BBQ's

It is BBQ season. Well cooked, charbroiled meat, usually dried out. Here are my thoughts

The problem is, most people can't cook meat properly never mind over an open flame.

Chicken has to be cooked through with no pink. But still moist.

But pork can have a slight pink ting. You will not die. In fact pork is one of the safest meats.

The same with hamburgers. They don't have to be cooked till their hard. You can have a medium rare burger just fine.....you will not die, it is the same as a steak just ground up.

Steaks should be close to room temp before cooking (covered of course). If you cook a fridge cold steak, it will be tough and dry. Because like most things, it contracts in the cold

Pam is your friend. Spray some on the grill before grilling.......or you can use olive oil. I like the olive oil Pam spray.

Happy BBQ ing.

 I appreciate the tips Jason.  I likes me a good BBQ!  Any tips for grilling veggies?  

 Timely post Jason!  

Seafood is SO great on the BBQ!  Planked or not, salmon, halibut, cod, trout, char, etc, steaks or fillets, amazing taste!  And fast! 

When you form your hamburgers, stick your finger almost all the way through in the centre to creat a "well" of space in the middle of the patty.  This will help cook the burger threw without drying it out, speed its cooking and reduce the chances of any raw burgers heading for pouches or full tummy's.

When you 're cooking pork chops or loin, shake a splash of worchestershire for a tasty different taste with many fewer cals than the old BBQ sauce.

Veggies, OMG the veggies!  Carrots, zuccinni, onions, peppers, mushrooms, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.  Buy a good basket for the grill that has a handle for shaking and moving, try some herbs and spices to shake up the taste buds, little or no oils needed.  The trick is cutting them so they cook at nearly the same time, carrots and potatoes slender, onions peppers next, then the tenders chunky.  So good!  

Shish kabobs, meat cubed, onion, peppers, tomatoes, all on a skewer, super tasty, super fast!  NOM!

I have to stop now, I'm goin to bed and I am now officially ravenously hungery!  

Hi Jason,

Just one note about burgers and steak - the same rules can't apply to these two things when cooking. Steak is extremely dense and this keeps bacteria from entering the body of the meat, instead it just hangs out on the surface. This is why even blue rare steak is safe to eat, a couple of minutes on open flame raises the temperature on the outside of the meat enough to kill the bacteria on the outside, and it doesn't matter if the inside is still raw as bacteria can't get in there. With hamburger, this doesn't apply because the the density is dramatically decreased due to the grinding of the meat. This means the bacteria that would have been just on the outside of a piece of steak is now all throughout the burger, which means cooking it all the way through is necessary to ensure that it is safe to eat and should never be pink - but I love me a nice juicy medium burger for sure :) The best thing with burgers is usually a meat thermometer to ensure it gets cooked enough without over-cooking and drying it out.

That is why it is best not to cook frozen burgers on the grill. Hard to get the inside cooked through without burning the outside. Can be done on low temp, but time consuming.

Yes I understand the bacteria growth of ground meat. But cooking meat and overcooking is two different things. I always cut a slit in my burgers, or any meat to make sure its done properly.

 Bang on about the difference between a cut of meat and ground meat. 
Burgers are easy once you get to know your grill and the rate the meat cooks at. 
Burgers should be cooked through but always juicy, never dry. Never press on a burger after it'**** the grill. 

All great tips

oh didn't know that about cold steaks, thanks.

Sounds like you know a thing or two about bbqing. I should have you come out and cook my steak My darling husband feels that it's a man's job (insert Tim Taylor's man grunts) but repeatedly destroys my steaks. I like them blue rare and usually end up with medium at best. I know this will get worse when my steaks get smaller post op. What tips might you give him?

Definately cook your steak when cool not cold. I take the steaks out of the fridge, put them in a steel bowl, spice them up, cover them and leave them on the counter 2 hours before cooking. If outside, an hour will do.

For blue rare steak to work, the steak has to be room temp before cooking because you won't be able to heat up the inside enough without over cooking it.

The best is a BBQ with a searer. It is a high temp grill that sears the outside of the steak, but does not overcook the inside.