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. Get your butcher's advice on which meat to buy; he or she will know best; say what you're planning and be open to be guided. Buy your meat 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. Your steak should be dried and salted 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. Only cook steaks on a hot grill
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. Avoid cooking partially unfrozen steaks
Thaw meat thoroughly in the refrigerator; this helps to retain its texture & flavor. Steaks & chops will thaw in 1 day, larger roasts will take up to 2 days. Remove steaks from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and ensure they are at room temperature before starting grilling; this lessens the shock of the meat hitting the hot grill affecting flavor & texture. To thaw meat quickly use cold water; never use a microwave oven or the meat will lose it's juices and become chewy.
5. Meat Cooking Temperatures
As we all love our, meat particularly our steaks, cooked differently there is no right or wrong temperature for cooked meat. Remember that meat with bone in takes longer to cook than meat without. As a general guideline the following target temperatures can be used, dependent on how you like your meat cooked.
For Steak and Lamb
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 with juices running clear in the thickest part of the bird
Once the required cooking temperature of the meat is reached remove it from the heat and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. The time required varies with size, the larger the meat the longer the time. During resting time, the meat continues to cook increasing in temperature 5 to 20 degrees after its been removed from the heat source. During this time the meat's juices settle and it becomes much more tasty.
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 repeatedly turn your 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. Take your time to steadily brown your meats when cooking stews.
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 how should you go about browning the meat? First cut your meat into cubes, then 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 avoiding an over filled pan. Don't turn up the heat or to try to go more quickly, just go steady; the difference in the flavor will be well worth the effort.
1. Get your butcher's advice on which meat to buy; he or she will know best; say what you're planning and be open to be guided. Buy your meat 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. Your steak should be dried and salted 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. Only cook steaks on a hot grill
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. Avoid cooking partially unfrozen steaks
Thaw meat thoroughly in the refrigerator; this helps to retain its texture & flavor. Steaks & chops will thaw in 1 day, larger roasts will take up to 2 days. Remove steaks from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking and ensure they are at room temperature before starting grilling; this lessens the shock of the meat hitting the hot grill affecting flavor & texture. To thaw meat quickly use cold water; never use a microwave oven or the meat will lose it's juices and become chewy.
5. Meat Cooking Temperatures
As we all love our, meat particularly our steaks, cooked differently there is no right or wrong temperature for cooked meat. Remember that meat with bone in takes longer to cook than meat without. As a general guideline the following target temperatures can be used, dependent on how you like your meat cooked.
For Steak and Lamb
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 with juices running clear in the thickest part of the bird
Once the required cooking temperature of the meat is reached remove it from the heat and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. The time required varies with size, the larger the meat the longer the time. During resting time, the meat continues to cook increasing in temperature 5 to 20 degrees after its been removed from the heat source. During this time the meat's juices settle and it becomes much more tasty.
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 repeatedly turn your 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. Take your time to steadily brown your meats when cooking stews.
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 how should you go about browning the meat? First cut your meat into cubes, then 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 avoiding an over filled pan. Don't turn up the heat or to try to go more quickly, just go steady; the difference in the flavor will be well worth the effort.
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 on the link. 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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