When does the rule "only flip meat once" not apply?
Title says it all and this is not just a burger question, what about those steaks, chicken breasts, pork chops on the grill?
Best Answer
I believe the goal is to get the best sear possible on each side of the meat. Moving the meat around too much could cause it to cook completely without getting a good sear on the outside.
Clearly this doesn't apply when doing anything "rotisserie" style, as you're trying to do the exact opposite: slowly cook the interior of the meat without burning the outside to a crisp or unevenly.
Also, see this similar question: Grilling burgers: flip once, or keep flipping?
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Should you only flip chicken once?
For burgers and boneless, skinless chicken breasts, one flip is enough. Especially if you want great grill marks. For thick cut steaks, chops and other meats, go ahead and flip.Why do you only flip meat once?
The idea being that in order to develop a good crust\u2014and for the steak (or burger) to cook properly\u2014once you apply heat to your meat you should buzz off; leave it alone until it's ready to flip thus giving it plenty of time to achieve proper browning and to ensure it cooks evenly from both sides.When should you flip a steak?
If you're cooking steak on the grill, you most definitely should flip it about halfway through the cooking process. We typically recommend flipping your steak just once on the grill because it's not getting direct heat on one side like it would on a pan.Should you flip a steak every minute?
He advises that you flip the steak every minute or so to encourage a flavorful crust to develop even as it cooks the steak to tender perfection. In fact, Amazing Ribs makes a pretty strong argument against needing grill marks on steaks entirely.More answers regarding when does the rule "only flip meat once" not apply?
Answer 2
I think this rule really applies to the grilling marks on the food. The longer you leave the food on the grill the more those marks burn themselves into the food. If you want the pretty "clean" lines/pattern then don't move it.
I actually prefer, in the case of meat, to get an even sear on the meat's surface, so I actually move it often to not get the pretty pattern. So the whole thing looks more charred than having the pretty lines on the meat.
In some cases I actually finely score the surface of the meat to be grilled so I get deeper char marks into the meat. But that's just me. Also you will get more marks if the item is dry vs. wet or moist.
Answer 3
This "rule" only applies to the grilling marks on the food, if you dont' care about the marks you should actually flip often to get a more even cooking inside your meat.
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