More bad grilling advice, as seen on TV

[richinlbrg]

Just saw a grilling segment on a morning show. This chef, from the famed Delmonicos in NYC. He was cooking tomahawk steaks and advised that you take the steak out at least an hour before cooking. Said never put the meat on the grill cold. Also said never puncture the meat while it is on the grill.

Maybe MH should send a book to Delmonicos.

I have preciously emailed the network informing them of their many bits of bad advice on these segments and suggested that they have MH on a segment, explaining he has the # 1 bestselling cookbook on Amazon.

#torquesmeoff

[Pequod]

It really is amazing how much fiction there is in our "facts"

[FireMan]

So, many "top chefs & experts" unknowingly hang on to traditions & misinformation without checking the facts, oh & throw in myths. It makes one wonder what else in this world is dominated by the same lack of reason & investigation, ya think maybe.

[richinlbrg]

And this was from a chef in one of NY's top beef restaurants!

[FLBuckeye]

I often wonder how much bad info is disseminated to the general public and is accepted as gospel.

[Pequod]

A ton. In my industry alone -- and others are the same I'm sure -- I can be sure that reported "facts" are always wrong and that the "experts" are rarely right, they're just louder than others and speak with authority.

[HouseHomey]

richinlbrg for me personally on a medium thick and above I bring it to room temp when I'm cooking on the stove, usually in my cast iron. For grilling and smoking I put'er on cold. Cold food absorbs the smoke better as MH and the Doc so expertly and coherently explained to us common folk. For stuff like diner patties/burgers I put'em on cold with screaming hot cast iron. They almost appear to be levitating when the cook. I think I'll go back and read that in AR again.

FLBuckeye you are so right. I think there is a lot. My wife gets SO SO tired of hearing me flip out and say "Meathead said" and "that's not true because." I think they often sacrifice the science of cooking for the ease of explanation to people other then "pit people."

[PaulstheRibList]

Thanks to the great education from AR and Meathead, we can spot TV peeps doing good stuff on the grill that they could do better!

Regarding the "letting the meat come up to room temp" issue. Much of what we do here on AR and the Pit is smoking, and Meathead and Dr. Blonder have all allowed us to make better Smoke Rings by putting cold meat on the smoker! Yeah! (I'll post a brag pic below, just for fun!)

But for grilling steaks, our objective is not to get the steak to absorb smoke. We're trying to get the center to the temp we like, say 135, and the exterior to have the perfect grilled crust. I just glanced over MH's article on grilling steaks, and he doesn't mention letting steaks come up to temp for an hour on the counter. I may have heard him mention in an interview or something about letting steaks warm up some on the counter, but maybe not? In any event, the goal on steaks, especially thick ones like a Tomahawk, is to get the entire steak up to near the desired temp before we put it over the extra-hot coals for the sear, and letting the steaks get started on the warming on the counter while you are doing the rest of the prep seems like it's not bad.

I think I recall that Meathead talking about how long it takes to bring big meats up to temp on the counter, and how that is not desirable for things like a big, frozen turkey, because it would take forever and thereby be a severe health hazard.

Happy grilling!

[richinlbrg]

Hey, PaulstheRibList , haven't seen much of you lately. Hope all things are good!

My recollection, and if wrong hope all will chime in and correct me, is that you don't increase the center temp much, but expose the outside to pathogens. To get the center to room temp you'd have to let it out a ridiculous amount of time and risk the health of those eating. Just my imperfect recollection.

[richinlbrg]

PaulstheRibList , is this a new trailer or a replacement?

[PaulstheRibList]

richinlbrg my new catering/vending trailer!

[richinlbrg]

GREAT news, and GOOD LUCK, PaulstheRibList !!!

Please let us know how it goes! Pulling for you, so to speak!

[Medusa]

A popular magazine has thankfully provided a handy tear-out pamphlet explaining ...
"How to Grill Everything!"

Here's some info:

1. So, for indirect heat I can fill the chimney and push all the lit coals to 1/2 side of the kettle.

2. For Filet Mignon ( 1 to 1.25 inches thick ): Grill 6 minutes per side, and the IT should be around 125. "Let all meat and fish for at least 5 minutes before serving." The article explains that for thicker cuts of meat, the food should be placed on the cooler side of the grill.

Hmmm, after 19 minutes the (2) 1.75 filets' IT had only reached 75. Must've been the fact that I followed Pit Boss's instructions for Reverse Sear w/ SnS. Wish I read this article before I tried the Reverse Sear - which, BTW, turned out perfect. Next time, I'll try 100 coals described in #1 and the method in #2. And be ready for Couch Tonite!

3. "You can test burgers, steaks, and pork for doneness by touch." Detailed illustrations accompany text.

Now that I'm armed to the teeth with great tips and tricks, I'm on my way to becoming a Grillin' Supastar!!!

-- Ed

PS.

I'm very grateful for this site and everyone on it. In the past, I could've easily turned out "Innocent Ed's delicious Blackened Chicken with Red Meat." - just add your favorite sauce. And I would've been clueless.

[HouseHomey]

I'll have my chicken dark and medium rare please.

[Lost in China]

1. A lot of these people are just cranking out content. They have to say something, and repeating something they heard once fits the bill nicely. Who's going to ever know, besides some snarky commenters on a password-protected forum?

2. I've learned that you can do a lot of things to food, none of them "correct", and yet still make a delicious meal. Meathead should do a comedy video once and do all of the things that everyone says to do but are "wrong". I bet it still tastes good.

[HouseHomey]

Now I would pay extra for that. Great idea!

[Karon Adams]

I think there are a couple of things at play here. Some chefs/cooks actually believe this. They honestly think these things make a significant difference. in my humble opinion, when you are cooking at the level of a DelMonico's Wagyu probably any competent method will turn out an outstanding meal. good ingredients and good equipment partnered with time tested technique will almost always yield excellent results.

That said, the 'tips & tricks' you see from these folks are all too often old husband's tales. they really make litle if any difference if you do them or no. so, if you follow the old husband's rules you get a great steak. of course if you did the exact opposite of these husband tales, you would likely STILL have a great steak. the old annecdotal confirmation. I follow this, this and this rule in the kitchen and look how marvelous is my steak!" Some of these folks actually believe these superstitions and will go to the grave defending them.

the other side of these tips, perhaps a bit cynical on my part, whispers to me that these guys put those 'rules' out there because they NEED something besides 'practice, practice, practice... technique, technique, technique'to say. when the average Joe comes walking into a place like that and they ask how to create a similar meal at home, chef needs to tell them something. what they AREN'T telling the customer is that the chefs in the kitchen have been cooking this particular dish for a VERY long time with a LOT of practice under their belt. So, they tell you, room temp meat (a few years ago the tip was cold from the fridge) no poking or all the moisture will squirt out like a water balloon with a hole, you can determine doneness by poking the meat and comparing the resistance feel to some particular part of your anatomy, flip the meat a lot (and, in future as the past it will be was flip it minimally)

the thing the Del Monico's chef WON'T tell you is that they cook their steaks in sous vide and sear when ordered. hard to give that bit of advice, direction, equipment retirement on your average morning chat show.

[HouseHomey]

Did anyone catch ATK cooking the frozen steak which "tested" more favorable the the defrosted steak?

[Michael Brinton]

Modernist cuisine has the same frozen steak cook.

[Medusa]

OK, found this earlier.

Many of us own a very popular product often referred to as GG's. Most of us love our GG's, and we bought them because they intensify heat.

Below is a cut and paste from a Pizza recipe...

"1. Preheat your grill to 450F (350F at the grate surface)"

How can this be? Maybe they are saying that the grate temp is 350, but the GG's hit 450. Could be an interesting test.

Anyway, I'll do the next pizza between 500-600 degrees.

I think there is alotta truth behind everyone's comments; everyone cooks well, and as long as no one get sicks!

Happy Cooking,

--Ed

[Huskee]

There's a lot of back & forth with the whole 'let steaks come to room temp' thing. Most pro chefs will preach that. Why? If the center of your steak is 60deg instead of 38, it stands to reason that it will cook up to 135 quicker (it already has a 20-25deg jump) w/o overcooking the outer edges far better than 38deg interior meat would. This is why the pros recommend it. View it as a really slow intro to reverse sear. You're 'baking' your steak at 70deg for an hour before baking it at 225. Never never never do it with poultry or pork though. PaulsTheRibList explains where it matters & where it doesn't quite well in his comment. Don't do it with a brisket, it's pointless and useless. Next time you do steak, do one at room temp for an hour or two and do one right out of the fridge, see if you notice any difference.

[PaulstheRibList]

Super correct, as always.

One addition to the test: Set one steak out for an hour and let it come up to room temp, while the other stays in the fridge, then see if you can tell which one is easier to cook/better.

[Huskee]

PaulstheRibList Yeah, that's what I was getting at