Grilling and Barbecue are very common techniques of cooking that have been passed down from generations to generations. However, there are many myths that revolve around this awesome cooking technique. Smoking to grilling, there are some tips that every #MeatGeeks should know before cooking in their kitchen or backyard. However, In this advancing age of technology, people are more interested in knowing the “why’s and less in the “how’s.
Here are some myths bursting facts that you need to look for it before you reach your griller next time:
1) Searing Steak Will Lock-In Those Tasty Juices
The myth regarding searing of the meat will result in sealing the juices have been passed down through ages, and it simply resists stopping. Meat constitutes 70 percent of water which is locked by the overlay of thousands of muscles fibers. When heated, the juices will always ooze out of the meat, and no technique in the world can stop this process.
It is true that some meat juices evaporate and some drip off while cooking. Though searing converts the surface into crusty brown color, the meat gets a harder surface which makes it tastier. This is simply because the juice inside the meat has dried out because of application of high heat. Whether you sear or do not sear, the juices are supposed to leave the meat.
2) The Pink Juices From The Steak Is Blood
The red juice that oozes out of the red meat is not blood as all blood is removed during the slaughtering process. This is why there is no blood in the raw meat. However, there is a small amount of blood that remains within the tissue of the muscles of the raw meat. People often think of the pink juices that come out of the cooked meat to be blood.
Raw meats like beef have water as its major constituent. This percentage of water is mixed up with a kind of protein that is called myoglobin which is the exact red in color as that of blood. The pigmentation of myoglobin often confuses people to think of the cooked meat to have blood in it.
3) You Need To Soak Wood Chips Before Using Them
It has been a long-standing tradition that soaking the chunks and chips of wood for some hours right before using them in the smoke, charcoal or gas grill would give the best flavor to the meat. However, there is no point in soaking up the wood chips as they have little to no difference to the taste of the meat.
If you cast wet chips of wood on the highly heated coals, the water will result in lowering the coals. This will result in unfinished or improper cooking of the meat. Hence, the matter that is to be considered is the regulation of optimum temperature in the barbecue and not the wetness of the chips.
4) Opening The Lid Means You’re Not Cooking (or slowing down the cooking pressure)
It is a wide scaled myth that if you happen to open the lid of the barbecue, you are hampering the process of meat cooking. It is true that once you open the lid, the hot air and the heat in which the food was being cooked escapes. Moreover, the humidity that was hard to build up within the container also escapes resulting in a drier meat.
You will have to wait longer as the hot air been replaced by cold air and the heating process will build up the humidity back. In order to get the best-cooked meat in less time, you need to be selective as for when to open and flip your meat on the barbecue.
5) Great Thick White Clouds Of Smoke Are Best For Flavour
Basically white smoke has compounds that result from incomplete combustion. However, prolonged exposure of meat to white smoke is not at all suitable irrespective of the fact that it can make the food taste good. If you want to have a fast cooked meat, subjecting the meat to white smoke is preferable to get some smoky flavor in a hurry.
Having good and healthy food is a must for healthy living. One should look for real facts on cooking techniques and not jump to conclusions that may compromise your health.
