Grilling

What exactly is grilling?

Grilling is one of the barbecue techniques. Grilling is done at a higher temperature, say 190 to 200 degrees, and is suitable for smaller pieces of meat such as hamburgers, sausages, steaks and saté. Grilling is what we in the Netherlands until recently called 'barbecueën'. Grilling is still the most popular form of barbecue, because the technique is known to most. Grilling a hamburger takes about 12 minutes, a bacon steak is finished in 8 minutes and a skewer takes about ten minutes.

Grilling can be done on both an open barbecue and a closed barbecue. You can not measure the temperature of an open barbecue, therefore you can use a trick to estimate the temperature. If you can hold your hand just above the grid for a few seconds, but not for long - say a second or 2, 3- then you've reached the right grill temperature. Make sure that the temperature of the barbecue is not too high, otherwise your meat will burn. We often see that the temperature is too high because too much coal has been used, all of which are burning in full force. It is better to use a little less coal and leave that on one side of the coal grate, and the other half free. In this way you create two temperature zones so that you can also cook meat on the less hot part. For example, it is often tried to grill drumsticks while they have to be cooked at a slightly lower temperature and a little longer. The same often applies to sausages.

The preparation of a steak is also done with the method of grilling. That's fine for a ribeye steak, a sirloin or a t-bone steak. Make sure that you do not run the steak continuously. That gives a restless cooking. Leave the steak on one side and wait for some moisture to appear on top of the steak. That's the sign to turn the steak. This second part of the cooking is faster than the first part, you have to prevent the steak from going through. The trick with the fingers will tell you when the steak is ready. If you hold your thumb against your middle finger from your left hand, press the mouse of your hand with the index finger of your right hand. This gives a certain firm yet springy back pressure. Compare that to the steak, if you press it. If it has that same resilient firmness, your steak is medium and can get off the barbecue. If you want a grill pane, you can move the steak twice 45 degrees on the grid during cooking.

Searing

Searing the meat gives a nice browning of the color. It's called a Maillard reaction and it adds flavor to your meat. Searing as a function to preserve juices is a myth, so you don't have to do that. The English term for searing is 'searing' and is only applied for a beautiful brown color and a crispy bite on the crust of the meat. Searing is not necessary if you grill at a higher temperature (around 190 degrees Celsius), then you already have that effect. If you cook the meat at a slightly lower temperature, it must be above the hot flame for a while. You can do this in advance, but also afterwards. Then it's called 'reversed sear'. After cooking the meat, increase the temperature of the barbecue by opening the slide for the air supply. At a very high temperature you 'sear' a nice crust on your steak.

Resting

Many recipes say that you have to rest the meat. This is not necessary for a steak or other small pieces that have been grilled. Eat nice and hot from the barbecue, while the crust is still nice and crispy. The time you need to put it on your plate gives enough rest.

Other barbecue techniques

Other techniques are 'roasting' and 'low&slow'. You use roasting for roasts or roasts as we say in the Netherlands. Examples of roasts are: picanha, cote de boeuf, rack of pork and roast beef. Roasting is cooked at a temperature between 140 and 160 degrees Ceslius. Low&slow is the method for spareribs, pulled pork and brisket. This method has a cooking temperature between 100 and 120 degrees Celsius.

Questions and contact

Do you have questions about grilling meat? Please contact us at service@beefensteak.nl. or by phone at (0172) 577 147.