Monday, March 1, 2010

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature

This is the first in the following series of blogs on the ideal cooking temperature for grilling a steak over live coals:

1. Cooking Temperature: Ideal Temperature
2. Cooking Temperature: 1600 Degrees?
3. Cooking Temperature: Need to Modify Grill Height
4. Cooking Temperature: Measure Temperature
5. Cooking Temperature: Measure Grill Height
6. Cooking Temperature: Calculate Ideal Grill Height
7. Cooking Temperature: Modify Grill Height
8. Cooking Temperature: Inverse Square Law

What is the correct temperature to achieve SteakPerfection?

Food scientists have conducted extensive tests, which show that the perfect temperature for cooking a high-quality steak over live coals is 750°. That is, the temperature at the meat level (where the steak sits on the grill) is 750°. This is a very high temperature for a charcoal grill and is a real challenge for backyard chefs, because most grills are designed to cook at a temperature of only 370°, using a normal amount of charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal.

Some steakhouse chains claim that they cook a steak in an infrared oven at 1,800°, but this is misleading. If a steak is cooked at 1,800°, it would be inedible, because, by the time it is cooked medium-rare on the inside, it would be burnt to a crisp on the outside.

There are two ways that steakhouse chains make the 1,800° claim but do not burn the exterior. One way is to use an 1,800° oven but place the steaks 3” from the heat, where the temperature at the meat level is only 750°. A second way is to use an 1,800° oven to cook the steaks for only a minute or two, to give the exterior a rich crust, and then remove the steaks to an ordinary oven for finishing at a much lower temperature. Both these ways are regularly used by steakhouse chains.

SteakPerfection is a complex process that involves every detail, from pasture to plate.
Click here for our SteakPerfection Twitter.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Facebook.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Blog.
Click here for our Steak Perfection LinkedIn.
Click here for our Steak Perfection Wave.
Click here for our Steak Perfection website.

A short link to this blog is http://bit.ly/dixHpA

No comments:

Post a Comment