Category: Grill Beef

How to Grill Hamburgers

Hamburgers are perhaps the most common food we cook on the grill. Grilling a burger is more than just tossing a frozen patty on the grate over an open flame, however. Sure, this method works, and produces an acceptable result, but learning how to grill hamburgers that are truly great takes a bit more effort.

Preparing to Grill a Great Hamburger

Mastering the art of how to grill hamburgers starts with selecting great beef. This does not mean that you need to run out to the finest butcher shop and purchase the most expensive ground sirloin or round, but it does mean that you need to understand what makes one type of ground beef different from another. Lean ground beef does not have enough fat content to produce a juicy burger, but if your beef is too fatty it will take on an unpleasant greasiness that seeps into everything and makes a soggy bun.

It is generally recommended that you use ground beef that has about an 80% to 20% lean to fat ratio. If you are purchasing your beef pre-ground, ground chuck works fine for hamburgers. To upgrade the flavor of your burger, purchase some fattier ground chuck and blend it with a more flavorful ground sirloin. Perhaps the most ideal way to achieve great beef for your burger would be to grind it yourself. For do-it-yourself grinding, use a 3 – 2 – 1 ratio of chuck, sirloin, and short rib meat. This will produce both an ideal beefy flavor and the right amount fat, creating the perfect texture.

How to Grill Hamburgers with the Perfect Seasoning

When it comes to burger seasonings, the best rule of thumb is to keep it simple. Many outdoor chefs like to load their beef patties with onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and even ranch powder. At some point, however, with all of the seasonings, one tends to venture from the world of hamburgers to the world of “grilled, flattened meatballs.” They may be good in their own right, but they have lost their hamburger essence. Quite frankly, a wealth of seasonings is often likely to mask a poorly grilled burger.

Remember that beef has a wonderful flavor of its own, and does not need much seasoning to bring that out. Especially if you have invested extra money in a good beef blend, you don’t want that flavor to be lost in the fray of competing seasonings. The best way to season a hamburger is with salt and pepper on both sides. You can also add a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce while it is grilling to enhance the beefy flavor. This way, you will be able to enjoy the beef flavor like never before.

The Right Grill Technique for a Perfect Burger

For a great burger, get the grill to a temperature on the upper end of medium-high. Start with the temperature around 450 – 475. Just before putting the patties on the grill, season them on both sides with salt and pepper. It is important not to let the salted patties sit for very long before putting them on the grill.

Let the burger sit on the grate until it releases easily for flipping. When it releases from the grate with minimal effort, you know you have achieved the right sear on that side. Flip the burger over and let that side obtain the desired sear marks. If your grill is hot enough, you will have a nicely seared, borderline crispy, exterior with a moist, medium doneness on the interior.

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How to Grill Brisket

The brisket is a very large, flavorful, and versatile cut of beef. Its large size combined with a unique blend of fat, collagen, and long muscle fibers make brisket an ideal cut for many dishes.

How to Grill Brisket: Texas Style

The most common method of grilling brisket involves a subtle seasoning profile, if any seasonings are used at all. This method produces what most think of as “Texas style” BBQ brisket. This type of brisket is cooked to the point where the fat and collagen break down completely, leaving nothing but tender meat fiber that pulls apart easily. These meat fibers are either pulled apart by hand or chopped, producing either pulled or chopped brisket barbecue.

How to Grill Brisket: General Considerations

Texas style brisket is a relatively simple affair. The basic recipe and procedure follow. Keep in mind that the recipe here ought to serve only as a guideline. Everyone has different tastes and preferences. A large piece of meat like brisket is very forgiving and will likely turn out very tasty no matter how you may botch up the recipe. So rest easy knowing that though you may venture far and wide with your seasoning blend, you are almost guaranteed a delicious result. The only way you could mess up a smoked brisket is by not cooking it at all. With that in mind, experiment away.

How to Grill Brisket: Procedure

1) Assemble a basic BBQ meat rub for your brisket. About half of this rub ought to be kosher salt, with another quarter of the rub being brown sugar. From there, typically you would use around 10% to 15% chili powder, or other generally spicy seasoning. The rest can be a mix of aromatic seasonings, the most dominant being onion and garlic powder.

2) Apply your rub generously to the entire exterior of your brisket. Massage the rub into the meat with a firm hand; you want to get as much flavor into the meat as possible.

3) Tightly wrap the brisket in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for up to 3 days. In general, the longer your brisket has to absorb the seasoning flavors, the better. This is known as a dry brine.

4) 8 to 12 hours before you plan to eat your brisket, light a fire in the smoker and stabilize the temperature around 200-225 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay in a few chunks of hickory or mesquite wood for smoke flavor and wait until they begin producing strong smoke before you lay on the brisket.

5) Smoke the brisket at 200 – 225 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 – 12 hours, until the internal temperature reaches at least 195 degrees.

6) Remove the brisket from the grill and pull it apart for sandwiches or other serving styles. Brush on sauce as desired and enjoy!

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Bar-B-Q Recipes Grill Beef

Beef on the Grill

Beef is perhaps the most rewarding meat to grill and eat. It is most often associated with the “all American” cookout. Because there are many cuts of beef, there are many preparation styles. The key to grilling beef is to know your meat and understand what makes it different from other cuts.

Basics for Beef on the Grill

Grilling techniques for beef vary wildly from one cut to another. Brisket is typically cooked “low and slow” for Texas style beef barbecue. Flank steak, and hanger steak are tougher cuts, but their size allows them to be seared on the outside and left rare on the inside. Slicing these cuts thinly against the grain breaks up the muscle fiber and leaves a tender bite. Steak cuts come from moderately tender muscle regions and are perfect for searing to whatever doneness you prefer. These are only three of the many cut types that could be considered.

Different Cuts, Different Techniques

When determining how to cook your beef on the grill, consider what type of muscle you are dealing with. Muscles that see much use will be tougher, since their fibers are long and well defined. Less used muscles are much more tender, and the fiber structure is almost indiscernible. Of course, ground beef bypasses the muscle fibers by grinding them up for you, making even the toughest muscles useable.
For tougher cuts, it is typically best to cook them at low temperatures for an extended amount of time. This allows the collagen in the muscle fibers to break down and become tender. The exception to this is the flank steak and its variations. Because of the flank steak’s thin profile, slicing it against the grain breaks up the muscle fibers and makes it tender.
For tender cuts, a medium to medium-low grill is best for temperature regulation and avoiding overcooking. A grill thermometer is crucial for getting a good result because it allows you to monitor the meat’s internal temperature and remove the meat from the grill at just the right time.
For steak cuts and ground beef, a medium to medium-high grill is best for achieving a good sear on the outside without overcooking the inside.

A Word About Seasoning Beef on the Grill

It may come as a surprise to some home chefs, but beef packs a lot of great flavor on its own. A robust seasoning blend, while imparting a unique and powerful flavor profile to the meat, often actually detracts from the meat flavor. Steak sauces and seasonings work wonders to cover many grilling failures, but a truly stunning steak is one that features the flavor of the beef as most prominent.
The mark of a great outdoor chef is his ability to draw out the complex savory flavors of the beef without muting them with extra flavors. You will taste sweet success when your guests realize that they don’t have to flood their steak with a sauce that steals the entire dish. To achieve the best simple steak, rub your steaks down with a liberal application of kosher salt and freshly ground coarse black pepper. Wrap the steaks individually in plastic wrap for at least 45 minutes to let the salt work it’s hydrophilic magic. After the wait, unwrap the steaks and either grill them immediately, or leave them on a wire rack in the refrigerator overnight, uncovered. The overnight method intensifies the “beefy” flavor of the steak.

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Tags beef on the grill, best simple steak, complex savory flavors, cuts of beef, flank steak, great outdoor chef, muscle fiber, muscle fibers, powerful flavor profile, style beef barbecue

Grill Beef

South American Grilled Meat Dish

Post author By ndoucette11
Post date July 21, 2011
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Looking for authentic South American style grilled meat dishes? Check out the following recipe that will give a Latin flare to your next rack of ribs.

It sounds too good to be true, but this recipe is super quick and easy to make. With only a handful of ingredients and minimal prep and cook time, what’s to lose?

South American Grilled Meat Dish Information

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Makes: 6

Servings: 6

South American Grilled Meat Dish Ingredients

1 Cup of coarse salt, sea salt, or iodized salt (more or less salt may be used)

6 Pounds of beef short ribs

6 Quartered limes

1 Bottle of BBQ sauce (if desired)

South American Grilled Meat Dish Directions

1. Ignite your grill and bring it to medium or medium-high heat. If you are using a charcoal grill be sure to give the coals plenty of time to die down before proceeding with the cooking process.

2. Clean and lightly oil the cooking grate.

3. Apply a generous amount of salt to the ribs (this will help to bring out the fat in the meat).

4. Place ribs on the grill. Regardless of the type of grill you are using, you need to be sure and cook with indirect heat. Keep the ribs away from the center of a charcoal grill or away from the burners of a gas grill.

5. Allow the ribs to cook for about 5 to 7 minutes before rotating for another 5 to 7 minutes (you may choose to cook them for longer if you prefer them more well done).

6. Remove the ribs and squeeze the lime juice over them until completely covered.

7. Serve immediately

Most people balk at the amount of salt that this recipe calls for. However, users testify that the amount of salt prescribed is not excessive. At any rate, you do not need to use the entire cup if you deem it unnecessary.

It is worth noting is that this dish will be greatly enhanced by a freshly tossed salad and/or freshly picked garden vegetables. Grilled potatoes or corn on the cob would also be another side worth considering.

For those with taste buds honed on more American style cuisine, feel free to lather barbeque sauce on the ribs shortly before pulling them off the grill. Diners from a Latin American background, however, might need to include a few additional spices to liven up the experience.

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Tags beef short ribs, charcoal grill, cook time, grilled meat, grilled meat dish, meat dish, meat dish directions, south america, south american, South American grilled meat dish