How to Tell When It's Done
One of the worse things to happen when playing chef at the barbeque grill is not properly cooking the barbeque. Most often meat is undercooked when barbequing because the coals are too hot or the flame is too high. This can speed the cooking process so that the out side is nice and done but, unfortunately the inside will remain raw and bloody. Not good.It's just as easy to overcook your meat. Some amateur chefs have experienced the embarrassing moment of severing undercooked meat but find that the result can be an overcooked dish. All you need is a little help from us and perhaps a good barbeque thermometer. By using this barbeque cooking time guide determine the best methods of ensuring great tasting barbeque. The safe way to approach most meats is to thoroughly and properly cook with medium to low temperatures for the proper amount of time.
Review the following barbequing times for different types of meat. There are ways to know just by looking at the meat that's it's done. But we would not discourage you from using a meat thermometer, especially when cooking thick or large chunks of meat.
Barbeque Cooking Times for Chicken
Chicken is one of the easiest meats to barbeque and usually takes the shortest time to thoroughly cook. There are two ways to check if the chicken is done, by time and poking. Typically chicken takes about 30 minutes to thoroughly cook if the barbeque grill coals are low and smoldering red (low flame). Chicken breasts require a barbequing time of 30-45 minutes depending upon the thickness of the meat.Poking the chicken to the bone using a two prong fork can help you determne when the chicken is done. Simply stick the pieces of chicken in the thickest part of the meat right to the bone. Wait a few seconds to see the color of the juices that bubble up through the hole. If the juice is dark red or reddish the chicken needs to cook longer. If the chicken juice is clear then it's done.
Barbeque Cooking Times for Steaks
Barbequing steaks is quite tricky since the cooking times can vary depending on preferred rareness, thickness and type of barbeque flame. Typically a rare steak an inch and a half thick would take no more than 15 minutes on a very low flame barbeque grill. Some grillers like to sear the meat with a higher flame and then turn down the flame after the first turn. (Average of 7 minutes each side). For medium rare steaks of the same thickness, barbeque for at least 20 -25 minutes (10 minutes each side) and well done steaks take about 35 minutes to barbeque properly which is approximately fifteen minutes on each side. Thicker or thinner steaks usually require give or take 5 to 10 minutes more or less. It's always best to pull the meat off the grill and take a look sooner rather than later. It's a find line between well cooked and overcooked meat. If you have rare and medium rare meat eaters, you will want to err on the undercooked side. You can always put it back on the grill for a minute. But you can never go back and uncook an overcooked piece of meat.Barbeque Cooking Times for Turkey Breast
Turkey beasts are much harder to barbeque since the breast meat is denser than chicken, therefore it's best to barbeque turkey breast meat if cut to a uniform thickness of about 2 inches no less than 45 minutes to an hour on a low charbroil flame. If you are cooking a full whole breast, you really need to check the inner temperature with a thermometer which will give you a read on the exact level of doneness.To ensure the turkey breasts are tender and thoroughly cooked, charbroil for about 20 minutes total. Then put the turkey breast in an aluminum pan, add barbeque sauce and a little water covered with aluminum foil. You can finish your turkey on a medium charbroil flame for about 25 to 30 more minutes checking frequently to make sure the liquid does not cook away.
Barbeque Cooking Times for Hamburger and Hot Dogs
Hamburgers and hot dogs are the easiest by far to barbeque. On a medium low charbroil flame, hamburgers at a half inch thickness will take approximately 10 minutes to barbeque with 5 minutes per side. Hamburgers at an inch thick or more can be properly cooked at 15 to 20 minutes 7 to 10 minutes on each side. Remember low heat is best. If your hamburgers are high fat content, 15% or more, watch them carefully for fire.Hot dogs take less than 10 minutes to barbeque thoroughly and should be considered done when the hot dogs look like they are going to split down the middle or burst open on either end.
Barbeque Cooking Times for Pork
Barbequing pork and ensuring it's thoroughly cooked is a tricky skill. Making sure the pork meat is completely cooked is based on the flame (medium high), and the thickness of the pork meat.Pork ribs after properly washing and marinating over night will take approximately 25 minutes of barbequing time to ensure the meat is done. Many chefs prefer to grill both sides quickly to mark the meat and then turn the grill to a very low setting, almost smoking the meat for 45 minutes to a hour and a half or more. Next after charbroiling on a medium high flame, place in an aluminum pan and baste generously with barbeque sauce of your choice. Then cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven or over the medium high barbeque grill flame for another 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
Barbeque cooking Times for Vegetable Kabobs
Vegetable kabob require the shortest time to cook when placed over a low charbroil flame. After placing the vegetable kabob's on the skewer, place them on the grill turning every 5 minutes. Most veggies are best if hot and crisp on inside. You can check if the kabob is done by lightly sticking the vegetables with a fork for tenderness.The most important thing to remember is to make sure the barbeque meal is thoroughly cooked to prevent guest and family from illness. Make sure to watch those barbeque cooking times and methods to properly judge when the barbeque is ready.
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