The Science of BBQ - What Determines Finished Temperature When Cooking

Highway to the Danger Zone
The Danger Zone is when food is between 40°F / 4.4°C and 140°F / 60°C. Foods that need to remain refrigerated, especially meat products, can grow bacteria exponentially when they are within this temperature range. Cold foods tend to have about a 2-hour time limit to be within these temperatures before they are considered unsafe. However, if the standing (room) temperature is higher, this time goes down quickly – think potato salad on a summer day.

Why do we Cook to Predetermined Temperatures?

The shortest and simplest answer as to why you must cook foods to specific temperatures is to kill any present pathogens within the food. It is common knowledge that certain foods need to be prepared to certain temperatures for them to be safe to eat. However, what you may not know is that these temperatures can also play a role in the final texture and enjoyability of the food.

Most governing bodies provide guidelines that state chicken must be cooked to 165°F / 74°C for it to be considered safe. Pork was recently updated from 160°F / 71°C to a lower 145°F / 63°C. Although, all ground meats must be cooked to 165°F / 74°C. People seem to be a little more lenient with regards to beef, accepting that there is an appropriate temperature range for these whole muscle cuts. There are two reasons for this. The fact that beef has a more pleasant taste and texture when cooked to between 120°F / 49°C and 135°F / 57°C is one. The other is that, with very, very few exceptions, food-borne pathogens are only on the surface of whole muscle cuts like steaks and roasts.

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These specific numbers were chosen because harmful bacteria are instantly killed at those temperatures. The thing is, at those temperatures, the meat may be rendered “safe” to consume, but most times the texture and flavour have been negatively impacted. The exception being ground meats where a whole muscle cut will be ground up, spreading the surface bacteria throughout the mixture.

The death of parasitic and bacterial pathogens occurs at temperatures of 140°F (57°C) held for at least 2-minutes. Modern farming practices have all but eliminated parasites in the meats that we consume.

Mistakes Were Made

People tend to overreact about cooking food to specific temperatures. They fear the bacteria that can be present in foods, especially meat, and think that cooking to well past “done” will ensure that their food is safe to eat. These people have been indoctrinated to believe this. While it is true that meats must be cooked to specific temperatures for safety, these unfortunate individuals are overcooking and losing out on important nutrients as well as good-tasting food. This is why, when they eat out and experience properly cooked food, it is a revelation.

Most people aren’t using a thermometer to measure the doneness of food, instead, relying on physical cues like firmness and juice colour to determine the state of their meal. This can lead to dry and stringy meat. By the time foods have reached the point where these physical cues turn up, the fibers that make up the muscle group being cooked have shrunk and squeezed out all of the liquids that were present, to begin with. Then there are those that see these cues and think, just a bit more. Just in case. Overcooked food isn’t great, but it’s also a waste to dispose of. Here are some things you can do to rescue your meal if you accidentally overcook food.

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How to Retain Juiciness

Knowing how far you can take foods while cooking and still remaining safe is the biggest step towards freedom from dry and overcooked foods. Barring that, using a meat thermometer to determine the internal temperature will help you to get the food to and from the BBQ before it becomes overcooked. There is also the concept of carryover cooking where food will continue to cook even after being removed from the BBQ, pan, oven, etc. Temperatures in food can rise once you have actually finished cooking while the food is resting. This indicates that you should remove meat from the barbecue (or oven etc.) within a few degrees of being finished.

The cooking method used should be dictated by the cut of meat you plan to cook. Meats that contain high amounts of connective tissues should be cooked using slower methods and lower temperatures to achieve maximum tenderness. By rendering out fat and slowly melting collagen, the water inside the muscle fibers is released, and absorbed by the gelatin from the melting fat and collagen. The end result is transcendent. Other meats that are faster cooking, like steaks, can be cooked hot and high. They are brought to certain temperatures so that they retain the health benefits as well as the juiciness of the meal.

Cooking Methods for Succulent Success

The concepts of appropriate time and temperature can be used to render your meats safe to eat without having to overcook them. A prime example of this in an at-home setting would be using a sous vide cooker to prepare your meal. Sous vide will heat water to your meal’s desired finished temperature and no hotter. Food is sealed into a bag or container and submerged in this water bath. The combination of time and temperature provides the ideal environment for killing bacteria, while cooking the food gently just like pasteurization. Once you are done with sous vide, sear off the meal to provide colour and texture for a pleasing final dish.

Technically, pasteurization is already being utilized to properly and safely cook all of the food you prepare and consume at home. It’s just being taken too far, leading to overcooking. In reality, any combination of time and temperature that takes food to a safe-to-eat condition is pasteurizing. However, when you cook food using sous vide, smoking, or indirect cooking method on the barbecue, it is best practice to cook to within 10 degrees of your desired finished temperature. Followed with a hot and high sear to finish the cook and provide a desirable texture. Using a meat thermometer to monitor this cook will ensure that you have less of a risk of overcooking.

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Pasteurization

Pasteurization is a heat treatment used in processed foods to extend their shelf life. Various temperatures and times are used to kill any pathogens and deactivate the proteins that lead to food spoilage. The time and temperatures needed will vary by food type being pasteurized. This is typically seen in canned, jarred, and liquid consumables like milk, eggs, and wine, however, the time and temperature combo is also used to achieve safe food temperatures while you cook at home too.

What Determines Finished Temperature?

The temperature at which bacteria present in the food you are cooking is killed will determine the finished cooking temperature. The problem arises when foods are overcooked because these safe temperatures are reached and then exceeded due to misunderstanding or fear.

How Will You Know?

Colour can’t be trusted, what if you have a young chicken – there could be bone staining. Several great cuts of pork will have different muscle groups together and these cuts will be different colours. So, if colour can’t be trusted to judge the doneness of a meal, and neither can firmness, how do you know if your food is close to the correct temperature? By using a barbecue meat thermometer, you can judge the correct temperature and pull your meal before it becomes overcooked.

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People Also Asked

What Are Three Ways to Determine Desired Degree of Doneness?

The number one, no-fail, safest way to determine the desired degree of doneness is with a thermometer. Failing that you can use time to judge if a food item is cooked sufficiently, most recipes give you a time to cook which should provide you with an idea of when food will be safe to eat. Finally, using a combination of sight, touch, taste, and smell, you can approximate if a piece of food is ready and safe to eat.

What is the Only Way to Know What Cooking Temperature Food Has Achieved?

The best and most accurate way to ensure you are cooking food to a safe internal temperature is to use a meat thermometer that has been properly calibrated and is intended for that use. There have been many advancements in thermometer technology, and it is easy to find one that will provide you the peace of mind you are looking for.

What Temperature Should be Achieved When Cooking?

The temperature that should be achieved when cooking depends on the cut of meat and the type of meat you are cooking. 165°F / 74°C is the accepted safe temperature that many meats must reach to be considered safe to eat and ensure pathogens have been killed. This can be achieved at lower temperatures in certain meats to ensure that the final results are pleasant to eat. You can also cook some foods using techniques that take these foods up to 205°F / 96°C and have results that are incredibly succulent and juicy.

Stay out of the Danger Zone

How do you feel about what determines the finished temperature when cooking? Are you guilty of overcooking food out of fear or misunderstanding? Will you use the science of barbecue and a meat thermometer to cook food to safe temperatures while still maintaining succulent meals? Share your best meals, failures, your stories, and favorite recipes on social like our Facebook and Tiktok pages using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonBBQs.

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