Thinner Cuts of Meat and Fish, Seafood (1 1/4″ or under), and Hamburgers
Today, Bill’s covering suggestions to fix thinner cuts of meat and fish, as well as hamburgers so that they land perfectly on your table:
- 1. Cook thinner pieces of meat, fish, and seafood on high – but pay attention! – or you’ll overcook your food. TECs grill with greater intensity on high than other grills you may be used to.
- 2. For these thinner items, preheat your grill for 10 minutes with the hood closed to get your cooking grates up to the high temperature that you need to get great searing stripes.
- 3. Grill with the hood open so you’ll be cooking primarily with infrared energy. Commercial restaurant grills don’t have a hood, and if you want to cook hot like a professional chef, you need to cook on a grill that will allow you to cook with the hood open.
Hood Open
- 4. Be careful about how you prep your meat before you put it on the grill. On high, the cooking grates reach up to 850ºF, and pepper burns like hell. Salt is no problem. If you’re cooking on high and want to use a rub, make sure that it doesn’t burn easily or season your meat after you take it off the grill.
- 5. Burgers. Watch for juices to form on the top of the patty – about 4-6 minutes after you put them on the cooking grates. This is a sign they’re ready to be flipped.
Burgers
- 6. Use a meat thermometer and make sure that you follow the guidelines for Cooking Times and Temperatures, turning your meat so that you don’t overcook one side. Seafood and fish cook particularly fast!