Grilling meat is the best idea most food lovers think of for special occasions to make the moment cheerful. When cooking steak outside in a hot, dry climate, one of the most frequent problems is a dry and less juicy steak. The meat loses almost all of the juice and moisture and gets burned which makes the outdoor activity heartbreaking.
Nobody likes a dry, and rough steak after grilling for so many hours. So, you have to take precautionary measures which are written in the article on how to keep meat moist while grilling like selecting a better meat cut, using a marinade, maintaining the cooking temperature, and the other steps that are a must for grilling meat outside.
How to Keep Meat Moist While Grilling?
Keeping the meat moist is not an easy process while you are grilling outside on a grill. There are many factors that affect the steak in making it dry and juiceless. When you put the meat on the grill the heat and temperature within the grill remove the water content from the meat and the fibers shrink which results in getting tough steak. After thorough research and many years of experience in grilling, I found the most important things that ruin the steak.
1. Choose the Right Meat
For a juicy and flavorful steak buy a meat that has a good amount of marbling. If the meat is too lean then it will dry out quickly as compared to fatty meat. The meat which contains 80% protein and 20% fats is considered a good meat for steak like T-bone or ribeye along with some other parts. The fats help retain the moisture within the meat and provide flavor as well.
The other thing is cutting the meat which is also necessary to learn because if you cut the meat from the grain, it will lose water while grilling and get less tender. Check the longest fibers which run in the length of the meat and cut it perpendicularly.
2. Clean the Grill
Cleaning the grill is necessary if you want a good and tasty steak. It helps in cooking the best steak that does not get burned and stink. If your grill is messy from the previous grilling session and you start cooking steak on it then it is obvious that you will result in grill flare-up. If the grease fire happens to your grill, then it will be hard to clean and sometimes the grill gets worn out after the fire.
3. Brining the Lean Cut of Meat
If your meat is dry then you can use a brining to make it juicy. You can use it for non-fatty red meat cuts that have little or no fatty content on it. Make the solution by adding 1 cup of salt to a gallon of water and brine the meat for about an hour.
Before grilling the meat, it is necessary to wash the meat so the surface salt will be washed out. The unbrined meat loses around 30% of water while well-soaked brined meat loses only 15% of moisture giving the steak a salty flavor and tender texture. Brining is mostly used for chicken and making burgers because the meat gets so dry and it becomes tasteless.
4. Keep Meat Tender by Marinating
Marinating the meat is another option that helps to keep the moisture and juices within the steak. It is an old technique for keeping the meat wet and tender. A marinade is made up of oils, vinegar, and seasoning which prevents the steak from getting dry. The marinade comes in different flavors so before purchasing one, you can search and find according to your taste.
The oil covers the meat and the other marinade powder gives an additional taste to the meat and also prevents the water from oozing out from the meat. It is necessary to leave the meat in the marinade for 20 to 60 minutes before grilling it on the grill.
5. Let it Come to Room Temperature
Add the marinated to the steak and place it in the refrigerator for some time. Remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to cook down for about 15 minutes at room temperature before grilling. This is necessary because the cold meat loses moisture when it comes in contact with a hot grill. The protein contracts and squeezes the moisture and the surface of the meat sears intensely and creates a browned crust.
6. Don’t Handle it too Much
Tossing the meat again and again will drain the juice from the meat. It will not remove the juice alone from the steak but also the flavor too. Don’t turn the meat several times, you just need to flip it almost 3 times while knowing the right temperature to grill a steak.
The first time you can flip the steak when the side facing the heat is cooked and the next time when the other side gets completely cooked. The third time when you are taking it from the grill. When you hold the steak with the help of a scapula it will press the steak and the juice will drain out and you will get a dry and flavorless steak.
7. Cook for the Right Amount of Time
Grilling the steak at the right temperature is necessary as overcooking makes the steak dry, burn, and hard to consume. The undercooking is dangerous because uncooked meat has some parasites that are dangerous to health. To overcome such issues, you need a meat thermometer which makes it easy to check the doneness of the steak.
The manual checking causes the steak to lose moisture from the surface. To get better results, you need to invest in a good quality meat thermometer so you will get well well-cooked, moist, and juicy steak.
8. Keep the lid closed
The hot grill removes the moisture from the meat and the vapors evaporate in the air from the open grill. The grill with a closed lid traps the vapors in the compartment makes the steak moist and helps in cooking the steak. The heat is the combination of moisture that comes from the meat and the heat from the heating source. This will lock up the juice within the steak and help them grill perfectly.
9. Let The Steak Rest
Remove the steak from the grill and let it rest for some time. Check the steak by using the meat thermometer. Don’t cut the steak right after grilling because the steak got shrunk to the most on the hot grill.
After removing it from the grill the steak starts absorbing the surface juice and the steak gets soft within some time. Cut the steak and serve it only when you see the meat expand a little as compared to the one that you removed from the grill.
Adding Moisture to Meat After Grilling
Sometimes people are in a rush and forget to marinade the steak before grilling or the grill gets too hot which makes the outer surface tough. In such conditions, you can take some steps that will give you the best steak ever.
First of all, make the flame low and check whether the meat is completely burned or not. If the steak only got tough then it is easy to make it soft and eatable by making them moist. Rub the meat with some vinegar, lemon juice, or any other acidic liquid. It will give the steak more taste and moisture by tenderizing it.
1. Add a water pan
Place a small pan of water within the grill, away from the meat, and close the lid of the grill for some time. It helps in restoring some of the moisture lost as a result of the high heat. Spray the steak with water if the grill is hot enough and you are unable to set up the water pan.
2. No Spices and Just Sauces
When the meat is getting stiff and dry, adding a little sauce helps the steak in refreshing it. When the meat gets tough and dry it is prone to burning. To avoid burning and making it juicy and flavorful again you have to apply the steak with a good sauce which helps to get the flavor again.
Keep in mind that when food becomes tough and dry, some flavors, such as saltiness and meatiness, become more prominent. You may need some sweetness and acidity to bring up the tough meat.
3. Simmer to Add Moisture
If your meat becomes hard and dry after grilling, boil it in a little stock for a few minutes. Allow the liquid to permeate the meat instead of overcooking it again. In addition, if the meat isn’t completely charred but is still tough, a little barbecue sauce can be simmered in to add flavor and moisture. It will make the meat moist and the hardness of the steak will decrease.
4. Oil the Steak When it Starts Drying
While the steaks are grilling and you see the meat start losing moisture very fast and getting dry, apply the steak with oil. The oil will make a covering around the steak which protects the steak from getting dry and also protects the steak from burning. The oil will also penetrate the steak and make it juicy and tender again. You can do it after grilling too which makes it soft and tender.
Frequently asked questions
How to keep the meat moist after grilling?
When the meat is cooked on the grill, first check the temperature to make sure the meat is cooked completely. Remove it from the grill and wait for a while. After that take the sauces you like the most along with other condiments. These ingredients will help to regain moisture even if the meat is dried while grilling.
Why does the grilled steak get dry and tough?
Overcooking is the most common reason for the grilled steak to become dry and tough. Meat is a combination of protein and water. The water content in the meat is 75% while the protein part is 25%. If you cook the meat for a longer time and at a high temperature, the water squeezes out and the protein content gets shrunk and tough.
What do people spray on meat when grilling?
Most people use spray bottles of different stocks and juices. Many grilling masters or pitmasters use melt butter spray and apple juice to spritz the meat to save it from drying. It is a way to boost moisture while also locking the juice in and protecting the meat from burning.
Conclusion
No doubt making a steak on a grill is the best cooking method when you want to enjoy but it comes with many issues. When you are grilling the steak, it loses most of its juice and the result is unacceptable. It is due to many issues like the meat you selected does not have a good amount of fats or you made the grill hot enough for the steak to cook.
These are the cases in which we will not get the desired results so to overcome the issues and get better results. We have crafted the article to make the steak moist and juicy on the grill even if you forgot to marinate it before grilling. You can also add a water pan to the grill, spray the steak with the favored juices of your choice, oil the meat, and apply sauces while grilling.
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