Similar to the art of making pizza, grilling is also an artistic endeavor for cooks! Grilling seems like a simple process—slap the meat on the grill and watch it turn brown. Grilling is always associated with backyard cookouts and social gatherings. Many people also enjoy the delicious smell of juicy meat cooking over an open grill, making mouths water just at the mere aroma! But there are a lot of intricate processes that are involved with grilling. Grilling is an art—but there’s a science component behind it that makes food so tender, juicy, and delicious!
How Does Grilling Work?
Like boiling, frying, or baking, grilling is another method of cooking food. By definition, cooking involves changing a food's chemistry via transferring heat to food. Cooking increases the movement of the molecules within the food, “vibrating” rapidly, causing the temperatures to rise. The result? Cooking transforms food with specific flavors and textures.
- Did You Know? There are three kinds of heat to cook food: conduction (metal grill grates transfer heat unto the meat), convection (gas grills cook food in this method), and radiation (charcoal grills receive radiation from a fire, which is transferred to the meat).
According to Hank Campbell from Science 2.0, there are vital components to grilling: the cooking times and whether the heat is indirect or direct. Indirect heat is reserved for larger pieces of meat (like ribs or roasts) because they require a longer cooking time. Furthermore, when indirect heat is used, it's recommended to move the coals to one side of the grill. Meanwhile, the burner should be off or covered on the other side of the grill. Meanwhile, direct heat is meant for smaller cuts of meat (like hamburgers or hot dogs) because they cook faster. Finally, direct heat involves cooking meat directly on the heat source with the lid off.
A Little Science Behind The Grill
Regardless of whether meat is cooked using indirect or direct heat, most meat is composed of water (75%), protein (20%), fat (5%). The protein molecules within meat are arranged in a coil shape. When these molecules are heated (or when meat is cooked), the bonds that bind the molecules together unravel. While cooking, the fibers in the meat muscles will shrink, and the water will evaporate within them.
When properly cooked, grilled meat is often brown and caramel. This is due to the Maillard Reaction—named after the French scientist Louis Camille Maillard. He discovered the link between cooking and transforming food’s flavors and textures. When sugars are heated with amino acids, they turn the meat brown. This is most known as “browning” to grill masters and cooks.
Is There A Difference Between Grilling And BBQ?
Grilling and barbecue (BBQ) seem synonymous to many people, who often associate the two with outdoor gatherings and summertime activities. However, grilling and BBQ are entirely distinct ways of preparing meat! According to Mark Jenner from FoodFireFriends, cooking times between the two. For BBQ, the cooking times are often slow with significant cuts of meat, which can go to several hours over low temperatures of around 225 °F (or 107 °C). Meanwhile, grilling involves cooking small (or minced) cuts of meat over a high temperature for a short period, in a matter of minutes. Despite their differences, everyone can agree that grilling and BBQ make for some delicious grub. Many grilled and BBQ'd meat go great with a diverse array of homemade sauces and spices!
Tips For Grilling Great Meat
Whether cooks grill meat using charcoal, wood, or other means, there are some delicious tips to keep in mind!
Firstly, to properly grill meat, the grill must be hot. There’s no need to sprinkle water on the grill as a heat test—one’s hand should be sufficient. Essentially, a cook can’t hold their hand over a sufficiently hot grill for more than 2 seconds. The ideal temperature should be 450 to 500 °F (232 to 260 °C). Furthermore, according to Science 2.0, popular meats for grilling have a broad range of cooking times, which include:
- Hamburgers, which usually take 5 minutes on each side to cook
- Meat kabobs will take between 10 to 12 minutes until fully cooked.
- Steaks can be cooked for several minutes, depending on the rarity. For medium-rare steaks, it should take between 8 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, medium steak takes 12 to 18 minutes (be sure to flip them only once)!
- Hot dogs or sausages take about 8 minutes to cook.
- Chicken breasts will take around 8 to 12 minutes.
Keep in mind that these times vary, depending on the size of the meat. According to Elizabeth Karmel of CookingLight, it’s always best to follow a specific rule of thumb, whereby cooks should use direct heat for meat that will take less than 25 minutes to cook. Meanwhile, any more time than that requires an indirect heat source.
Grilling is an art form integrated with the wacky wonders of science. Over the years, grill masters and chefs alike have perfected this artistic science to prepare delicious grilled meat (and other grilled delights) for the passionate foodie.
