5 Essential Tips on How to Grill Chicken

You may be a grilled steak master chef but how do you grill chicken? It is very rare that you eat grilled chicken; at barbecues, steaks, pork, fish and seafood are the most common menu. Is it difficult to grill chicken? Just like meat, chicken has to be grilled just the right temperature to prevent food borne diseases and to bring out the natural chicken goodness that most of us love. So if you have never grilled chicken before, here are some pointers to follow:

 

  1. You can marinate chicken just like you marinate different cuts of meat. Marinade it with soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, chili sauce, salt and pepper or any ingredient you wish to include. You may also choose to cook chicken as it is by just sprinkling a bit of salt and pepper.
  2. If you choose to marinate chicken, keep the chicken in the refrigerator for more than 8 hours to allow the marinade to soak the meat. Larger chicken cuts or whole chicken needs to be completely submerged in marinade to work. If you want to reduce marinating time, simply slice chicken in thinner pieces. Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you grill.
  3. If you are using a charcoal grill, place the chicken bone side up and directly over hot coals. Do not cover the chicken and allow the meat to reach the correct temperature. The meat is almost done when the color is no longer pink.
  4. When you are using gas grills, preheat your grill and reduce to medium temperature before you place the chicken on the grill rack. This time, grill your chicken while covered to ensure that it is cooked through and through. Always check for doneness by using a meat thermometer. The temperature should read 180 degrees Fahrenheit in all chicken parts except for the breast where it should be 170 degrees. Always use a reliable meat thermometer when you grill meat.
  5. You can mix a marinade but this time brush it over the chicken. Brush as often as you can every time you turn the meat over, Use a small basting brush.

Grilling chicken breast is easy, you need to cut the piece in half, skinned and deboned. A 4 to 5 ounce chicken breast will be totally cooked after 12 to 15 minutes in 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken thighs should be skinned and boned before it is grilled. A 4 to 5 ounce thigh will cook for 12 to 15 minutes in 180 degrees Fahrenheit. For all other meaty pieces like the breast halves, thighs and drumsticks, these must be cooked for 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are so many interesting and delicious grilled chicken recipes you may try out online. Grilled chicken is perfect with a fresh salad, rice and vegetables or together with pasta. It’s not so hard to grill chicken; all you need to do is get to know your individual chicken parts to get the best cooking time.

Posted by Admin - October 30, 2012 at 3:47 am

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6 Essential Tips on How to Grill Steak

Grilling is an excellent way to cook any type of meat, poultry and fish. It brings out the real flavor and the natural juices of meat plus you don’t add oil or any other artificial ingredient that will alter the taste and flavor of meat. All you get is the natural, meaty goodness that steaks are known for. Here is a step by step way to grill a steak:

  1. Prepare all the ingredients that you need. If you marinate the steaks for several hours, remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before you cook. If you will cook the steak as it is, be ready with salt, black pepper, lemon juice, chili powder and other spices that you desire.
  2. Season the steak according to the spices that you wish to include. You may rub each side with a clove of garlic or garlic powder, rub each side of the steak with ground pepper, rub lemon juice on each side or other spices that you have in mind. Do not marinate prime beef since you will only ruin the meat.
  3. As you season the steaks, preheat the grill. Make sure that the grill is super hot before you place the steaks. If you are particular about the trademark 45 degree sear then heat the grill very well. You may flip the steaks as soon as the first side is done.
  4. Searing the steaks will help lock in the juices and the flavor of the meat. Always remember to use tongs to lift the steaks enough to turn them over, never use a fork since this will pinch the steaks, spilling all the delicious juices.
  5. When you have flipped the grill the second time, allow the meat to grill for another five minutes with the lid of the grill over the steaks. After the grilled steak is done, place them in a warm serving plate or a hot plate. When eating stakes, allow the meat to settle for another five minutes so that the juices will settle and be flavorful when you eat.
  6. When using other spices and beer, you will need to transfer the beer in a bowl and add ingredients like spices to your marinade, marinade this for several hours. When you are ready to grill, rub salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks.

As you grill steaks, make sure that you grill the steaks well done to prevent food borne disease. Take time to sear meat to look in the meat’s natural flavor. It is also perfect to grill other types of foods together with steaks like vegetables, fish and poultry.

Never use the marinade after the steak has been sitting on the sauce for more than 8 hours. Throw these away and prepare another batch for the sauce used for basting and for dipping the steak. Eat delicious grilled steaks together with potatoes, pasta, bread or with vegetables. Grilled steaks are also good with red wine or beer.

 

Posted by Admin - August 14, 2012 at 12:43 pm

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7 Things to Remember When You Learn How to Grill Fish

How do you grill fish? Do you skin it, remove the entrails or just grill it on its own? Do you have to marinate the fish or do you just place it on the hot grill? It could be a challenge to cook fish, let alone grill fish since there are so many kinds of fish you can actually eat. For those who have never grilled fish before, here are some best tips:

  1. Fish may also be marinated; it could be a combination of oil, herb, citruses and spices. So that the flavor is maintained when the fish is grilled, leave the salt and the pepper just before you place the fish on the grill. The best thing about fish is that it takes so little time to marinate. You can place it in the marinade and it will be ready to grill after 20 minutes.
  2. Fish skin is very delicate and it often sticks to the grill making it very difficult to grill, a tip is to brush fish with oil as well as the grates just before you cook the fish. If your marinade has oil then you don’t need to brush it with oil.
  3. Remember that you need to allow every side to sear completely before you move the fish or flip it otherwise it will tear apart. It is best to wait 5 minutes per side to cook before flipping it.
  4. When grilling fillets, cut the fish portions smaller so you will reduce cooking time. Typically, it will take 8 minutes to cook fish per inch of thickness so this means 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cooking fish fillets by grilling is also one of the best ways to allow the natural juices of the fish cook the meat naturally.
  5. Remember to get the grill very, very hot so that it will sear the meat or fish immediately. Searing seals the juices inside to cook the food completely. Do not hurry; allow the grill to heat up at least 30 minutes before you place fish. You will never have to worry about fish sticking on the grill when you allow the grill to heat up before you place it.
  6. There are so many ways to cook fish, you can use metal skewers to turn the fish easily or you can use cooking planks so your food will never come in contact with the grates. A wooden plank will cook the fish to perfection but will never have the traditional charred look that most people are looking for. You may also use a metal grilling basket where you can place the fish in; you can easily flip the fish without worry about skinning it with this perfect grilling companion. Be sure to place oil on the fish as well as oil the basket before you grill.
  7. You may also grill fish in an aluminum foil so you will never have to worry about mess, spills and losing the fish skin. Use small foil packets to cook fish; you may also place vegetables inside the packet to cook as well.

Done right, a well cooked fish can make for a incredibly delicious meal.

Posted by Admin - July 17, 2012 at 6:02 pm

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Some of my Favorite Marinades for Steak

You need to use a great marinade for steaks to ensure that it is flavorful and delicious after it has been grilled. There are so many marinade ingredients that you can use; some expert grillers agree that the more marinade ingredients you have the more flavorful and the more succulent your steaks will become. Here are three marinades that may interest you this weekend:

My Favorite Marinade for Steaks

You will need three to five pieces of moderately sized steaks or any type of meat you want to grill. For the marinade you will need 1/3 cup of soy sauce, ½ cup of olive oil, ½  cup of freshly squeezed lemons, ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoon of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of dried basil, a teaspoon of white pepper, 2 teaspoons of dried garlic or garlic powder.

Place all the ingredients in a blender; blend in high speed for 30 seconds. Place the steaks in a vat, pour the blended ingredients and completely cover the meat. Place the meat in the refrigerator and grill after 8 to 10 hours. You may even marinate the meat overnight to allow the marinade to soak the steaks completely.

T – Bone Steak Marinade

You will need three to four T –bone steaks for this recipe. For the marinade, you will use a cup of vegetable oil, a cup of soy sauce, half cup of lemon juice, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, 1.4 cup yellow mustard, 4 minced cloves of garlic and a dash of ground black pepper.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and with a whisk, mix them together. Place the T-bone steaks in a vat or a bag; pour the marinade over the meat or inside the bag. Refrigerate the meat; you may already cook the meat after 3 hours.

Red Wine Marinade

You may use any cut of meat for this marinade. For the marinade you will need a cup of dry red wine, ½ cup soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons mustard, 1 teaspoon minced garlic or garlic powder, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, a dash of onion powder, a dash of freshly ground black pepper and ½ teaspoon of canola oil.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and with a whisk, mix them until smooth. Place the cut portions of meat in a vat or in a resealable bag and pour the marinade in. Massage the marinade onto the meat especially when you plan to grill large portions of steaks and meats. Leave the meat in the refrigerator for 8 hours; you may also leave the meat to soak overnight. Grille accordingly.

You may adjust the recipe according to the amount of meat that you want to grill and the degree of thickness of the meat that you wish to cook. Grill meat thoroughly to avoid food-borne diseases; you may also want to cook meat efficiently by searing the meat in a very hot grill.

 

Posted by Admin - May 19, 2012 at 4:11 am

Categories: Advice/Tips, Culinary, Food   Tags: , , , , ,