Meat is delicious but can be disastrous for your health if undercooked, depending on the type of meat you are eating. When you go to a restaurant or call a Calgary catering company, you look forward to biting into a piece of meat that is tender and tasty, cooked just how you like it. So, how do you like your meat cooked and what temperature does it take to get it to perfection?
If beef is your preference, here are the variety of cooking options so you know what to ask for.
Rare
Rare beef is typically enjoyed if you like your meat with a nearly raw center. The meat is cooked as little as possible to a temperature of between 120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. This piece of meat will be charred on the outside and bright red in the core. This is the most tender meat to the touch.
Medium Rare
Medium rare beef is cooked at about 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. This is typically the level that most chefs will suggest. The middle will appear pink with a slightly red tinge to it. What about the sides of this kind of meat? They will be browned while the bottom and top are caramelized. Yum! Medium rare cooked meat feels firm but with a slightly springy sensation in middle.
Medium
Large pieces of beef like roasts and prime rib are great for a mass amount of people. How do you please everyone when you don’t know which cook each guest prefers? Try making your beef medium as this is one of the most popular levels to cook your beef. What temperature should a medium piece of beef be? Between 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This piece of meat will turn out to be more light brown than pink or red. The perfectly charred dark tone on the bottom and top compliment the juiciness accented with the sides in lavish brown colour. Can you feel that the beef is firm yet soft in the middle? This is the perfect medium cook.
Medium Well
About 150 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit is what you want to look for with a medium-well piece of beef. There will be a little pink in the center of this meat but the rest will appear colourless and the surface a dark brown. Is your beef extremely stiff but you find there is still a tad bit of a squish in the core? You have a medium-well piece of beef.
Well Done
If blood makes you cringe but you want to enjoy a good piece of beef, a well-done cook is what you are looking for. There will be not even the slightest hint of red or pink anywhere in your meat as it is browned completely through. How does this kind of meat feel to the touch? As firm as can be. Well done beef is definitely cooked!
Do you prefer eating chicken? The cooking temperatures will change with this type of meat.
What is the right temperature you want your Calgary caterer or chef to cook your poultry at?
Usually, the chicken should be cooked until it reaches the temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and there is no bright pink showing inside. There can be a slightly pink center but you want to steer clear of a visibly pink chicken as this means it is undercooked and can make you sick. Why would chicken make you feel ill? Negative foodborne bacteria can still be living in your poultry but with the right cook, this bad bacteria is avoided.
If you are cooking leg or thigh meat you might want to heat your chicken to about 170 degrees Fahrenheit although 165 degrees Fahrenheit will be safe too. Why do you want to cook these parts of the chicken more? This meat is tougher due to the muscle tissue, therefore, harder to cook through.
Feel safe eating your chicken and avoid salmonella now that you know what to look for when it is being cooked. You can rely on Rocky Mountain BBQ to cook you that perfect piece of meat with top quality ingredients that stand out making your Calgary BBQ the ideal one!
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