Meat Cooking Techniques Basics

In this article, we give you a basic introduction to meat cooking techniques. Happy reading!

The technique of Cooking Meat on the Grill is called the "concentration" cooking technique in culinary language. Its purpose is to leave the juice and taste of the food in it. The aim is to cook the food at high temperature for a while, to ensure the coagulation of the surface, and to prevent the spreadable water and flavors in the body from coming out.

Barbecue or barbecue is a type of grill. It can be applied to all thin or thick meats. By placing the meat on the fire (an estimated temperature of 300 degrees is appropriate.) the outer part of the meat is sealed, both sides should be sealed for 1 minute. According to the degree of cooking, each side is cooked for 5 minutes and served. (For thick meats.)

While cooking meat on the fire, it should not be turned frequently, it is sufficient to turn it once. Overcooking causes the meat to lose its water and dry out.

Meats (Meatballs) made from pieces of meat are cooked by turning more often than thick meat so that the outside does not burn.

Thinly sliced meat on fire for a total of 5 minutes. It is enough to cook it. (It should be adjusted according to the Cooking Degree.)

Do not use ground meat on the grill and do not salt the meat before grilling, salting will prevent the meat from browning.

Dry the meat before grilling, you should not taste water after cooking.

Rare 52 Degrees

Low Medium Cooked(Medium Rare) 55 Degrees

Medium Cooked (Medium) 60 Degrees

Medium Well Cooked (Medium Well) 65 Degrees

Well Done 71 Degrees







There is a point to be considered before cooking meat ;

The meat becomes tough immediately after slaughter. This stiffness lasts for several hours. The biophysical and biochemical changes that take place after the slaughter of the animal fall under the term maturation. This hardness continues for around 20 hours in cattle and 12 hours in sheep, and then gradually softening begins. However, this period is valid under favorable conditions. This period may be shorter in summer and longer in winter. When stored in cold storage at +1 to +3°C for a week, it matures better, increasing the flavor and tenderness of the meat (for cattle). The maturation period of sheep and lambs is 3 days. If left to stand longer, the meat will become more tender, but its taste and color may change. However, if stored under ideal storage conditions, beef carcass or leg can be stored for 15 days. Sheep-lamb storage period should not exceed 3-4 days, even under ideal storage conditions.

Now we can move on to the methods;

DIRECT AND INDIRECT COOKING

DIRECT COOKING

Direct cooking is cooking food by placing it directly on the heat source in the barbecue. This method is suitable for small pieces that are thin and can cook quickly. Foods such as tenderloin, burger meat, skewers, chicken pieces and vegetables are perfectly suitable for this cooking. Turning these foods on the barbecue once will be enough for them to cook.

When you do not close the barbecue lid

It is suitable for cooking small-thin pieces of meat in a short time. Extra care must be taken to avoid burning the sauces on the food.

INDIRECT COOKING

Indirect cooking is a way of cooking by keeping the food further away from the heat source and by closing the lid of the barbecue. This method is very similar to baking in the oven, it allows the heat to penetrate all the surfaces inside the barbecue, so that the food will be cooked evenly from all sides, so there is no need to turn it like in a barbecue. This low-fire and slow-cooking method is suitable for large pieces of food that can take longer to cook and won't burn that way.

When you close the lid of the barbecue

• It allows to cook large pieces in a longer time with even heat distribution.
• For slow cooking, it is necessary not to overheat the heat source. For this, it is necessary to keep the oxygen support in a controlled manner.
• If you want to process food, the smoke must penetrate the food well. This requires even longer cooking.

To minimize flaming,

In indirect firing, it is necessary to put water into the heat-resistant container and place the container in the firing area. Also, avoid using too much oil or sauce.

Leaving a small area without fire in the area where the fire burns is an advantage in case of a sudden high fire, so that the food does not burn suddenly and can continue to be cooked.

SMOKE

While barbecue provides speed for cooking, smoking is perfect for adding flavor. The smoked process takes place at the temperatures we call low heat, between 180 and 220 degrees, and usually 3 times the cooking time with barbecue. Low-grade cooking gives the meat the aroma of burning wood, by slowly cooking it instead of burning it.

You need to do this process either on the barbecue, which may be suitable for smoking, or with traditional smoking methods. In both applications, indirect cooking is taken as a basis and a container of water is placed inside the barbecue to moisten the cooking area. To rekindle the fire, wood pieces with water-absorbing properties or flavorings can be used to be placed between the heat source. By closing the lid, the heat and smoke envelop and penetrate the food, allowing the smoked flavor to pass through the food. However, it is important to keep in mind that not all foods are suitable for smoking. Veal, lamb, oily fish, all chicken and game animals are suitable options for smoked cooking.

WHEN SMOKING

If you do not have a traditional style cooker suitable for smoking, you can also make the charcoal or gas barbecue suitable for the smoked process by using a lid.

Charcoal barbecue

1. Soak the wood pieces and other ignition parts in water for at least one hour (if you are going to use an aromatic liquid, you should keep the wood pieces in that liquid for half an hour). Important point; Before putting these pieces of wood into the fire, you need to drain the water well.
2. Use long tongs and place a 2-3cm full metal container with hot water between the coals or hot ashes.
3. Add the wooden pieces that you have soaked & soaked in aromatic essence to the embers.
4. Place the food on the barbecue and close the lid.
5. Check the food, water bowl, and wood chips every hour.
6. Do not add extra wood chips to the heat source in the last hour of smoked. Too much wood chips create a bitter taste in food.

Stay tuned for our more detailed posts for the smoked process.

ALUMINUM PACKAGING

Wrapping in aluminum foil is a manual process suitable for barbecue. While this is suitable for storing food and keeping it warm, it is also a very convenient method for barbecue cooking. Aluminum-packaged foods are placed on top of the grill channels and are an excellent way to warm grain bread, steam vegetables and cook meats. Of course, this method does not give the taste of the food when you put it directly into the barbecue channels, but it keeps the food moist, increases the softness and facilitates cleaning after the barbecue. If you are going to wrap and cook more than one food in the same package; You need to be careful that these are foods that are cooked at the same time interval.