meat

How to Grill the Perfect Burger

Filed under: Dining

Nothing says summer like a perfectly grilled burger. Wow your friends and family alike with these tips for cooking up the perfect patty.

Don't go lean No one ever said perfect flavor was perfectly healthy. For the juiciest, most decadent cooked patty choose ground chuck with 15-20% fat. If you like your burgers very well done consider going even higher (more fat will let you cook longer without the meat going dry).

Size matters Use cold meat and clean, wet, cold hands to form patties that are 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Any thicker and you risk the outside getting overdone while you wait for the heat to reach the inside. Make the patties about 1/2" wider than the buns to allow for shrinkage, and avoid a 'poofed' finished patty by using your thumb to press an indentation in the center of each one before cooking.

Save seasonings for last Salt draws out moisture so season generously but season last minute, right before you throw the patty on the grill.

Don't overwork the meat Don't overwork the raw meat as you make patties and resist pressing on the burgers as they cook -- it only squeezes out the juices and dries out the burger (not to mention causes flame-ups). Try to flip each patty only once -- if they stick to the grill wait a minute and try again.

Don't rely on color for doneness Temperature is the only reliable way of telling if a burger is done or not -- it should be 160°F in the center.

Let the patties rest Let the cooked patties rest for 1-2 minutes before cutting or eating to let the juices stabilize. Biting in too soon can lead to a drippy burger with dry flavor.

For more great grilling options check out our Guide to Meat Cuts.

Tags: burgers, entertainment-pedia, food-pedia, grill, grilling, hamburger, hamburgers, main-pedia, meat, outdoor-entertainment-pedia

A Guide to Meat Cuts

by Andrea Hangst (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

When it comes to grilling a steak, many home cooks often think that they can quickly run to the grocery store, pick any cut or steak they see, and just slap it on a hot grill and - voila! - a good dinner. However, many of us who have tried this have inevitably run afoul of the Great Beef Gods, with cinder-dry steaks or tough hunks of gray meat. Here is a very simple list of great cuts of beef for grilling, and the best ways to prepare them.

Steaks for One or Two

Filet Mignon: Butter soft, boneless and best served rare to medium-rare, this tenderloin steak is considered a delicacy. From the short loin, these exceptionally tender steaks are ideal for the high-heat sear of the grill because they are best served between rare and medium in doneness for best flavor. While filet mignon is famous for its tenderness, it lacks the deep meaty flavor and richness of the rib eye and strip steak. Consider topping the steak with a dab of butter after grilling.

New York Strip: Another meaty, big-flavored grilling classic, the New York Strip is cut from the tender short loin of the cow. Less marbled than a rib eye, but with a thick band of fat around the edge, the strip steak sears beautifully using direct heat over hot coals.

Porterhouse: The Porterhouse, like its little brother, the T-Bone, is a highly prized, and highly priced, cut. One half of this steak is the New York Strip, while the small meaty bit on the other side is a filet, cut from the tenderloin. These steaks come from the extra-tender "short loin" of the cow, which is located on the steer's middle-back. The meat is highly marbled and usually quite tender. They are excellent for grilling or quickly seared over hot coals and finished slowly over indirect heat. Marinating and seasoning can vary, but just sprinkling salt and pepper on it prior to putting it on the grill can also suffice.

Rib Eye: Arguably the champion of the grill, the rib eye steak is tender, flavorful and marbled with fat. The rib eye - named as such because it is the center cut of the rib section of the cow - are extremely flavorful but benefit from a good marinade. These can come bone-in or bone-out, or with a giant bone sticking out also called a "Tomahawk." Choose the bone-in rib eye to ensure a juicy, complex flavor. Most steak lovers prefer their meat served rare to medium-rare; this cut can even stand up to extra cooking time and still be richly flavored.

Tags: Beef, Cooking, Food, grill tips, Grilling, grillt ips, GrillTips, luxist-awards, main-pedia, meat, meat cuts, MeatCuts, outdoor-entertainment-pedia, Steak

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Gift for Meat Lovers: Wagyu Sampler

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

We know that the most expensive steak dinners in the world are made with wagyu beef, but what is a carnivore to do if he (or she) doesn't want to fly around the world just for a bite to eat? The Wagyu sampler from Lobel's of New York, one of the best places in the US to buy meat, would make the ideal gift for anyone with a taste for red meat, as well as for the finer things in life. It includes: 1 (2 lb.) Wagyu Dry-Aged Bone-In Hip Sirloin Steak; 2 (10 oz.) Wagyu Dry-Aged Boneless Strip Steaks; 2 (12 oz.) Wagyu Dry-Aged Boneless Rib Steaks; 1 (20 oz.) Wagyu Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steak; 2 (12 oz.) Wagyu Dry-Aged Boneless Center-Cut Sirloin Steaks; 1 (1.5-2 lbs. avg.) Wagyu London Broil; and 2 (1-1.25 lbs. avg.) Wagyu Skirt Steaks. You could most a killer barbecue with the sampler, but once you've head a taste of the wagyu, you might be inclined to keep it all for yourself. Price: $600.

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Tags: beef, meat, red meat, wagyu

Luxury Turkeys for Thanksgiving

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The New York Times taste tested several different kinds of turkeys, from the standard supermarket Butterball to more exotic heritage bred birds to find out which ones were worthy of your table. The concluded that good cooking can make almost any turkey acceptable, but the clear winners of the test were the Bourbon Red and an American Bronze heritage birds, the organic bird and the domesticated wild turkey. If you want to serve a clear winner on Thanksgiving here is where to get them:

Heritage Farms - They have organic heritage turkeys and you can get a 20-lb bird for about $200. They're almost sold out, though, so you might want to order now.
Dartagnan - You'll find organic turkeys here and can get a 18-20-lb one for $130. They also carry smaller heritage birds (10-12-lb) for about $116.
Griggstown - They carry free-range tradition turkeys at $113 for 18-20-lb birds, as well as Red Bourbon heritage turkeys (12-15-lbs for $150)

Tags: heritage, heritage turkeys, holiday, meat, poultry, thanksgiving, turkey, turkeys

Serrano Ham

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Lovers of Spanish foods and of pork are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first jamon iberico to the US. Unfortunately, the specialty meat won't be available until at least winter 2007 and if you wait until winter 2008, you'll be able to get an even larger ham. In both cases, you'll need to lay out a deposit of several hundred dollars to reserve your piece of the pig. In the meantime, you can opt for some excellent Serrano Ham, which is similar to an intense prosciutto and is served in much the same way, sliced very thinly and used to accent other foods. This Whole Bone-In Serrano Ham from Williams-Sonoma even comes with an interesting wooden stand for presentation and serving. Think of what an interesting display it would make at upcoming holiday parties! Price: $279.

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Tags: ham, jamon, jamon iberico, meat, meats, serrano ham, spanish, williams sonoma, WilliamsSonoma

Home For Sale: Vegetarians Only

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Mumbai is one of the most desirable cities to live in in India, with a forward-thinking population and a booming economy. As in most places, desirability also makes it expensive and family-sized apartments can sell for more than £250,000, even in the suburbs. It turns out that price is not the only barrier to finding housing. Housing associations are being set up all over the city that exclude non-vegetarians from buying flats - even if they make a higher offer than a vegetarian bidding on the same property.

Since apartments are allowed to enforce Catholic-only or Hindu-only building, judges have not sided with the omnivores when they have taken housing associations to court on discrimination charges. A supporter of the associations said he felt "vegetarians should be given the right to admit who they want."

And to think: some people in the US complain about how their housing association picks out the exact color of pots they can use in the front yard and determines the appropriate style of front door knocker. At least they're not (yet) making lifestyle choices for the families who live there. It does beg the question about what the strictest housing associations would have their residents do for the privilege of living there. Stepford wives, anyone?

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Tags: discrimination, housing, housing associations, india, lifestyle, meat, mumbai, real estate, vegetarians