Expert: Whitestag - 4/14/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi!
I have never done any grilling before. Kindly  advice what is the  best meat cur for grilling?
I have read something about brining. Can i put the meat to be grilled in a brine(salt and water mix) and thereafter marinate it before grilling.


ANSWER: Your question is so general that it's kind of hard to answer, but I'll give it a shot.  The best meat cuts for grilling are whatever you like.  Steaks, chops, burgers, cut up chicken or other poultry, firm fleshed fish -- any of these will work.  The one thing that you need to watch out for are those cuts that generally require long cooking times with moist heat at low temperatures.  Those are doable, but require a lot of skill and I wouldn't recommend them for entry-level grilling.

As for brining, everything depends on the cut of meat.  Poultry does well with brining, but I've never heard of anyone brining beef or lamb.  I can't speak to pork, since I don't eat it.  Brines should include sugar as well, in an amount equivalent to the salt.  Never use table salt for brining -- use kosher salt or pickling salt or sea salt.  As whether to marinate after brining, that depends on why you're marinating.  If you're marinating for flavor, it's unnecessary because you can spice up the brine so that it will perform the same function.  If you're doing it for tenderness (vinegar- or lemon juice-based marinades, e.g.), go ahead and do it.

Sorry to be so general, but I really can't go into specifics without knowing what kind of meat you plan on grilling.  I'll answer a follow-up question, but keep in mind that I can't help you with anything pork-based.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the swift reponse. I actally wanted to know if i can grill red meat cuts of chuck.
I actually wanted to use the marinate for both flavour and tenderness.
Thanks  

Answer
Well, it's possible to grill chuck, but not ideal -- it's a pretty tough cut of meat, and is usually cooked by braising or as a pot roast.  You might be able to tenderize it a bit using an acid-based marinade or possibly by using unpasteurized pineapple juice (it contains an enzyme similar to what's in meat tenderizer).  You'd have to experiment.  The advantage of chuck is that it's one of the better tasting cuts of beef.  But I'd advise using a different cut -- sirloin, rib, skirt, porterhouse, or the like.  Those don't need tenderizing and require minimal seasoning because they're pretty flavorful to start with.