For our first Tip and Trick, cooking by temp and how to know when your meat is done.
For any cooking with meat, be it grilled, smoked, fried, or even baked, we do not rely on time, but cook by temp. None of our recipes will include exact times because that does not necessarily mean the meat is cooked through to a safe temperature.
Our recipes will include approximate times, but we will always provide a temperature for doneness. So what does that mean for your cooking experience? Times will fluctuate because your climate, altitude, type of cookware, and temperature you’re using are likely different than our location and will dictate how long the recipe will take to complete. From cook to cook your cook time will differ because of thickness and size of meat you’re cooking as well as the way you’re cooking.
What about the grills and smokers that have an onboard temp probe? We do not solely rely on the onboard temp probe and always cross check with an independent temp prob.
We use this digital meat thermometer. We like the quick reference guide and the long battery life. Digital Meat Thermometer on Amazon
Here’s a nice chart from FoodSafety.gov that sums up a variety of minimum internal temp doneness. We will sometimes cook over this temperature and will always note the internal temp we are targeting. Food Safety Chart
Happy Cooking!