How to Check if Meat Is Done on the Grill Without Cutting It
Mark and Fey of The Grill Dads (catch it on Fridays at 9:30|8:30c!) gave us the lowdown on how to guarantee juicy, perfectly cooked grilled meat without slicing into it.
1. Use a thermometer. This isn’t cheating, we swear. We like thermometers that are thin and fast, just like us.
2. We use a touch test for red meat. There are great videos online showing how to use the palm of your hand as a guide. We also recommend you constantly test for firmness with your hands throughout the cooking process so you will notice the changes.
3. Practice. Pay close attention to meat thickness, grill hotspots and outcomes. Document it and hone. We have cooked ribeyes that are the same thickness from the same butcher on the same spot on the grill at the same temperature enough to do it effortlessly.
4. Watch the temperature of chicken. Chicken isn’t super forgiving with overcooking, so be sure to take it off the grill the moment it hits 165 F (or a few degrees before to account for carryover). We also recommend indirect cooking. We like to cook chicken at 400 F to 450 F, and we find that even on indirect heat we get golden brown, crunchy and delicious skin.
5. Just ask it nicely! If it doesn’t respond, we recommend using the thermometer.
