You go, GRILL!

Not a typo… we really think you might wanna…

 

Just go and grill!

Why not? 

It’s mid-June, the sun is shining pretty much everywhere except for Maine and Canada in North America, and since we have passed Memorial Day of 2019 we are now in the (unofficial) summer season of 2019.

At least, unofficial for another week or so, then the calendar says it becomes official, right?

Alright – let’s not split hairs… official or unofficial, it does not matter.

If you are a meat aficionado, then you know what time it is.

You know that it is time to hear sizzle…

…to see flames licking up around perfect pieces of meat (whatever your flavor)…

…to feel the sun warm your face as you stare down at the perfectly prepared meat getting broiled...

…to taste the ice cold beer you are drinking while you are preparing your perfect meats…

Yes… you know what time it is.

It is time to GRILL… all summer long!  Whether it is official or unofficial, it does not matter at all.  Get out there, toss on your apron, grab your tools of the trade (spatulas, tongs, knives, etc.) fire up your grill, and get right down to it!

Alright – I think we have all grilled before, right?  I mean, we are all here, we all love meat.  If we didn’t, we would not be here.

Unless you are a vegan that just is looking for a fight… and in that case bring it on… but we will probably be too busy grilling for the next 90 days to pay any attention to your declarations of war.

That last statement is only for vegetarians and vegans looking to pick a fight… if you are here, and you are not picking a fight, you do you… more meat for the rest of us!

:-D      :-D      :-D

Alright… that is enough picking on the non-meat eaters… for now.  We cannot promise we will not do it again later… but we promise to try!

We have digressed – back to the topic at hand.

You… you are a meat eater, you have prepared your grill, your meat, and you have your lovely “Kiss the Cook” apron on.

Now what?

If you are anything like some of the guys that I have met, you just kick up the flame as high as it can go (because there is some primal caveman fascination with fire) and toss the meat on the grill until it is dark on each side.

Well… NO.

Ask any chef, ask any butcher, or ask anyone with any tastebuds.

Once you have cooked the meat in that approach every expert tells you the same thing…

You have effectively destroyed that piece of meat!

No one wants that, do they?  After all, meat is not the cheapest thing out there, and when it is served it is generally the star of the meal.  That being said, don’t you want to make sure that the meat you are preparing is done beautifully?

Lovingly?

PERFECTLY?

Yeah, me too… and that is why we are talking about grilling and how you, dear reader, want to make sure that the grilling you do is an enjoyable experience for everyone. 

You, doing your cooking and getting in touch with your primal roots…

And your guests, who really want to enjoy the food their about to eat… and trust me when I say that they would be happy if they did not mistake a burger for a hockey puck.

So – what do I do now?

            Generally, you listen to what we have to say about the topic, do what we say, and then you find out how much better this is.

            Copy?  Cool… let’s keep driving forward.

            The Grill – We won’t get into the argument of propane or gas, charcoal or wood, or one of those new “newspaper” cookers.  If people want that, we can write another piece about that on a different day.

(If you want that, let us know!)

First, consider that you do not just want to fire up the whole grill to max temp.  You want to have a medium flame in one area, and you probably want to have a low and indirect heat in another area.  You cook over the direct heat, and you generally keep warm or do “finishing” over the indirect heat. 

            This is important – this is how you make sure that your food comes out fully cooked, but it maintains juiciness and flavors as you want!

            The Equipment – Yes, every man who grills wants to get out his “Kiss the Cook” apron.  That is fine, and an apron is a good idea.

            In addition to the apron you should have the following:

·       Tongs

·       Spatula

·       Meat Fork

·       Side Table

·       Platters

·       Paper Towels

·       Grill Brush

·       Oven Mitts

·       Meat Thermometer

I know… I know… no man who is grilling like his ancestors wants to use a meat thermometer… but use it.  This works with proper grilling temperatures to make sure that your meat is cooked, but still has flavor and the juiciness you expect from perfectly grilled meat.

Steak – Cooking steak on a grill is a matter of finesse, and being aware that you should not cook this past medium rare…

You want the grill to be hot enough where you cannot hold your hand six inches above for more than about 3-4 seconds.  Once you drop the meat on the grill, you will want to cook one side for about 4-5 minutes, and then flip it and do 3-4 minutes on the other side for a medium rare steak (most chefs and butchers agree medium rare is what you want).  Also, do not close or cover your grill when you are making steak!

            Move the steak to your indirect heat area and let it get to 122 degrees.  Remove it from the heat, let it set undisturbed for about 5 minutes.  That should give you a beautiful medium rare steak!

Chicken – The first thing to know about chicken is that you want this cook thoroughly – do not risk illness from uncooked poultry products! 

That being said, the temperature you want chicken to get up to depends on the chicken itself.  Boneless breast needs to get up to 165 degrees, while breast meat with the bone or boneless thighs need to get to 170 degrees.  Finally, the classic bone-in thigh must be heated to 175 degrees.

Generally, with chicken, you will want to cook it 5-7 minutes on each side.  Unlike steak, you want to cover the chicken when you are cooking it.  Total time is 10-14 minutes on a grill the same temperature as one where you would cook steak.  Just keep it covered, and be sure to use your meat thermometer!

Salmon – You still want medium heat here, just like with steak and chicken.

The salmon is cooked over medium heat for 6-8 minutes per side.  Since salmon thickness varies, you might have to adjust your grilling time, but in the end you will judge if it is done if it easily flakes apart with a fork.

Burgers – These are basically the same as steak… but do three minutes on each side when cooking.  Oh, and you want high heat, which means you cannot comfortably hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for more than 1 second.

That is all she wrote!

            Actually, its all *he* wrote, but that would take us back to splitting hairs…

            Anyway, that is all we have!  Have TGIF, and get out and grill this weekend!  Tell us all about your outings, send us some pictures – we would love to have a conversation with you about all things food and meat related!

            Until next time – Eat will, live well, and be well!