Matt McInnes, a dentist from South Jordan, grills a few times a month for his family.
He said the grilling advantage for him lies in avoiding a mess in the kitchen. He often looks up recipes for marinades on the Internet, but he said most of what he knows about grilling came from “just spending time over the grill and watching (his) dad.”
For Julia Collin Davison, co-host, executive food editor and on-screen test cook of America’s Test Kitchen, the magic of grilling comes from the unique flavor that comes from cooking over a live fire.
“You can use a grill pan and you might get some grill marks, but you’re just not going to get that same flavor,” she said.
With summer just around the corner, many families will be at the parks and in their backyards for picnics and barbecues.
And while it may not be hard to throw a piece of meat over some coals, there are nuances to outdoor cooking and eating that can contribute to a better tasting, more safe product. Whether it's how to keep food safe to eat in the summer heat or how to know whether meat has been cooked properly, Davison and other experts shared a few tips on how families can get the most out of their summertime eating.
Food safety
Jennie Webb, author of “Food Safety at Home: Protect Your Family,” said that the temperatures at outside events can make food poisoning more common.
“It’s holding things in the temperature ‘danger zone,’ which is in the range of 41 to 135 degrees,” Webb said. “The most dangerous part of the ‘danger zone’ is between 70 and 125 (degrees). So when you’re outside eating at a picnic and it’s 80, 90 degrees outside, your food is right smack in the temperature danger zone. Everything you have will produce bacteria and, every 20 minutes, it doubles.”
Cold foods can last up to six hours as long as they don’t hit 70 degrees, Webb said. Hot foods can last for four hours before they need to be discarded.
And it’s not just bacteria on the food that’s worrisome. According to Webb, viruses, germs and bacteria are most often transmitted by people. To avoid this, proper hand-washing is a must.
While bacteria can flourish in warm temperatures, it can also reside in meat that has not been cooked properly.
Knowing how long to cook meat is what Davison labels the hardest — and most popular — question they get in America’s Test Kitchen.
“My main problem is cooking things too long, definitely,” McInnes said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell when the meat is done. Especially chicken, I end up overcooking it."
Davison says people will often try to use ineffective methods for telling whether the meat is properly cooked.
“I call it the hand jive, when you hear, ‘Oh, if you pinch your thumb and forefinger together, the texture of the bulk of your thumb is what well-done should feel like.’ That’s too hard,” Davison said. “And then there’s the old ‘nick and peek,’ where you cut into the meat to see it."
To know when meat is at a proper temperature, Davison says an instant-read thermometer is the only surefire way.
"There are plenty of inexpensive instant-read thermometers that are really accurate," she said. "The times given in recipes are helpful, but they’re just estimates.”
Becoming 'Master of the Grill'
Davison was a main contributor of the recipes found in the recently released America's Test Kitchen cookbook “Master of the Grill.”
“It has ‘the basics,’ ‘the easy upgrades’ and ‘the serious projects,’” Davison said. “Whether (readers are) new to grilling or whether they’re pretty experienced grillers, they can pick up the book and find home. It suits different skill levels.”
The book contains grilling techniques tested by the folks at America's Test Kitchen as well as recipes for grilled beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and more.
Also included are tips for achieving a well-done burger. The America's Test Kitchen recipes use a “panade,” which Davison said is a combination of milk and bread.
“Having that panade adds a moisture that sticks around, so you can have a well-done burger that’s still tender and juicy,” she said.
Davison’s favorite recipe in the book is the “Tangy Yucatan Style Pork” (pg. 369), and her father has already memorized the recipe for the “Pull-Out-All-the-Stops Backyard Burgers” (pg. 128).
“When you’re trying a recipe that’s new, to have one that’s pretty well-vetted is nice,” she said. “We make all the mistakes so that you don’t have to.″
Charcoal vs. gas grilling
Davison has gone back and forth between charcoal and gas throughout the years because each offers its own set of pros and cons.
She said charcoal grills are less expensive and produce more heat, which can lead to better browning on the meat. While gas grills are more expensive, they are undoubtedly cleaner and more user-friendly. The results are comparable, so the choice comes down to user preference, she said.
“If you really get into it, you just end up buying two,” Davison said with a laugh.
Each of the recipes in “Master of the Grill” includes instructions for both charcoal and gas grills, as well as diagrams for arranging the charcoal or setting the burners to get the right temperature.
Common grilling mistakes
Two grilling practices jump out at Davison as common mistakes. When she sees hot charcoal spread out evenly across a grill, she knows the food can end up burnt, dry or unevenly cooked.
“While that’s a decent way to grill some things, most of the time you’re better off to have hot spots and cool spots on the grill,” Davison said. “That gives you a place to put food if there are flare-ups or if things are browning too quickly and you want to slow down the cooking. When you’re using charcoal, thinking about what’s best for the food is key.”
For gas grills, another common mistake is to cook food with the lid open. Since gas grills don’t get as hot as charcoal grills, the food may not brown sufficiently with the lid open, Davison said, noting that less browning means less flavor.
“Whenever you’re cooking on gas, it’s always best to put the lid down and trap some of that heat,” she said.
Grill safety
“Master of the Grill” suggests setting up the grill at least 10 feet from the home on a flame-safe surface, such as concrete, to keep fire threats at bay. It’s also important to clean the interior a few times each season.
To further quell fires, make sure all meat is dry before putting it on the grill. According to Davison, dripping fat, oil and marinade from the meat will trigger a flare-up.
“(Flare-ups) happen to the best of us, and over the years we’ve changed our minds on them,” Davison said. “We used to say to keep a spray bottle full of water to spray the flames down, but found out after awhile that that creates a lot of soot. You’re much better off sliding whatever you’re cooking away from the flames or even off the grill entirely and waiting for the flames to die down.”
A well-seasoned grill can promote cleanliness and prevent sticking as well. In the Test Kitchen, each grill grate is wiped with vegetable oil after heating up. Simply dip some paper towels in the oil with a pair of long tongs, Davison said.
“You want to oil the grill, and after 10 or 15 times, you’re really seasoning the grill grates,” she said. “The oil polymerizes and it turns it into a non-stick surface. That’s a great way to prevent sticking.”
Email: scobb@deseretnews.com