In The Kitchen with Laura McKenna: Grilling Temps

May 28th is National Burger Day and while I don’t know how many people would take meat grilling tips from a vegetarian, let me say this:

I know how to do it… I just don’t eat it.

For the safest way to grill, here’s what the pros recommend for internal grilling temps.

Using a meat thermometer, the U.S.D.A says beef, steaks, chops and roasts should be heated to a 145 degrees internal temp.
For ground meats like burgers made of beef, those should be cooked to 160 degrees.
For ground poultry, it should be a little hotter – at around 165 degrees.

For me, it’s black bean or veggie burgers all the way. But just remember, if you grill the life out of them, they’ll taste like burnt gross cardboard. They’re not made of meat so you don’t have to go crazy on the grill and overcook them. Your best bet? Read the package and test one right before you think they’re done. You can always leave them a little longer but you can’t undo over-cooking.

Want to share your favorite thing to grill with Laura McKenna? Please do! Email anytime: Laura.McKenna@civicmedia.us
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