Grilling: Starting Hot, Grilling Slow, and the Fork Test

"Fire up the grill"
Griller shares tasty tips
The Gothenberg Times (July 18, 2009)

"Patience is perhaps the best advice Gary Norseen gives to grillers wanting tasty meat.

" 'Most people get in a hurry,' said Norseen, a Dawson County deputy sheriff. 'It's all about low, slow cooking.'

"To get the grill ready, Norseen suggests turning the heat to high or about 400 degrees and then backing it down to between 275 to 325 degrees for most meats.

"What does he like best about grilling?

" 'Eating.'

"Norseen also likes the challenge, especially working with pork.

"One specialty he shared is buying a lean cut of pork loin and splitting it down the middle...."

Norseen has a lot more to say about what to do with the pork loin, and other matters of the grill. And, reveals that he uses something besides a thermometer to tell when a grill is ready. Like waiting "...until the coals have a red glow...." And "...A good rule of thumb in knowing if pork or chicken is done is to push a fork into the meat.

" 'If it's not done, the fork will bounce back,' Norseen said...."

It's not a particularly long article, but touches on what to do with pork, beef, and chicken.

Not that you'll necessarily want to follow his methods. For instance, he rubs "season salt" and pepper into his steaks: which I'd never do. And if you're, ah, enthusiastic about not eating meat with any appreciable fat content - this isn't the article to read. Norseen likes meat that tastes good.

Okay: I've got a bias.

Also, this article is emphatically not written for the vegetarian griller in mind. For everyone else, though, it's a pretty good read - and might help you get more out of your meat.