Guest guest Posted May 30, 2004 Report Share Posted May 30, 2004 > > Grilling meats &seafood > Source: Plain Dealer > > There are all kinds of ways to grill and endless opinions on precise > techniques. The problem is, one size doesn't necessarily fit all. Cooking > times, for example, are approximate: They vary with the size, weight, > thickness and temperature of the food, the type and condition of the grill, > the amount of charcoal or number of burners on a gas grill, etc. This chart > provides guidelines and " best-bet " tips and techniques for backyard > warriors. It's a good idea to jot notes, based on your own tastes and > discoveries, for future reference. > > Direct heat: Food is placed directly over burning coals or heat source. > Indirect heat: Food is surrounded by, but not placed over, burning coals or > heat source. > > CHICKEN > > BONE-IN PIECES > Method: Indirect heat preferable. > Charcoal: Medium hot. > Gas: Medium hot. > Tips: For best flavor, marinate meat beforehand. > Technique and time: Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on size of pieces. > Turn every eight to 10 minutes. > Donenes: Meat should be cooked through, opaque, with no traces of pink. > > BONELESS PIECES > Method: Direct or indirect heat. > Charcoal: Medium hot. > Gas: Preheat to 450 degrees, then turn gas to lowest heat level five > minutes > before putting chicken on grill. > Tips: For best flavor, marinate meat beforehand. When using gas grill, > close > grill lid quickly to conserve heat. > Technique and time: > Direct heat: Grill chicken breast about five to eight minutes per side. > Indirect heat: 10 to 13 minutes per side. > Doneness: Meat should be cooked through, opaque, with no hint of pink. > > WHOLE > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Have coals hot, about 450 degrees, or white hot when lid has been > over coals for 10 to 15 minutes. > Gas: Heat grill to 450 degrees before starting. If you do not have a > temperature gauge on your gas grill, you should buy one. > Tips: Place a pan under the grid to catch drippings. Place chicken on the > grate above pan. > Technique and time: Close lid: grill 70 to 90 minutes (a 31/2 to 4-pound > bird). Larger brds can take up to two hours. Replenish coals as needed. > Doneness: Pierce thickest part of thigh with a skewer; if juices run clear, > chicken is done. Chicken is done when interior temperature ranges 175 to > 180 > degrees. > > BEEF > > BURGERS > Method: Direct heat. > Charcoal: Build a bed of glowing briquettes covered with ash. > Gas: Heat on high. > Tips: Form 5-ounce patties. Spray both sides of burgers with cooking spray, > or brush with butter. Clean grill grate and brush with oil to prevent > sticking. > Technique and time: Place over hot coals, cover, and cook for three to five > minutes. Uncover, brush with butter, turn. Cook an additional three to five > minutes. Top with cheese during final minute or so. > Doneness: For safety, cook until no traces of pink are evident. > > BEEF RIBS > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Preferably hardwood charcoal or mesquite, moving briquettes to > outer sides of grill. > Gas: Heat medium to medium-low. > Tips: The fat on these ribs will self-baste; however, place a pan under the > grate to cath drippings. > Technique and time: Cook, covered, in center of grill for 21/2 to three > hours. Periodically replenish briquettes (or add more glowing coals). > Adding > soaked mesquite or hickory chips during latter part of grill will impart > smoky flavor. > Doneness: Ribs should be quite tender and easily slip from the bone. > > STEAKS > Method: Direct heat. > Charcoal: Ignite until glowing and covered with white ash. > Gas: Heat on high. > Tips: You'll get best results cooking steaks more than a half-inch thick. > Technique and time: > Bone-in: For rare doneness, cook over glowing briquettes (high heat), > covered, about five minutes per side for every inch of thickness. For > medium-rare, allow six to eight minutes per side. For medium, allow eight > to > nine minutes per side. > Boneless: For rare, allow three to four minutes per side per inch of > thickness. For medium-rare, allow four to five minutes per side. For > medium, > allow five to seven minutes per side. > Doneness: Rare beef is rosy red and cool in the center. Medium-rar is still > pink, but warm through. Medium shows little or no pinkness. > > LAMB > > LAMB CHOPS > Method: Direct heat. > Charcoal: Ignite briquettes until glowing red. > Gas: Preheat grill to 350 degrees. > Tips: Leave a hint of pinkness for juiciest flavor. > Technique and time: Cook 1-inch-thick chops three to four minutes per side > for rare, or four to five minutes per side for medium-rare. For halfinch- > thick chops, cook about 11/2 to two minutes per side for medium-rare, 21/2 > to four minutes per side for medium. > Doneness: Medium-rare chops are rosy pink but warm through; medium chops > are > faintly pink, and juices run clear. > > LEG OF LAMB > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Ignite briquettes until glowing red and covered with white ash. > Pull coals to either side of grill. > Gas: Preheat to 400 degrees. > Tips: Place a drip pan under grid in center, between briquettes. > Technique and time: Place lamb on grate over drip pan. Cover and grill, > turning periodically, about one hour (for a 2- to 3-pound baby leg), or 100 > to 20 minutes for a larger (6- to 7-pound) leg. Check and replenish > charcoals every 40 minutes or so. > Doneness: For medium-rare meat, cook to 145 to 150 degrees (measured on > meat > thermometer in thickest part of meat not touching bone). Meat will be rosy > pink near center. For medium meat, cook until roast tests 160 degrees (if > juices run clear, the lamb is cooked through). > > PORK > > CHOPS > Method: Direct heat. > Charcoal: Hot coals, glowing red covered with white ash. Gas: Preheated to > 400 degrees. > Tips: Marinate before grilling for best flavor. > Technique and time: Grill directly over very hot coals, covered. Allow five > to seven minutes per side for 1-inchthick chops. Allow three to four > minutes > per side for half-inch-thick cutlets. > Doneness: A touch of pink at the center. > > BABY BACK, SPARE RIBS > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Medium-low heat. > Gas: Preheat to 275 degrees. > Tips: Rub ribs with dry rub. > Technique and time: Cook over low to medium-low heat. Check and replenish > briquettes or wood every hour.Allow about three hours, basting periodically > (but hold the barbecue sauce until last five minutes of grilling). > Doneness: Meat should be fall-off-the-bones tender. > > BONELESS PORK LOIN > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Hot briquettes (glowing red, covered with white ash). Pull coals > to either side of grill. > Gas: Preheat to 400 degrees. > Tips: Indirect cooking produces juicier meat. Place an aluminum pan below > the grate. > Technique and time: Place loin on grate over pan. Cook a 21/2- pound loin > about 60 to 80 minutes. > Doneness: Internal temperature will register 160-165 degrees. Tent with > foil > and let stand 15 minutes before carving. > > SHOULDER, BUTT ROASTS > Method: Indirect heat. > Charcoal: Ignite briquettes until medium-hot. > Gas: Heat to about 275 degrees. > Tips: Use a good dry rub to coat the meat's surface. Add soaked hickory > chips during the final 60 to 90 minutes of cooking. > Technique and time: Cook over indirect heat for three to five hours. Turn > occasionally. Check and replenish briquettes abou every 45 minutes. > Doneness: Slow-cooked pork should be fork tender and shred (as in " pulled > pork " ) when torn with fingers or pair of knives. (Internal temperature will > register at least 165 degrees.) > > SEAFOOD > > FIN FISH > Method: Direct or indirect heat. > Charcoal: Heat until glowing red-hot and covered with ash. If cooking by > indirect heat, briquettes should be red hot. > Gas: Preheat to 375 degrees. > Tips: Grilling baskets are a good idea; even seasoned cooks have problems > with fish sticking to the grate. If you don't have a basket, brush or spray > oil on the grate. Before turning fish, spray or brush top with oil or > butter. Don't grill small fillets (perch, small bass); they're apt to stick > to the grill, and you'll lose most of your catch. > Technique and time: Rub melted butter, oil or olive oil over all surfaces > of > fish before grilling. > Whole fish: Indirect heat for whole fish 2 pounds and up. Cover the grill; > roast fish for about 12 to 14 minutes per pound. > Fish steaks: Direct heat. Allow two to tree minutes per side for > half-inch-thick pieces, about five minutes per side for inch-thick pieces. > Fish fillets: Use direct heat for fillets, cooking half-inchthick fillets > about three to four minutes a side and inch-thick fillets about four to > five > minutes per side. > Doneness: If you prefer fish (such as salmon) a bit rare in the middle, > shorten cooking time by 30 to 60 seconds per side for fillets, one minute > per side for steaks. Do not overcook fish, as it tends to dry out. > > SHELLFISH > (shrimp, lobster, oysters, clams, scallops) > Method: Direct heat. > Charcoal: Ignite briquettes until glowing red-hot. > Gas: Preheat to 400 degrees. > Tips: Don't put live lobsters onto the grill; they're apt to jump off > (wouldn't you?). Instead, put the lobster, belly-down, on a cutting board. > Slide a knife at the base of the head, below eye level, and cut downward. > If > this doesn't appeal to you, plunge live lobster in rapidly boiling water > for > two minutes. Let cool before grilling. If you use wooden skewers for eiter > shrimp or scallops, soak the skewers for an hour before using them. It will > keep them from burning. > Technique and time: > Scampi and larger shrimp: Are more moist if grilled in the shells. If you > prefer to remove the vein before cooking, make a vertical slice down the > back of the shrimp and remove vein. Baste with butter or marinade. Skewer > smaller shrimp and cook 60 to 90 seconds per side, covered. Cook large > shrimp directly on grill, allowing two to three minutes per side, covered. > > Lobster (11/4 to 2 pounds): Should first be killed or parboiled (see " tips " > above). Do not cut in half; slit through just enough to spread open to > slightly expose tail meat. Baste with plain or vanilla butter. Grill, > covered, six to seven minutes a side (or allow five to six minutes per side > if parboiled). Cook lobster tails six to seven minutes per side, covered. > > Oysters, clams: Place directly over coals. Cook seven to eight minutes, > covered, until shells open. > > Scallops: First should be skewered or placed in agrill basket coated with > oil, then brushed with butter. Allow 30 to 60 seconds per side. Sea > scallops > might be better grilled without skewers, unless small; allow two to three > minutes a side. > > Doneness: Lobster meat should be opaque throughout. Oysters are done when > shells open; discard any that don't fully open. Scallops can be slightly > translucent in the center, but remainder should be white. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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