North Carolina Chef Says How To Grill Your Best Burger
It sounds so simple, but all you need to do is go to one cookout where your burger is either as cold and raw as the Harris Teeter cooler or and charred and hard as a hockey puck, and you realize: grilling ain’t easy.
Next week is July 4th. I’m not sure of the percentages, but I’m almost positive that at worst this is one of the top 3 days for grilling out annually in this country. If you’re the man or woman behind the flaming grill grate, and perhaps feeling the pressure, help is here. Guilford Technical Community College Culinary Chef, Al Romano is sharing the best way to cook your burger(s). Here’s what he told WFMY-TV.
The BIGGEST Mistake Grillers Make
You may think you’re doing the right thing turning your meat all the time, but you’re not. In fact, you’re committing cardinal sin number one. Here’s what you SHOULD do. Put the meat on a hot grill (this is important, let the grill get hot). Cook the burger for a few minutes. Then move to get some nice grill marks. Cook a few more minutes, and then fip to the desired temp. FLIP ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. Also, use 80/20 meat for best results and for goodness sake, DO NOT press down on the burger. Keep those juices in kids.
It’s All About The Temperature
Kids, this is a biggie. Color means nothing. Temperature means everything. Three words: use a thermometer. This is THE most effective tool that will make the difference between your guests enjoying their afternoon by the pool/lake/beach, or in an emergency room with food poisoning. Important safety tip from my own experience. Unless you saw your meat ground in front of you, don’t get cute cooking your burgers to medium rare or medium. Cook the burger all the way through. Oh, and that temperature is in excess of 150 degrees.
America's Favorite Foods On The Grill
Burgers (45%)
(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Chicken (43%)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Hot Dogs (43%)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Steak (40%)
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Ribs (32%)
(Photo by Dylan Rives/Getty Images for SOBEWFF®)
Fish (29%)
(Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
Vegetables (28%)
(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Shellfish (24%)
(Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)
Fruit (24%)
(Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi)
Meat substitutes (Plant-based burgers, tofu, etc.) (22%)
(Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
