I’ve been in the process of discovering all the animal based food that I’ve missed in the past 12 years. As summer approaches, I’ve been particularly excited about having outdoor grilled meats. I order to satiate this growing desire, Lois and I recently bit the bullet and got a gas fired grill (I know, I know, gas is lame. Help me figure out the best way to get some charcoal smokey flavors in there then. Smoke box?). So much of this meat thing is still new to me though.
Proper way to cook a burger? I either way over cook them, or eat raw meat with a brown coating. How long should you actually cook kielbasa? Grilled steak? I mean, Carina you’re great, but I think there might be better steaks out there than the ones we had.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. I had a Five Brothers burger the other day and was in love. Shall we track down the best burger in town? The best sausage? Roast pork? Cheese*gasp*steak?
So I hereby declare my Meat Quest. I’m going to eat everything that I’ve missed out on in the past 12 years. And I’m going to find the best examples of it if I can. Help me.
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May 21, 2009 at 1:30 pm
WG
There are a lot of burgers better than five guys. Your quest sounds pretty great. My top recommendation is Sketch Burger on east Girard Ave. It’s seriously my new favorite place.
May 21, 2009 at 2:03 pm
c_eliott_j
My favorite cheesesteak is at Abners on 38th and Chestnut. Mayo, mushrooms, onions, American cheese and banana peppers. Seriously I crave those things in my sleep.
On another note, when I am cooking red meat I do the touch taste to tell how well the meat is cooked. This is a fair example of how it works though in my case I use the top of my hand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixBlOfiyVrc For steak (especially better cuts like Filet or NY Strip I cook to medium rare) for burgers I cook to between medium and medium well in case I didn’t grind the burger myself.
If you are interested I can give you some of my best beef recipes.
May 21, 2009 at 2:20 pm
david
cooking meat on a grill is an artform and a science.
you need to get to know your grill (i.e. fail several times before you get your burger done right). and that process can be aggravating. gas is good for temperature control, charcoal for flavor.
i’ve always read/heard that the best way to make a rare burger rare (not raw) is with the help of a thermometer. there is a great resource for this somewhere on America’s Test Kitchen. i am sure you could google this and find the episode where they cover this. Alton Brown (Good Eats) also has a great piece on best practices for grilling.
invite us over! we’d love to join you in these gastronomic adventures.
May 21, 2009 at 4:43 pm
cdags
Best way to a perfect medium rare burger is:
1. Throw patties in freezer for about 30 minutes – will help keep the inside nice and pink.
2. Either hot-ass grill or hot-ass cast iron skillet.
3. Create salt bed with kosher or sea salt (apply directly to meat for grill)
4. No pepper yet…it burns.
5. Burger on grill/pan 4 min per side for a 1 inch patty. 2 min for half inch. Seems to be a linear scale
6. Ground black pepper about a minute before patty removal
7. Crack open a nice Farmhouse or Saison and enjoy!
8. Ride bike for 1.5 hours. I usually skip this step as is evidenced by my physique.
May 21, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Bryan
A little trick I learned about cooking burgers back in a restaurant is to touch your thumb to your fingertips starting at your index finger and then press the base of your thumb on your palm and it is supposed to mimmick how soft or tough meat gets the longer you cook it. When you thumb touches your pinky, that is well done.
Kielbasa on the grill is another animal. I usually cook smoked kielbasa and basically grill it until juice starts to come out of the cut ends. Always pre cook kielbasa.
May 26, 2009 at 10:28 am
carina
yeah the steaks i bought were the cheapest ones at thrift way… and we didnt really marinate them with the proper stuff. we’ll try again, and this time get it right.
May 30, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Ryan K
A nice simple meaty meal is a turkey-bacon-guac sandwich. Just slather two slices of bread with some guac, add some 2-3 slices of turkey breast, and fry up 2-3 strips of bacon to finish it off. Quick, easy, and addictive.