Whether you buy your meat from a butcher or you hunt your meat yourself, the same basic cooking principles apply to all. There are different tips that will help you get the most out of your meat cooking experience and bring out the most flavor possible.
Whether you’re cooking chicken, beef, or pork, take a look at some of the best tips out there for cooking meat.
Use High Heat For Flavor
One of the most important aspects of getting the most flavor out of your meat is by cooking with high heat. When you cook with high heat, you develop the flavor and boost the taste of whatever you’re cooking.
Cooking meat on high heat well results in a process known as the Maillard reaction. It involves the sugars and amino acids in food combining with each other, resulting in a flavorful compound of taste.
If you’re browning your meat, then you’ll need to do a deep sear, thickly crusting every side of your cut of meat. The best way to achieve this is through rapid high heat.
Use Low Heat To Preserve Moisture
If you’re cooking a larger piece of meat, for example, poultry, you should use a slow cooking method on a lower setting of heat. Cooking with low heat allows the center of your cut to reach the right internal temperature without burning the outside.
It also preserves all of the tasty juices giving it a more flavorsome finish. You might be interested to know that cooking your meat at high-temperature results in a certain percentage of the meat’s original weight disappearing. However, your meat will shrink less when cooked at a moderate temperature at a slower rate.
Let Your Meat Rest
No, we’re not talking about letting your cow take a nap before you butcher it. The idea is allowing your meat to rest at room temperature for a certain amount of time before throwing it on the grill. Throwing a cold steak directly on heat will make it more difficult for heat to reach its insides.
Experts recommend letting your steak rest on a plate outside of the fridge for at least 30 seconds before grilling it. Once it’s cooked, let your meat rest again for five to ten minutes so that the juices are distributed throughout the cut. Cutting steak immediately after it comes off the grill can result in drier meat.
Don’t Forget Seasoning
Don’t forget to add plenty of seasonings to your meat. Whether you are a traditionalist and prefer plain old salt and pepper, or you love a burst of flavor and prefer a generous rub, whatever you do, make sure to season your meat to intensify its flavor.
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