Although grilling is a great method to prepare meat, many people make the error of doing it directly from the refrigerator. Preparing your meat well before grilling may make a huge difference in the flavor and tenderness of your steak, chicken, or burgers.
In this post, we’ll discuss why it’s a bad idea to throw the meat on the grill directly from the fridge, as well as other tips for getting the most out of your grilled meals.
1. Uneven Cooking
If you want evenly cooked meat, you should not grill it straight from the refrigerator. Meat’s outside may cook significantly quicker than its inside when put cold on a hot grill. This might lead to an overcooked outside and a raw or undercooked inside.
Avoid this by letting the meat get to room temperature before placing it on the grill. For more uniform cooking, let the meat warm up for 30 minutes on the counter before cooking.
2. Longer Cooking Time
Meat that is grilled cold from the fridge might take twice as long to cook. The grill will have to work harder to achieve the appropriate doneness if the meat’s internal temperature is lower than the safe minimum.
This causes the cooking time to extend, raising the possibility of burning the outside while undercooking the inside.
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3. Diminished Flavor
Meat that is grilled cold from the fridge might take twice as long to cook. The grill will have to work harder to achieve the appropriate doneness if the meat’s internal temperature is lower than the safe minimum.
This causes the cooking time to extend, raising the possibility of burning the outside while undercooking the inside.
4. Increased Risk of Foodborne Illness
There is a danger of food poisoning when grilling cold meat. Raw meat and poultry may have bacteria including Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Rapid cooking of the meat’s skin may leave you exposed to food poisoning since the inside may not have reached a high enough temperature to eliminate hazardous germs.
To reduce this danger and make sure the whole piece of meat reaches a safe temperature when grilling, let the meat come to room temperature beforehand.
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5. Loss of Juiciness and Tenderness
Grilling meat that has been refrigerated might cause it to dry out and become tough. The meat’s natural fluids will be preserved better if you let it come to room temperature first.
Meat that is juicy and soft is much more pleasant to eat, and this one step may make a big difference in the way your grilled meals turn out.