While some folks are fortunate enough to enjoy their grill year-round, the rest of us are – finally – officially declaring it grilling season! Everyone seems to have a favorite food to barbecue: To a meat-eater, there\u2019s nothing more enticing than a Porterhouse steak or a slab of ribs hot off the grill – but is it affordable to indulge in such pricey cuts of meat every time you fire up the coals?<\/p>\n
Affordable grilling doesn\u2019t mean restricting your choices to hamburgers and hotdogs. There are plenty of ways to grill a variety of tasty and affordable foods. Sometimes it\u2019s the meat or poultry choice – and sometimes it\u2019s the preparation, cooking and handling – that makes for inexpensive yet delicious fare from the grill.<\/p>\n
Beef<\/strong> Chicken<\/strong> Pork<\/strong> Marinating<\/strong> Handling<\/strong> Resting<\/strong> Slicing<\/strong> These tips will help you expand your grilling repertoire and stretch your budget!<\/p>\n How do you grill and stick to a budget?<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While some folks are fortunate enough to enjoy their grill year-round, the rest of us are – finally – officially declaring it grilling season! Everyone seems to have a favorite food to barbecue: To a meat-eater, there\u2019s nothing more enticing than a Porterhouse steak or a slab of ribs hot off the grill – but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[513],"tags":[72,510],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/couponshoebox.com\/tips\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThese are less tender cuts but with some alternate preparation, they\u2019re tasty and satisfying:<\/p>\n\n
\nBoneless, skinless breasts are a necessity for countless dishes in the kitchen but don\u2019t take to grilling as well as skin-on chicken. Because it\u2019s so lean, breast meat easily dries out when grilled. Even it you don\u2019t eat it, chicken skin helps the meat retain moisture while grilling. The bonus is, leg quarters (thigh and drumstick together) or each piece separately are the cheapest chicken parts. Even bone-in breasts are cheaper than boneless and fare much better when grilled.<\/p>\n
\nPork, like skinless chicken, can easily become dry when grilled. Unlike beef that can be eaten rare if desired, chicken and pork must be thoroughly cooked. This can easily lead to a dry result, especially in the case of pork chops, where the surface area exposed to heat is so great. These two options, which are best cooked \u201clow and slow\u201d are also considerably cheaper per pound than chops.<\/p>\n\n
Preparation\/cooking\/handling<\/h3>\n
\nThe major difference between these meats and pricier cuts is oftentimes natural tenderness. A marinade can enhance both tenderness and flavor of meat. An acidic element, such as vinegar, wine or citrus juice will help break down the proteins in the meat, enhancing tenderness. Marinate beef or pork up to 24 hours but marinate chicken no longer than two hours or the acid will begin to chemically \u201ccook\u201d the meat, making it tough.<\/p>\n
\nPiercing meat when grilling allows juices to escape; turn grilled meats with tongs or a spatula to keep juices inside.<\/p>\n
\nMeats require a period after grilling to allow their juices to settle within the muscle. Rest meats 5 – 10 minutes before slicing to ensure juices have redistributed.<\/p>\n
\nEspecially with beef, slicing against the grain (opposite to the direction of the visible muscle fibers) will increase tenderness.<\/p>\n