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Grilling Question


Savage Beatings
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What's the deal with either closing the lid on the grill while cooking or leaving it open?

 

I'd say that most of the time that I grill something, I shut the lid. Is there a right or a wrong time for this? If so, when and why?

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What's the deal with either closing the lid on the grill while cooking or leaving it open?

 

I'd say that most of the time that I grill something, I shut the lid. Is there a right or a wrong time for this? If so, when and why?

 

Closing the lid can help prevent flare ups as you are cutting the oxygen. It can also give you more control over your regulation of temperature. You can't really do a "low and slow" without closing the lid. Obviously, if you are smoking, the lid must be closed.

 

I tend to leave the lid up when I'm doing a quick sear or when I want the flames to come up (e.g., I've just put bbq sauce on the chicken and I want to carmelize the sugars in the sauce).

Edited by untateve
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Think of it the same way you think about the difference between cooking on the stove top as opposed to in the oven. Stove top = high heat focused on one side of the food. Oven = lower heat that surrounds the food.

 

The same pretty much holds with the grill. As steve mentioned, closing the lid lowers the amount of O2 to the fire so it isn't as intense. At the same time, the lid is trapping the heat so the food is being heated from all sides.

 

I actually am not of the school that supports cooking steaks at ultra high temps as long as it is hot enough to create a sear. Really high heat focused on the surface results in a thick layer of really done meat and an inside considerably less so. I don't think that averaging a well done outside and a rare inside as being medium rare. I like the vast majority of my steak to represent the desired temp. Gradual heat is the only way to achieve this. Thus, when I grill steaks, I like to get stoke the fire, throw the steaks on and then close the lid. That makes the steak roast as well as grill.

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Think of it the same way you think about the difference between cooking on the stove top as opposed to in the oven. Stove top = high heat focused on one side of the food. Oven = lower heat that surrounds the food.

 

The same pretty much holds with the grill. As steve mentioned, closing the lid lowers the amount of O2 to the fire so it isn't as intense. At the same time, the lid is trapping the heat so the food is being heated from all sides.

 

I actually am not of the school that supports cooking steaks at ultra high temps as long as it is hot enough to create a sear. Really high heat focused on the surface results in a thick layer of really done meat and an inside considerably less so. I don't think that averaging a well done outside and a rare inside as being medium rare. I like the vast majority of my steak to represent the desired temp. Gradual heat is the only way to achieve this. Thus, when I grill steaks, I like to get stoke the fire, throw the steaks on and then close the lid. That makes the steak roast as well as grill.

 

Det, what temp do you {sp edit]think you get to for a sear on a steak that's 1 1/2" thick, or so?

 

I have never had the exquisite pleasure of cooking on a contraption as sublime as a BGE, but I have heard people advocate for temps close to 750. And I actually prefer a quick sear and a good 5-10 minutes rest time, over a slower method of cooking steaks. I dunno how hot I get the grill, though... never saw much use for a thermometer, if you're not smoking or slow-cooking.

Edited by McNasty
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Det, what temp do you {sp edit]think you get to for a sear on a steak that's 1 1/2" thick, or so?

 

I have never had the exquisite pleasure of cooking on a contraption as sublime as a BGE, but I have heard people advocate for temps close to 750. And I actually prefer a quick sear and a good 5-10 minutes rest time, over a slower method of cooking steaks. I dunno how hot I get the grill, though... never saw much use for a thermometer, if you're not smoking or slow-cooking.

You're not going to like this answer but after about 25 years of working in kitchens, you stop measuring temp by common measures. You put your hand over the grill and say, "That seems about right." Then you throw it on and, at some point, you think to yourself, "It should be ready now" and you pull it off.

 

It drives my wife crazy when she asks how long to cook something and I just shrug and say, "until it's done".

 

Maybe someday if I make it to cookbook status I'll stop and figure these things out. Better guess is that I'll do what I do every time I need to submit a recipe. I'll look at another recipe and say the time or temp that they say.

 

As I said before, I don't subscribe to the school of thought that cooks steaks at insanely high temps (over 1000). I researched the grill I bought for the steakhouse I helped open and it was designed by someone who feels the same. It;s an Aztec and cooks at around 750. Which, BTW is much hotter than you can typically get a home grill going.

 

For your home grill, I'd say get the coals about as hot as you can.

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You're not going to like this answer but after about 25 years of working in kitchens, you stop measuring temp by common measures. You put your hand over the grill and say, "That seems about right." Then you throw it on and, at some point, you think to yourself, "It should be ready now" and you pull it off.

 

It drives my wife crazy when she asks how long to cook something and I just shrug and say, "until it's done".

 

Maybe someday if I make it to cookbook status I'll stop and figure these things out. Better guess is that I'll do what I do every time I need to submit a recipe. I'll look at another recipe and say the time or temp that they say.

 

As I said before, I don't subscribe to the school of thought that cooks steaks at insanely high temps (over 1000). I researched the grill I bought for the steakhouse I helped open and it was designed by someone who feels the same. It;s an Aztec and cooks at around 750. Which, BTW is much hotter than you can typically get a home grill going.

 

For your home grill, I'd say get the coals about as hot as you can.

 

Dig. I have no propblem with your answer... that's pretty much how I do it, too.

 

I know the home grill won't get that hot, that's why I am looking forward to the day when I actually can settle in and buy a BGE, because untateve's posts make me weep with envy. I just try and get the coals as hot as possible and sear them quick. Your ballpark temp at around 750ish, is close to what I have heard for optimum. I never heard anyone talking about plus 1000 temps :D That seems a little radical to me, but I'll gladly admit I am simply a guy who likes to eat, not a professional.

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Dig. I have no propblem with your answer... that's pretty much how I do it, too.

 

I know the home grill won't get that hot, that's why I am looking forward to the day when I actually can settle in and buy a BGE, because untateve's posts make me weep with envy. I just try and get the coals as hot as possible and sear them quick. Your ballpark temp at around 750ish, is close to what I have heard for optimum. I never heard anyone talking about plus 1000 temps :D That seems a little radical to me, but I'll gladly admit I am simply a guy who likes to eat, not a professional.

 

 

I support your decision. The BGE gets to 750 and higher if you want. I usually seer around the 750 mark for 1 minute on each side. Then do about 4 mins per side at about 400. Perfect med rare every time.

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I support your decision. The BGE gets to 750 and higher if you want. I usually seer around the 750 mark for 1 minute on each side. Then do about 4 mins per side at about 400. Perfect med rare every time.

 

:D I am slowly and steadily digging myself out of a morass of student loans, but the BGE is the very first non-essential item I have my eye on. Is it difficult to set up different heat zones on the egg? the drop from 750 to 400 seems like it'd take a pretty big grill area.

 

:TomJoad: Every time you make ribs, Ma, I'll be there. :/TomJoad:

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:D I am slowly and steadily digging myself out of a morass of student loans, but the BGE is the very first non-essential item I have my eye on. Is it difficult to set up different heat zones on the egg? the drop from 750 to 400 seems like it'd take a pretty big grill area.

 

:TomJoad: Every time you make ribs, Ma, I'll be there. :/TomJoad:

 

 

 

It's quick to get it up to 750. Once I sear, I close the bottom and top vents completely and it takes about 20 mins to bring it down. I let the steaks rest on a plate under some foil. I'll either work on the side dishes during that time or if I'm doing something simple (e.g., mac and cheese, baked potatoes), it's a good time to have another beer.

 

And one other thing--when you're talking about the Egg, it's always capitalized.

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It's quick to get it up to 750. Once I sear, I close the bottom and top vents completely and it takes about 20 mins to bring it down. I let the steaks rest on a plate under some foil. I'll either work on the side dishes during that time or if I'm doing something simple (e.g., mac and cheese, baked potatoes), it's a good time to have another beer.

 

That sounds like kind of a hassle. I have gone to more trouble for good food, though, and I'll never turn down an opportunity to have a beer.

 

And one other thing--when you're talking about the Egg, it's always capitalized.

 

Forgive me, Egg, I know not what I do. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

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That sounds like kind of a hassle. I have gone to more trouble for good food, though, and I'll never turn down an opportunity to have a beer.

 

Here's the procedure.

 

1. Bring Egg to 750 - actual work = start on fire, open bottom and top vents

 

2. Cook steak 1 minute on each side - actual work = put steak on grill and turn.

 

3. Put steaks on plate and throw a piece of foil over them and close top and bottom vents on Egg - actual work = almost nothing

 

4. Wait about 20 mins - actual work = nothing

 

5. Throw steaks on each side for about 4 mins - actual work = put steaks on grill, turn them once and taking them off the grill

 

I, somewhat defensively, do not see the hassle involved. I think perhaps you are from the evil world of gas outdoor stoves, here to attempt to subtlely destroy all that which is good and pure in my world.

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I'm the exact opposite. I actually place the meat in the freezer for about 10 mins to get a nice cold blue center then slap it on the grill at about 800 for 5 mins per side depending on thickness. I also prefer my steaks very rare.

 

I hate having a steak oozing with bloody juices.

Edited by twiley
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I support your decision. The BGE gets to 750 and higher if you want. I usually seer around the 750 mark for 1 minute on each side. Then do about 4 mins per side at about 400. Perfect med rare every time.

 

I am engraving this on the side of my Father's Day gift grill from the kids.

 

Alas, it wasn't a BGE, but there's always next year.

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I quote the oracle once again...

There are those who view the world in an easygoing manner, thinking that some people prefer their steak rare, and others well done, and that it’s simply a matter of taste. But it is not a matter of taste. Harsh and fascistic as it may sound, there is in truth only one perfect degree of doneness. All others are error, at least in those who, like us, agree that steak should be tasty, tender, and juicy.

 

Consider the purplish crimson stripe in the very center. This part of the meat is raised to a temperature of only 90 degrees by the time it comes off the grill; it is in essence raw—without much flavor and without any juice. Some diners may prefer their entire steak to taste and feel like beef sashimi, perhaps seared on the outside. Cooking does not start until meat is heated beyond 100 degrees; before this point, meat will be gel-like and hard to chew. Little of the marbling fat will have melted and the bland proteins will not have broken down into beefy-tasting free amino acids. This is called “bleu” by the French or very rare to us.

 

Starting at 100 F, the protein molecules start to uncoil and bond with one another, and the connective tissue shrinks. Now both the moisture trapped among the protein molecules in the muscle fiber and the liquefied fat are flowing freely as delicious juice. So the deepest interior of a thick, mouthwatering steak must be brought to 105 F on the grill. It will rice to a juicy 120F after it has rested awhile, as the juices disperse more evenly and the temperatures even out a bit. This is perfection: The meat is no longer jelly like but has taken on only the first signs of grain and has been brought to that narrowest of ranges where the juices have started to flow, the marbling fat is melting, and the protein is breaking down into its incredibly flavorful constituent amino acids, but before the muscle fibers tighten.

 

Over 130 F, the proteins coagulate to the point of toughness, as the vertical grain of the meat becomes first distinct and then tight, and more of the moisture between the protein molecules is squeezed out, either to evaporate from the surface of the steak or to drip into the fire. This is what is usually meant by medium rare, and while the meat is still pretty good to eat, it has just passed perfection.

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On teh gas Weber, I will sear only exceptionally thick cuts of meat. Otherwise, it is direct medium (about 450 degrees) closed for about 5 minutes per side. Doneness, it told not by time or temp, but by the firmness of the meat.

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