If you are one of the 326 million Americans who make meat a part of their everyday diet, it’s essential that you know how to cook it properly. There are 29 cuts of beef and six cuts of pork, and every cut demands a different method. This is because individual cooking methods will yield distinctive results. Learning the best techniques for cooking meat will ensure that you avoid dinner catastrophes or the ruin of an expensive cut. Continue reading to learn the best ways to cook meat.

Popular Techniques For Cooking Meat

Imagine putting a rump roast on the grill. The outside would burn long before the meat was cooked. This is why it’s important to keep the size and cut of the beef or pork in mind, in addition to meat cooking temps, to find the ideal method for your meat.

Here are some standard techniques for cooking meat and the cuts best suited to them.

Roasting

Nothing brings back childhood memories quite like the smell of a delicious roast wafting through your home. It is a dry cooking method and uses the indirect heat of your oven. This allows the hot air of the oven to evenly brown all sides of your meat at once.

To ensure optimum browning, it’s best to use a roasting rack. This will keep your meat high and dry above the juices so you can avoid a soggy bottom.

Roasting can take several hours or more, depending on the size and cut of meat. As a result, it’s best to reserve roasting for large cuts of meat, such as chuck, round, and pork shoulder.

Grilling

When the smell of charcoal and hickory fills the air, you know it’s grilling season. This method of cooking can use both direct (right over the coals) and indirect heat. It’s also considered a dry method, even if your meat is slathered in BBQ sauce. 

If you are a big BBQ fan, you should also consider smoking your own meat, and if you’re already a pro, it’s time to look into a reverse flow smoker. This style of smoker protects your precious cuts of meat from direct heat and ensures that the smoke fully envelops it for maximum smoky flavor.

Broiling

When you are looking for roasty, toasty char and caramelization, broiling is the way to go. Similar to grilling, broiling uses a fiery, dry heat. However, this indirect heat is intense, so this method is best suited for a quick sear of a steak or an already cooked roast. 

The key to this method is to check your meat after the first five minutes and every several minutes after that. Otherwise, you risk turning your supper into charcoal and filling your house with smoke. 

It’s Time To Get Cooking

The best recipe is one that you will actually eat. That’s why when you’re getting started, it’s best to start with the type or cut of meat that you enjoy the most and then apply the cooking method most suited to it. 

Now that you know about cooking meat, it’s time to get started on your culinary adventure. So, if you enjoyed this article, visit our food and recipes sections for more mouth-watering reads. 

Ali Hassan