Satisfaction = Fire, Flavor, Finish “My second category for grilling is what I call
satisfaction. Under satisfaction we have the 3 ‘Fs’ of grilling,” he says. First is for fire. “Make sure you have the right
grilling temperature for your steaks and burgers. We determine that by the 4 x 4 rule. Hold your hand 4 inches above the cooking grate for 4 seconds. That’s about 400°. That’s a great way to know your fi re is hot enough — not too hot, but hot enough to give you the right amount of cooking time.” Woodward says this rule applies to gas, charcoal
or wood grills. The material doesn’t matter, but the temperature does. “The second F is fl avor. The basic salt and pepper
are great, but I like to add a few things in there, such as garlic or thyme, or whatever seasoning you like. Try some of the off-the-shelf rubs available at the grocery store. There are some good basic ones out there. You can probably do a little better than salt and pepper to take that fl avor up a little bit.” Woodward says dry rubs work on steaks and burgers. Marinades are another way to enhance the fl avor
of the beef. “Allow steaks to marinate 20 minutes to 2 hours for fl avor. If you want to marinate for tenderness – such as with kabobs or sirloin, or a cut that maybe needs just a little help — marinate it for 6 hours to overnight. That’s going to help impart some tenderness by allowing the acids to work on the muscle fi bers. “We really don’t think about marinating burgers, but it’s a good way to add fl avor to them. Use a liquid
78 The Cattleman May 2016
seasoning of some sort and mix it in while you are making your patties. This could be as simple as a Dr. Pepper or an adult beverage,” he says. He recommends adding a cup of liquid seasoning to a pound of ground beef for fl avoring. “My last F is fi nish, or cooking to the right doneness.
For steaks we want medium-rare to medium doneness. Over a 400-degree fi re, grilling a 1-inch thick steak, that is about 6 minutes per side. If you use a meat ther- mometer, medium rare is 145° internal temperature. Be sure to pull your steaks off when they reach about 135 or 140 on a thermometer,” he says. “When you let the steak rest for 5 or 10 minutes, carryover cooking happens, and the internal temperature will increase another 5 to 10 degrees. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, there’s a
handy solution, Woodward says. Touch the thumb and index fi nger of one hand together. With your other in- dex fi nger, poke the pad of your thumb on the inside of your hand. “That’s about what medium rare feels like,” Woodward explains. For medium, touch your thumb to your second fi nger. For well-done, touch your thumb to your ring fi nger. If your steak feels like the pad of your thumb when
you touch your thumb to your little fi nger, Woodward says, “You are overcooked at this point.”
Once and done, no peeking Turn your steak or burger only 1 time during cook-
ing. “When you touch it with your tongs, it should feel like what the pad of your thumb feels like when you
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100