you are a beginner or a pro griller. Most people consider meat thermometers to be unnecessary. However, the truth is completely the opposite because the least wanted thing in a BBQ party is overcooked or undercooked meat. It is very disappointing when you cut into a beautiful looking piece of meat and discover dry, overcooked insides. The same goes for raw or undercooked meat.
If you haven’t grilled something before, you might get intimidated by the process of getting meat rare or medium-rare. You are most likely to overcook or undercook a few pieces when you do it for the first time. The only way to get it right without fail is to use a thermometer. You just need to insert it in the meat, and you can tell if the meat is cooked or not. Some digital thermometers even indicate the stage rather than the temperature. You can get one of those if you don’t want to mess with the temperatures.
Another thing to keep in mind is that meat continues to cook for a while even after you take it off the grill. So don’t wait for the meat to reach the temperature you are aiming for. Get it off the heat a few degrees prior. The temperature is most likely to rise by at least five degrees. So, keep that in mind when you take it off.
Let It Rest
This is a step you cannot ignore by any chance. Most of us are guilty of doing this. After the meat is done cooking, we cannot resist the temptation and cut into the meat immediately. This is an absolute no-no. When you do this, you are left with a very dry and flavorless steak. Instead, you should let the meat rest for a while after it’s done cooking. Leave it covered and undisturbed for a while, and you will surely be surprised by the results.
All professional chefs swear by this step. Even the restaurants make sure to do this. Let’s talk about how this works. When your meat is cooking, all the juices and fats get concentrated in the center of the meat due to the heat. So when you cut it right after it is out of the pan, the juices will flow out and your meat will be left dry and flavorless. But when you let it rest, as the temperature falls, the juices get distributed evenly, and the meat becomes juicy and tender.
How long you should rest the meat totally depends on the size of the meat. The bigger it is, the more time it will need. In general, the resting time is nearly half the time it took to cook. Most people rest it for five to ten minutes. But make sure to cover the meat well as it rests. Otherwise, it might get too cold which nobody wants.
To Sum Up
Besides the steps mentioned above, using good quality products is also a must for the perfect BBQ because freshness plays a big part in determining how it will taste. Make sure to marinate the meat very well because no one enjoys a bland piece of meat.
Follow the steps mentioned above and get the title of “the best griller” among your friends and family.
