Here is a good reference piece on Grilling which is steadily becoming more popular and available. This is a useful tool as most of us are grilling food from time to time, but never consistently enough to perfect our skills by getting it right every time.
After
all that’s being said and observed about grilling, there is the obvious
fact about temperatures that cannot be ignored in this process.
Paying a good worth of attention to the grill temperature and cooking
time during this activity will either turn your food into scrumptious
or run it down as unenjoyable.
For this reason, as BBQ enthusiasts, we share this BBQ grill
temperature chart to guide you as you cook. Be it beef, fish, seafood,
veggies, lamb etc, the guide gives you options to achieve varying levels
of doneness.
Meanwhile, it is important to note that this chart is built on
approximate estimations to serve as a grilling aid. The technique of
grilling comes with experience and skill, so, do not be surprised when
you see a Pitmaster alter grilling times and temperatures and still
turns out a whopping good dish.
Feel free to do a few adjustments as you desire but ensure that you know what you are about.
As the basics require to put this guide into full effect, equip
yourself with a good grill, the choice of fueling that you prefer to
use, not forgetting some wood chips (use the perfect type for the
perfect cook), your meat of choice, a digital thermometer, and then most
importantly, your abling Pitmaster hands.
We can’t wait for the amazing results that you are yet to pull out!
Now quickly before we delve deeper into some more details about this
chart, there’s a valuable trick that differentiates a regular BBQ from
that which is done by a pro – “the resting time”.
You will observe in the chart a resting time required to follow
before serving your meat and may wonder if this is necessary at all. It
is super necessary as there is a thin line between great tasting BBQs
and just an okay tasting BBQ. A part of this line lies between cooking
and its serving which is its “Resting Time”.
Eating the food right after it has been removed from the fire
prevents you from enjoying a balanced and complete taste as compared to
it being rested.
The resting time allows the meat to sit in its generated heat from
the cook for a few minutes. In the process, the meat finalizes its cook,
locks in juices, tastes, flavors, and cools it down slightly making it
just very ready to bite in with royalty.
Veggies, however, do not necessarily need this sitting time, simply
because you do not want to have them cooking too soft. Therefore, cook
your veggies to the level of doneness as you prefer and eat right away!
Now, to the beginning of the infographic and let’s take a majestic walk through the items on the list.
Types of food to grill
As clear as the name sounds and as adventurous and creative as you
can be, grilling allows you to barbecue just anything (food though!) as
you will want.
For the sake of commonality and easy understanding, we use basic food
types that can be easily related to. So in here, we talk about beef,
lamb, pork, poultry, fish, seafood, and veggies. Choose your lot!
The thickness of the food
This relates to the weight of the food rather than its length. Each
piece of food weighs differently as a result of the piece of cut that is
chosen or offered at the supply store.
For this reason, the heat levels in correlation to time vary when
grilling hence the necessity to know what kind of thickness calls for
what.
Here, we stick to using an average level of thickness with a serving
size of 2 – 4 people to aid you in multiplying your numbers based on
your desired serving size.
The type of heat to use
What’s the best way to cook your meat to perfection? The answer
relies on the recipe being used. Grilling is a faster way of cooking as
compared to smoking, however, there is still the option to cook your
foods either over direct heat or indirect heat.
Direct heat
This positions the food on the grates just exactly above the fire
which is an ideal method for cooking fish, veggies, seafood and thinner
cuts of meat.
Indirect heat
Here, food is cooked by the heat source and not directly over the
flames. Often the fire is set on one side of the grate at medium or
medium-low and the food is cooked on the other side of the grates.
This style of grilling is best used for thicker cuts of meat that need long slow heat to offer a good cook.
The surface temperature of the grill
This is the temperature of the grill/grill grates after preheating which is right for the food to be introduced to.
It is wrong to place foods on the grates immediately the fire is
lighted. You stand the chance of sticking your food to the grates which
will affect its doneness and beauty, and deteriorate the grill grate
faster than its lifespan.
Hence, the necessity to preheat the grill and for the different types of food, there is a call for an ideal temperature to use.
Grilling Temperature and Time Per Side
Specifically, you have to cook on both sides and this section talks
about the approximate cooking temperature and time to use on each side
of the food.
The range reflects the level of doneness to be derived. So, starting
from rare to doneness, a higher adjustment from the least to the highest
temperature in the range gives you the level of doneness of your food
respectively.
Due to the use of heat when cooking, either directly or indirectly,
the only appropriate way to detect the doneness of your food is by
reading its cooked temperature using a digital meat thermometer with the aid of a temperature guide.
Ideal grill temperature for different food types
The temperature control per food type varies mainly by the thickness,
cut and recipe of the dish being prepared. In this section, we walk you
through the different categories of food to aid you in understanding
the chart better as well as many tips to get your A-game on.
Grilling time and temperature for beef
Beef is one of the commonest go-to choices when the thought of
barbecues sets in. Fortunately, the structure of beef in the cow’s body
allows for many different cuts, hence, the names like sirloin,
tenderloin, rib eye etc as you hear. They are simply derived by the
different cuts and we look at the most common and their ideal grilling
time.
Steak
Steak covers 4 main cuts of beef which are New York Strip,
Tenderloin, Rib Eye and T-Bone. These are similar cuts but often bring
about the question of what the perfect grill temperature for steak
should be.
When grilling steak, a similar range on the grill meat temperature
chart follows and in requirement by the USDA the best medium steak
internal temperature is 145 °F for nutritional safety. However, for the
different doneness desired, a good span of 130 °F to 165 offers you the
best.
Steak grilling times are influenced by the level of doneness hoped to
be achieved following a similar pattern as temperatures which is
totally dependent on the recipe at hand and what beef grilling times are
required. Omaha steaks for example work with a 2 to 10 minutes grilling
time which is a standard for many others.
If still in a limbo on finding the perfect specifications to grill,
it is safe to run on the average as beef tenderloin, rib eye steak, and
flank steak grilling times and temperature serve as a basis for
achieving equal results on the entire category of steak.
Now, what temperature should the grill be for steak? Simply, work within a range of 360 °F – 400 °F for a good start.
Filet Mignon
This is a thicker cut of beef than steak and requires a little extra of time and temperature to get a good barbecue.
So, for an inch thickness, the filet mignon grilling time and
temperature spans across the same range for the same levels of doneness
for a light thickness of steak.
Interesting fact about the filet mignon, translated to be beef fillet
from the French word proves to be the best piece of meat for
romantically inspired dishes. It holds up juices and flavors just right.
Fast forward, add this to your surprise romantic recipes and thank us later for the taste.
Sirloin
This cut of meat is one of the most loved for busy cooks due to its
versatility. It comes between tender and tough cuts, ideal for varying
recipes.
The sirloin steak grilling times and temperatures are very flexible
spanning across the different ranges for steak because of its versatile
texture.
Marinate your sirloin or simply boost it up with a good rub and the
results are just incredible. This is why we love the sirloin! Very easy
to work with without disappointments.
In a nutshell, the steak grilling times are driven by the thickness
of the cut and from the chart, we make it simple for you to multiply
numbers averagely for the number of people that you hope to serve.
If unsure about the level of doneness to use, the temperature for
medium-rare steak on the grill at 140 °F – 145 °F is a good mark to
consider.
Grilling time and temperature for pork
Just like beef, the pork grill temperature and times follow a similar trend.
The consumption of pork is one of the oldest to hit the earth’s
surface and has not disappointed in taste and aroma over the centuries.
When grilling pork, the first key thing to take charge of is
marination. Pork has the tendency of exuding a foul odor when not
treated well, therefore to avoid this, marinate with stronger spices
like garlic, ginger and soy sauce to override the odor.
Now, prep up the surface of the grill to between 300 °F – 400 °F for a great start without the food sticking.
Pork Chops
This cut of pork is mostly leaner than most parts of the pig and
often includes some rib bones. Hence, the question to ask is what
temperature is best to grill pork chops? Straight up on that, we suggest
sticking to a medium internal temperature of 145 °F .
It is a faster cooking portion as compared to the other cuts, so to
achieve the various levels of doneness, the grill time can be altered
between 2 to 7 minutes for such results.
Pork Tenderloin
This is a long thin cut of meat best used for bigger serving sizes.
It is fast on the cook and requires as much attention as needed for
other portions of meat.
The pork tenderloin grill temperature follows the same suit as the
pork chops at 145 °F but requires a cooking time of between 10 to 25
minutes per side for the range of doneness.
The meat grill times chart for this goes longer due to the case of length.
Pork Ribs
Also known as Spare Ribs, these are a snacky kind of delicacy and can
be cooked in almost all forms of cooking that comes to mind.
However, for the love of barbecue, we love the grilled versions best.
They are cuts from the lower belly of the pig and are often categorized
by beautifully aligned bones.
Due to their snacky nature, spicing ribs usually has no limits. Take a
wild recipe from varying cultures and make some scrumptious dish that
will leave you sucking on the bones.
The best form to grill ribs is on indirect heat due to its bone
structuring. The ideal pork ribs and baby back ribs grill temperature
are 145 °F and spans across 30 to 120 minutes of cook.
Pork Loins
Pork loins are lengthier and thicker cuts similar to the tenderloin but with a different set up of tissues.
In grilling this cut, aim for a temperature range of 140 °F to 165 °F , and a pork loin grilling time of 4 to 8 minutes.
Grilling time and temperature for chicken
Chicken is the most commonly consumed piece of meat in the world
because it is cheaper to raise and cheaper to purchase. Also, on the
grill, it is one of the fastest to cook with mouth-watering results.
What is the perfect grill temperature for chicken? A minimum of 165 °F will keep you safe from any nutritional problems.
Preheat the grill to 350 °F and be ready to cook varying cuts aiming
at the same chicken internal temperature of 165 °F on the minimum
working across different chicken grilling times.
If you will be working with an oven or a beer can, you should work
with a range of 165 °F to 180 °F as the chicken oven grill temperature
and 165 °F to 170 °F as the beer can chicken grill temperature.
Breasts
These are often the chunkiest of meats and have the tendency of
running dry when cooked for long. Chicken breasts serve well with main
dishes and are the ideal cuts for chicken kabobs.
In order not to dry out your breasts after a subtle spicing, work
with a chicken breast grill temperature of 165 °F – 170 °F for between 6
to 8 minutes per side over direct heat.
Direct heat aids the meat to cook faster attaining this temperature in no time to avoid dryness.
What is the perfect temperature for chicken kabobs then? A 150 °F to
170 °F range working between 2 to 4 minutes per side serves as an
average estimation for a good cook.
Thighs or Legs
These have larger proportions of meat to bones and are great for main dishes or snacks.
With this, the perfect chicken thigh or leg grilling temperature sits
well at 165 °F to 180 °F working at 10 to 15 minutes per side based on
the level of doneness you prefer.
This range should often be between medium rare to well done because of the taste and aroma of chicken.
Spice up your thighs with some rubs and a nice coat of finishing sauce after the cook, and be in all awe at the amazing tastes.
Wings
No one ever goes wrong with a good spicing of chicken wings. Although
with a chemistry still yet to be understood for its heavy bone
structure and why it is loved, these have been the best accompaniments
for football watching and appetizers.
Now, to get your wings piping hot with flavor and taste, splurge them
with a good dose of rub or an overnight marination. Then, barbecue them
to a grill temperature for chicken wings at 165 °F – 180 °F over direct
heat for 8 to 12 minutes on each side.
They cook very fast so an eye throughout the BBQ will prevent them from burning as they do easily.
Grilling time and temperature for turkey
A quick run through this thicker portion to chicken just so we have
you prepped up for Thanksgiving already. Plan for a longer turkey
grilling time than chicken but the same internal grill temperature.
Aim for a range of 165 °F to 175 °F with a time range of 60 – 110 minutes over direct heat.
This approach serves as a basis for other birds like duck, ostrich etc due to their thick-skinned nature.
Grilling time and temperature for vegetables
Vegetable grilling times take very few minutes to attain a perfect cook at a standard temperature of 350 °F .
Greens, leaves, fruits and stems alike will often work between 3 to
10 minutes on each side because of their lighter, easy heat penetrating
textures.
However, tubers like potatoes tend to take a longer time to barbecue
due to their tougher textures. Baked potatoes on a gas grill will
require a surface temperature of 325 °F to 350 °F but cooked to an
internal temperature of 200 °F in the center which is about 90 minutes
over indirect heat.
Average temperatures for other types of food
Burgers:
They are often compacted soft meat and require very less time to
cook. The best temperature for grilling hamburgers is 160 °F over direct
heat of 400 °F .
Sausages:
Sausage and hot dogs should be grilled to an internal temperature of 150 °F to 160 °F over direct heat of 200 °F to 225 °F
Fish & Seafood:
These work across very similar times and temperature. For example,
the salmon and swordfish grill temperature is 140 °F over direct heat of
400 °F which works the same for many other types of fish.
The temperature to grill shrimp works at 145 °F over direct heat of 450 °F and works alike for other seafood.
Controlling temperature on different grills
The level of heat produced by the grill in combination to the management of fire aids with the skill in controlling temperature.
Charcoal grills
These kinds
are usually the hardest to control because of their very natural state.
Charcoal burns faster and could create too much heat if you let them
loose.
How then do you control temperature on a charcoal grill? The charcoal
grill temperature control is simple. Just take note of these three (3):
the amount of coals being used per time, the mode of layering the coals
and the vents/dampers.
Amount of coals used: Although grilling is a faster
form of grilling than smoking, this does not mean a dump of plenty of
charcoal lumps in the firebox for a good cook.
Work with a minimal amount of lumps based on the quantity of food you
are hoping to cook. Larger lumps of charcoal burn slower than chippings
so you will want to consider having more of this kind in your
selection.
The mode of layering: After the charcoal has been
placed in the firebox and lighted, spread them out in the fire box for
heat distribution as you will prefer. Some options are:
Even distribution:
Here, you want to spread out the pieces across the firebox to allow for
an even and direct distribution of heat to the food. This approach will
require you to use as little fire as possible so as to not burn the
food.
Left and right positioning:
Arrange the fiery coals on the left and right side of the firebox
leaving the middle blank. This way you can move the food from the left
to middle or right to the middle as you cook signifying heating to
cooling levels.
It is a good method to give you much control over the amount of heat
that gets to the food. A trick to this is to mount one side of the fire
box with more charcoal than the other for a higher to lower levels of
direct heat. Then, the middle section can serve as an indirect heating
zone.
One-sided positioning:
Arrange the fiery coals on just one section of the firebox. Move food
from the hot side to the cold side as and when there is a need for it.
Vents/ Dampers: These are responsible for the flow
of air into the fire hence closing completely, partially closing and
completely opening allows for equal quantity of oxygen to get to the
fire. Hence, more oxygen leads to more fire and less oxygen leads to
less fire.
Working with the above chart which also serves as the charcoal
grilling temperature chart, a control of temperature by the above will
get you cooking right.
Gas and Electric Grills:
These are pretty much easier to control temperature with as they come
with burners and knobs to aid control the level of fire being produced.
Turn it high or low to give you the amount of fire desired.
Natural gas versus propane gas grill
cooking temperatures often give off the same levels of temperature
reach as the chart above but are often quickly attained than a charcoal
grill. For example, the highest temperature a gas grill gives ranges
between 450 °F – 500 °F which implies the fast cook.
In inclusion with electric grills, these come with vents also that allow you release heat from the grill as you cook rather than take in air.
Kamado and Infrared Grills:
These grills take up a slightly different design and cooking time as compared to the other types of grills.
Kamados are heavily ceramic built meaning they hold up more heat and
for longer than many other grills, however using charcoal for fueling
mostly.
To control temperature on a kamado grill, simply set up the lumps in
the grill, light them up and allow the grill to heat up to the surface
temperature required for the food. At that temperature, place your food
on the grates, close the lid and keep the vent opened quarterly.
Keep cooking and control temperature using the vents.
On the other hand, infrared grills are one of the fastest cooking grills you can find, cooking food in very few minutes.
Infrared grilling times often last about 5 minutes on the average
because of the technology used. Preheat the grill for 1 minute to
medium-high heat, then cook your food, about 2 minutes on each side.
Due to the fastness of this grill, it is wise to stick to the grill throughout the cooking process so as to not burn the food.
A few questions and answers on the right temperature
- What temperature is low on a grill? Answer: 250 °F – 270 °F .
- What temperature is medium-low on a grill? Answer: 300 °F
- What temperature is medium on a grill? Answer: 350 °F
- What temperature is medium-high on a grill? Answer: 400 °F – 450 °F
- What temperature kills mold on the grill? Answer: 140 °F
A further look at grill temperature controllers
Basing this section on how some known grills work on temperatures, we
do a quick summary on what to expect on some brands and their likes.
Control temperature on Traegar grill
This grill works solely by wood pellets and is designed to feed the
grilling system with wood pellets as the barbecue is on. The Traeger
does not hold accurate temperature often starting at 250 °F , drops to
about 215 °F and rises again.
However, a good thing about this make is its grill temperature
control that monitors the levels of heat attained by the grill while
hot. It has the ability to turn off the feeding system and set off an
alarm to notify the user of high levels of heat being attained.
Control temperature on Weber Grill
Weber on the hand has varying fueling designed units. For the gas
grill, temperature control is simply done using the control knobs while
the charcoal grill controls temperatures by two dampers located at the
bottom and the top of the grill.
It is good to keep the lower damper opened through the cook while you use the upper damper to control the airflow to the fire.
Weber grill temperatures span from 225 °F to 500 °F giving you
enough room to work at different levels of heat at different grilling
times. The Weber grill temperature chart follows the same pattern as
ours to keep you on the safe side.
Control temperature on George Foreman
George Foreman grills are very unique in design, very portable to fit
into any kind of space. It offers a temperature chart or range of 350
°F to 400 °F and shorter grilling times due to its ability to cook food
on both sides at a go.
Hence, with our chart, you will only need to stick to the time of cook as given without the need to flip the food.
Preheat the grill for 5 minutes before placing the food in it and
then simply use the grill temperature control situated on the lid to
increase or decrease the heat levels.
Control temperature on Green Mountain
Also a wood pellet grill, the Green Mountain simply works by feeding
the firebox with wood pellets by a motor. A grill temperature control is
located on the grill or a WIFI enabled feature to control the amount of
pellets that are being fed into the fire to increase or decrease heat.
Its grill temperature problems are mainly known to be slower to
preheat as compared to other grills which take up to 45 minutes to do
so.
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