What Are The Best Meats For Broiling?

Everyone knows how to use an oven; they're simple for a reason. You just set the desired temp, turn them on, and wait. But there's another setting on there you've definitely seen, but perhaps haven't used for yourself: broil. And the broiler can be a great way to cook meat if you use it correctly. A lot of times with proteins, you want directional heat. So, what meats work well under the broiler? The biggest rule to follow is this: if you can cook a meat on high heat, you can cook it under the high heat of the broiler. This means a ton of meats are in play — but it also means you should avoid anything that requires low-and-slow cooking, such as brisket.

Instead of the general indirect heat of baking, a broiler will generate directional heat from the top of the oven down, giving it some key advantages when you want to specifically cook one part of something more than the others. There are even pans specifically for use in the broiler (even if broiler pans can be a bit of a pain to clean).

Nearly any type of steak is great here, and pork shoulder or ribs (pork or beef) are always winners. Burgers work well too, as do many cuts of chicken. Just be aware that the heat is coming from above rather than below. 

In addition to the obvious fact that an oven is far easier to deal with than a grill, another advantage of the broiler is also that it's not nearly as likely to dry meat out, as the heat is intense and directional, rather than direct. This puts meats like pork chops (which you generally shouldn't cook on a grill because of their low fat content) into play. The disadvantage of using the broiler vs. grilling is that you don't get that lovely smoke flavor, but the advantages can make up for that.

A common refrain here is the thickness of the meat in question; thinner cuts of meat will handle the broiler better than thicker ones. Thus, while you can broil chicken breast, if it's your only cooking method, you're probably going to want to butterfly it. Another good example? Bacon works great under a broiler. If you're using a grill pan in the oven, flipping the bacon halfway through a broil tends to turn out better than just using the bake setting.

While you could exclusively use a broiler to cook a cut of meat, it's usually best to use it in conjunction with other cooking methods. That's not to say there are no times you want to use just the broiler — the bacon example is a particularly good one — but the best use for the broiler is as a finisher.

Because of its ability to generate a browning effect without drying meat out, a broiler is a fantastic way to take something that's mostly cooked and add a great crust. This applies to a lot of different proteins. Steak is the classic example, but it also works if you've herb-seasoned the top of a piece of fish and want to make sure it crusts well.

If you've never tried out your broiler before, you should really change that. It can save you time and effort — and produce a better meal in the process.