How to Handle Overcooked or Undercooked Meat at a BBQ? Know the Right Temperature!

Whether you are a grilling expert or a newbie standing behind the grill for the very first time, meat can be a pretty intimidating thing to grill. Cook it too little, and you may end up getting a case of food poisoning. Cook it too long, and it may result in a dry and tough mess.

Either way, a bad experience indeed!

To ensure safe and healthy eating you must prepare it at the right grilling temperature. However, always remember that the temperature of grilling varies according to the type of meat. You can cook chicken slow and low whereas beef is supposed to cook at a high grilling temperature.

What Temperature Should a Grill Be?

Just as cooking temperatures in the oven are adjusted accordingly to meet different foods’ cooking points, the same applies to the grilling. Using the suggested and right grilling temperature and right cooking method help retain moistness as well is important for food safety.

Grilling experts suggest preheating your grill for almost 20 to 30 minutes before you start cooking for a better BBQ experience. It will help you reach the right temperature that will not help you cook food in a great manner but it helps kill bacteria as well.

Your grill should be:

• 250-300°F (121-149°C) for low
• 400-450°F (204-232°C) for high
• 300-350°F (149-177°C) for medium
• 350-400°F (177-204°C) for medium-high heat

However, it is a bit difficult to keep a constant eye on the grilling temperature and complex to maintain the mat at the suggested temperature during the process. Grilling fanatics recommends investing in meat thermometers to get the precise and accurate grilling reading each time. A thermometer that can provide instant grilling reading when inserted into the meat is considered useful to get accurate temperature readings on grilling.

An instant reading thermometeris a way towards eating safe, properly-cooked, delicious and flavorful meat.

How to Fix Overcooked Meat on Grilling?

So you have overcooked your meat, now what? Before you fix the overcooked meat, you must know the cause behind it. Meat is composed of three elements including liquid, fat and protein. When you overcook the meat, it means that you are rendering out the liquid and fat, hence all you are left with is toughened muscle fibers.

Once the meat gets overcooked, there is no comeback.

However, you may try some pro tips that can help you to keep things from being too dry and too hot.

• You may try adding some sauces – but not spices, to the food if it is dry and tough. Some sauces can help make the dryness as minimum as possible providing food with some sort of moisture. Keep in mind to have good quality sauces that can also help add some flavors to your food because once it is overcooked, flavors may become more profound and you may feel meatiness and saltiness – that always tastes bad!
• Pull the food off the cooking surface as soon as you find out that the food is already overcooked. Also, ensure keeping the things warm as it will help in keeping the food at a balanced temperature.
• Simmer your food in liquid or a little bit of broth. Don’t overcook it again rather leave it for a few minutes allowing liquid to penetrate the meat.
• Moreover, if you see that your food isn’t fully burnt but a little bit dry, it is suggested to simmer it in a bit of barbecue sauce to restore moisture and flavor.
• Nonetheless, if your meat is burnt, grilling specialists suggest transferring your food from the grill to a liquid-based cooking medium. Additionally, you can add broth, water, a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar into meat to help it restore moisture and flavor.

How to Fix Undercooked Meat on Grilling?

You are a little too cautious about overcooking your steak on the grill, so you just remove it from grilling on the point where you think that is properly cooked – but it is not! It is half raw food – now what to do?

Don’t fret it is easier to fix it still – here is how you can do it.

Don’t ever try to just put the cut back into the grilling. Instead, cutting down cooking time by slicing into smaller pieces will help in cooking food properly this time around.

Place the meat in an oiled roasting pan after removing it from the grilling, drizzle it with some water or barbecue sauces and cover it with aluminum foil. The sauces or water will help in keeping moist of meat as well as get it cooked properly.

You are supposed to cook it at a slow temperature so that the food cannot get dry or tough.

Ideal Grilling Temperature for Different Types of Meat

Grilling is an art and the key to successful grilling lies in its temperature.

Chicken – it is what food lovers love to grill as it is one of the easiest and most delicious BBQs. Cooking and maintaining the right temperature for chicken is easy, all you need to do is to keep it at the right temperature. Grilling experts suggest 165°F (74°C) for grilling chicken.

Beef – considered difficult to get right on the grill. Beef may take a bit longer to get cooked properly on grilling. The recommended grilling temperature for beef is 160°F (71°C) and a little above. Anything below 150°F (66°C) might result in unsafe food ultimately.

Pork – another challenging thing to grill.  If you are going to cook ground pork the grilling temperature must remain 160 degrees. However, in some cases, the temperature that is considered right for grilling pork is 145 to 150°F (63-66°C).

Lamb – it needs careful handling for the best grilling experience. To cook lamb properly, the internal temperature should be above 145°F (63°C). However, for a lamb rack or roast, an internal temperature around 145°F (63°C) would be fine.

Wrapping up

The hazards of undercooked or overcooked meat are real, resulting in severe health conditions. So to ensure safe and healthy eating, consider the aforementioned tips this time when you heat up the grill.

Grill well – eat well.