Broiling, sometimes called grilling, is cooking by the direct action
of fire brought almost into contact with the meat. The outer surface
is burned or seared, the albumen hardened and the juices, which have
a tendency to escape on the side turned from the heat, are retained
in the meat by frequent turning. The fire for broiling must be very
clear, intensely hot and high in the grate. The utensil required for
broiling is a gridiron, the bars of which are greased and heated to
prevent sticking and subsequent tearing of the meat. The gridiron is
laid quite close over the heat, so that the lower surface is dried and
hardened at once.
The meat must be turned at very short intervals before the juices have
been driven from the heat to the opposite surface. If once allowed to
reach the surface, they will be thrown off in turning and lost, the
meat being correspondingly impoverished. By constant turning the
juices are kept moving backwards and forwards, and the meat remains
moist and full of flavor. Each side should be exposed to the fire
about three times, and it is not desirable to use meat less than one
inch or more than one and a half to two inches thick for the purpose.
The thinner pieces should have even greater heat applied than the
thick ones, as the longer thin ones are exposed to the fire the
more dry and tasteless they become, while the thicker pieces may be
slightly withdrawn after thoroughly hardening the surface and cooked
rather more slowly that the heat may penetrate to the center. The
frequent turning must be continued, or the juices will reach the
hardened outer fibres, soften them, and escape.
If a double broiler is used the turning is managed easily, but with a
single gridiron care must be taken not to puncture the meat by using
a fork. Steak tongs are made for the purpose of lifting and turning
broiled meat, but a spoon or a spoon and knife will answer. A single
rim of fat on the chop or steak will tend to keep the edge moist and
baste the meat, but too much will cause flame to rise in continuous
jet, making the surface smoky. If there is absolutely no fat on
the piece to be broiled, morsels of finely chopped suet may be
occasionally thrown into the fire, so the sudden spurt of flame from
this source leaves a deposit of fat on the meat which improves the
flavor, and, without softening the albumen, prevents its becoming
uneatably hard and dry.