Posts Tagged ‘meat cooking temperature’
How to Cook Your Meats to the Perfect Temperature Every Time
Whether you are cooking for a large group or just a few people, one of the fastest ways to ruin a BBQ is to overcook and dry out your meats. Cooking meat to the desired temperature is simple, but not necessarily easy. However, there are some foolproof steps that you can take to produce consistent results every time when grilling your favorite dishes.
If you are working with pork or poultry products, one of the most overlooked steps to prevent overcooking is to allow your meat to sit at room temperature for approximately 45 minutes. Bringing your meat to room temperature will promote even cooking, and help prevent burning and drying out the outside before the center has fully come to temperature. If you are familiar with your grill and the cut of meat you are grilling you can establish some sort of timing system that should be fairly consistent. However, many cooks of varying experience levels will opt to use a food thermometer to gauge the internal temperature. Poultry is safe to eat after the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, and pork is considered safe to eat once the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. If I am using a food thermometer I typically try to remove my meats from the grill when they are a degree or two short of my desired temperature as carry over cooking occurs even after the meat has been removed from the heat.
