How Long Is Long Enough?
Do you know how long things should be on the grill? Tuesday, July 04, 2017
Knowing how long something should be on the grill will help you have perfectly cooked meat every time. You don't want to take a chance with undercooked food, but the alternative is not necessarily shoe leather. Look through my chart for how long to cook meat and you'll never wonder if it's done again.
General Guidelines About How Long To Cook
As you probably know, chicken, hamburgers, and seafood should be fully cooked before serving. This is for food safety. Our chart below will tell you how long this should take.
However, beef can be cooked to your preference. As long as you buy from a reputable meat market, you can leave it pretty rare if that's what you like. As my Grandpa used to say, "wipe its nose and put it on my plate!" How long to cook beef is a matter of personal choice.
Pork and lamb fall somewhere in between. You don't have to worry so much about having them fully cooked, but shouldn't leave them too rare. Both need to be at least light pink in the middle. The chart below can give you an idea of how long that should take.
Cooking Times For Meat
Boneless Steak: Steaks that are 1/2" to 1" should be cooked for 8 - 14 minutes for medium rare and 12 - 18 minutes for medium. Turn them only once.
Bone in Steak: Steaks that are 1/2" to 1" should be cooked for 7 - 14 minutes for medium rare, 11 - 18 minutes for medium. Turn them only once.
Ground Beef: Hamburgers should be 1/2 - 3/4" thick. Cook for 10 - 16 minutes, turning once. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked.
Sausage or Hot Dogs: If the meat is precooked, cook until heated through, 4 - 6 minutes. If the meat is not already cooked, precook them in a skillet until almost done. Finish cooking on grill 8 - 12 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Turn them frequently.
Chicken Breasts: Grill until thoroughly done and juices run clear, usually about 8 - 12 minutes. You should turn them one time.
Pork Chops: Pork chops can be bone-in or boneless, and are generally 1/2 - 3/4" thick. Grill until only slightly pink in center, which should be approximately 12 - 16 minutes.
Lamb Chops: Lamp chops can be bone-in or boneless, 1/2 - 1" thick. Grill for 12 - 16 minutes. Turn them once.
Fish Steaks: Fish steaks such as salmon, tuna, swordfish, and halibut, should be 1/2 - 1" thick. Grill for 4 - 6 minutes for each 1/2" thickness. Turn them one time.
Fish Fillets: Grill until the fish flakes easily with a fork. This should be 4 - 6 minutes per 1/2" of thickness. Turn them one time.
Shrimp: Grill until shrimp turn pink. They should feel springy when pressed gently. This should be 5 - 7 minutes.
Knowing exactly how long to cook something takes most of the guesswork out of grilling. If you have the grill at the correct temperature, following the times on the chart for how long each type of meat should take will give you great results.
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