The Reason You Should Grill Only One Type Of Meat At A Time

If you're planning to have a grill out for family and friends, then you may want to think ahead, especially if you're planning on grilling both burgers and chicken or having a barbecue. It may be tempting to throw all of your meat on the grill at once. However, you should reconsider doing this for multiple reasons — most importantly different types of meat have different cooking requirements.

For this reason, along with some others which we'll get to in a minute, it's better to grill one type of meat at a time even if it takes longer. You see, beef, chicken, and poultry all have different internal temperatures they need to reach to be safe to eat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whole cuts of beef like steaks as well as poultry and lamb must be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, chicken and other poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Because these meats should be cooked at different temperatures, you're increasing the risk that your food may cook unevenly. For instance, those steaks may be a bit crisp by the time your chicken is done if you put them on at the same time. 

According to USDA, it's typically fine to cook chicken alongside beef for instance. That's assuming all the food reaches a safe temperature and is fully cooked to kill bacteria. However, if the food is cooked unevenly or you accidentally use utensils or plates already exposed to raw meat, you open up the risk of cross-contamination.

Certain kinds of meat like chicken, which contains both white and dark meat, are already tricky enough to cook without adding beef or pork to the mix. Likewise, different types of meat run the risk of different harmful microbes, which could contaminate other meat at your barbecue. According to Healthline, ground beef has a risk of containing the bacteria E. coli, which can cause various ailments including kidney failure and even potentially blood clots. On the other hand, poultry such as chicken commonly contains Salmonella, which can also make someone sick. By cooking meat one type at a time, you lower the risk that you accidentally undercook something or spread a harmful microbe to an already cooked piece of food. 

If you're only cooking one meat type at a time, then you've probably run into an age-old question — how do you keep your meat from getting cold? No one wants a cold chicken leg because it took an extra amount of time to cook those burgers. Well, fortunately, there's a simple solution to this issue or should we say solutions. If your grill has a warming rack, then you have a convenient way to keep your meat warm while other cooks. Far more than just an accessory, a warming rack comes in handy when grilling multiple kinds of meat. Once your meat finishes cooking, simply place it on the warming rack and prepare to cook another type. This will keep the meat out of the charcoal's flames but the heat from the grill will prevent it from getting cold. 

Alternatively, you can also use a bit of aluminum foil to cover the meat to prevent heat from escaping while it sits. Don't forget about your stove either. Simply place the meat on an oven-safe tray and let it sit on a low heat setting while the rest cooks outside.