The 8 most important things needing to be considered when cooking meats outdoors are set out below, they are in no order of priority as they are all important in their own way.
1. Ask your butcher for his advice on which meat to buy for cooking outdoors; he or she will know best; say what you're planning and be guided. Buy your meat well in advance, at least a couple of days before you want to cook it.
Fresh in, freshly cut, red meat is not yet ready for cooking. Steaks need time to age. Aging arises when naturally occurring enzymes beak down the protein in the meat helping to build flavor & tenderize. When you get your meat home put it in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Always try to select meat with some fat on the outside, or with veins of fat going through the meat as this is where the juicy flavor come from.
2. Dry the steak and salt it before cooking.
The drier you make the steak the less water vapor that will be generated at the outset of cooking. This will help build a crust on the steak so as to give it it's characteristic flavor; which is helped further if you salt your steak after drying.
3. Steaks should be grilled hot
Preheat the grill to a high temperature-so that it's almost smoking; then drop the temperature to medium before placing the meat on the grill. To test the temperature, hold your hand over the grill, if you can keep it there for 3-4 seconds, this is medium. If your grill is too hot your steaks may char; burnt outside & rare inside; always cut of charred bits of meat as this is now considered to be unhealthy.
4. Ensure your steaks are totally defrosted before cooking
Ensure that you thaw meat thoroughly ideally in the refrigerator as this helps the meat to retain its texture & flavor. Steaks & chops will thaw in 1 day, larger roasts will take up to 36 hours. Take steaks out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to keep them juicy. Ensure steaks are at room temperature before grilling, this lessens the shock of the meat hitting the hot grill affecting flavor & texture. To thaw meat quickly use cold water. Never thaw meat in a microwave oven as this will destroy it's juices making it chewy & dry.
5. Meat Cooking Temperatures
There is no right or wrong temperature for cooking meat as we all love our, meat particularly our steaks, cooked differently. Remember that meat with bone in takes longer to cook than meat without. As a general guideline the following temperatures apply for different grades of meat:
Lamb and Steak
Rare 120-130F. 6-7 minutes. Center of steak still cold when served;
Medium Rare 130-135F. 8-9 minutes Cooked on outside, deep pink inside;
Medium 140-150F, 10-12 minutes. Served uniformly pink throughout the center
Medium to Well done 155-165F. Almost totally cooked through with slight pink in the center
Well done 170F. 13-15 minutes Completely cooked through Has to be cooked slowly
Pork
Medium 140F to 155F Meat is slightly pink in center
Well-Done 160F to 185F Meat is uniformly brown
Veal
Medium 145F to 155F
All poultry:
Cook to 165F All juices must run clear in the thickest part of the bird
Once the desired cooking temperature is attained take the meat from the heat and let it stand for ten minutes plus. The time required varies with size. During resting time the meat will continue to cook. You will notice the meats temperature will increase from 5 to 20 degrees after it has been removed from the heat! During this resting time the meat's juices will settle and it will become eminently more flavorsome.
6. Testing the temperature of your meat
Meat can be checked for how well its cooked by pressing on it with your finger. Rare meat feels soft; medium meat is springy; well-done meat feels very firm. But much the better and by far the most accurate method is to make use of an instant-read thermometer, which should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone.
7. Don't keep turning the steaks
To evenly cook your steaks and to get to see those lovely grill strips across each steak, turn the steaks only once using tongs, never a fork as this punctures the meat allowing juices to escape.
8. Be sure to very steadily brown your meats before making them into a stew.
The Maillard reaction is an important when cooking stews as it helps your meat to taste great. When cooking a stew start by browning the meat on a skillet so facilitating the Maillard reaction to occur. This reaction happens when meat is cooked to a temperature of over 115C, at which point the meats natural amino acids inter react creating a melange of complex wonderful flavors.
So why is this important in stews? Well for the simple reason that if you cook your meats in a stew without first browning the meat then you're reliant on the heat of the water to do all the cooking. But this will mean that the highest temperature the meat will reach will be 100C; [the boiling point of water] meaning the Maillard reaction cannot occur! Meaning your meat won't be as tasty as it might otherwise be.
So what should you do? Its simple: first cut your meat into cubes, season it; then heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan; then gently brown the meat on all sides over a medium heat. Do this in small batches. Never brown meat in an over filled pan and don't turn up the heat to try to go more quickly; take it steady.
1. Ask your butcher for his advice on which meat to buy for cooking outdoors; he or she will know best; say what you're planning and be guided. Buy your meat well in advance, at least a couple of days before you want to cook it.
Fresh in, freshly cut, red meat is not yet ready for cooking. Steaks need time to age. Aging arises when naturally occurring enzymes beak down the protein in the meat helping to build flavor & tenderize. When you get your meat home put it in the fridge for 24-48 hours. Always try to select meat with some fat on the outside, or with veins of fat going through the meat as this is where the juicy flavor come from.
2. Dry the steak and salt it before cooking.
The drier you make the steak the less water vapor that will be generated at the outset of cooking. This will help build a crust on the steak so as to give it it's characteristic flavor; which is helped further if you salt your steak after drying.
3. Steaks should be grilled hot
Preheat the grill to a high temperature-so that it's almost smoking; then drop the temperature to medium before placing the meat on the grill. To test the temperature, hold your hand over the grill, if you can keep it there for 3-4 seconds, this is medium. If your grill is too hot your steaks may char; burnt outside & rare inside; always cut of charred bits of meat as this is now considered to be unhealthy.
4. Ensure your steaks are totally defrosted before cooking
Ensure that you thaw meat thoroughly ideally in the refrigerator as this helps the meat to retain its texture & flavor. Steaks & chops will thaw in 1 day, larger roasts will take up to 36 hours. Take steaks out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to keep them juicy. Ensure steaks are at room temperature before grilling, this lessens the shock of the meat hitting the hot grill affecting flavor & texture. To thaw meat quickly use cold water. Never thaw meat in a microwave oven as this will destroy it's juices making it chewy & dry.
5. Meat Cooking Temperatures
There is no right or wrong temperature for cooking meat as we all love our, meat particularly our steaks, cooked differently. Remember that meat with bone in takes longer to cook than meat without. As a general guideline the following temperatures apply for different grades of meat:
Lamb and Steak
Rare 120-130F. 6-7 minutes. Center of steak still cold when served;
Medium Rare 130-135F. 8-9 minutes Cooked on outside, deep pink inside;
Medium 140-150F, 10-12 minutes. Served uniformly pink throughout the center
Medium to Well done 155-165F. Almost totally cooked through with slight pink in the center
Well done 170F. 13-15 minutes Completely cooked through Has to be cooked slowly
Pork
Medium 140F to 155F Meat is slightly pink in center
Well-Done 160F to 185F Meat is uniformly brown
Veal
Medium 145F to 155F
All poultry:
Cook to 165F All juices must run clear in the thickest part of the bird
Once the desired cooking temperature is attained take the meat from the heat and let it stand for ten minutes plus. The time required varies with size. During resting time the meat will continue to cook. You will notice the meats temperature will increase from 5 to 20 degrees after it has been removed from the heat! During this resting time the meat's juices will settle and it will become eminently more flavorsome.
6. Testing the temperature of your meat
Meat can be checked for how well its cooked by pressing on it with your finger. Rare meat feels soft; medium meat is springy; well-done meat feels very firm. But much the better and by far the most accurate method is to make use of an instant-read thermometer, which should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone.
7. Don't keep turning the steaks
To evenly cook your steaks and to get to see those lovely grill strips across each steak, turn the steaks only once using tongs, never a fork as this punctures the meat allowing juices to escape.
8. Be sure to very steadily brown your meats before making them into a stew.
The Maillard reaction is an important when cooking stews as it helps your meat to taste great. When cooking a stew start by browning the meat on a skillet so facilitating the Maillard reaction to occur. This reaction happens when meat is cooked to a temperature of over 115C, at which point the meats natural amino acids inter react creating a melange of complex wonderful flavors.
So why is this important in stews? Well for the simple reason that if you cook your meats in a stew without first browning the meat then you're reliant on the heat of the water to do all the cooking. But this will mean that the highest temperature the meat will reach will be 100C; [the boiling point of water] meaning the Maillard reaction cannot occur! Meaning your meat won't be as tasty as it might otherwise be.
So what should you do? Its simple: first cut your meat into cubes, season it; then heat a little oil in a heavy frying pan; then gently brown the meat on all sides over a medium heat. Do this in small batches. Never brown meat in an over filled pan and don't turn up the heat to try to go more quickly; take it steady.
About the Author:
Stephen Kember is an outdoor cooking authority. He runs The outdoor cooking equipment Store, which you can take a look at by clicking here. Before buying cookware elsewhere do check out his wide selection, where for a very short time prices have been drastically cut. And if grilling is your thing take a look at the exceptional Cypress series Ceramic Grill; its superb and at the moment at a great price.
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