It is an old family story that my great aunt cooked the turkey until the legs turned black. Then she knew it was done. While this may be an interesting visual aid, it is hardly necessary with a timer and a meat thermometer. The meat is also more likely to be moist and flavorful well before the legs turn black.
Fortunately, Weber® has the perfect Grilling Guides to help you, whether you’re cooking on a gas grill, charcoal grill, smoker, electric grill, or Weber Q®. There is a guide in this pdf for you! (Grilling Guides)
The first step is to decide if your meat should be grilled by the direct method or the indirect method. (Direct/Indirect Grilling Methods)
Use the direct method for fairly flat foods like steaks, fish fillets, boneless chicken pieces, or vegetables. The trick is to turn only once halfway through cooking time.
Use the indirect method for larger cuts of meat like roasts, whole poultry, bone-in poultry pieces, whole fish, and thicker cuts of meat.
Before carving larger cuts of meat, let them rest for 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the internal temperature to rise an additional 5° to 10°F.
After you’ve made your game plan, readied the grill, decided on a cooking method, and preheated for approximately 15 minutes, it’s time to figure out the approximate cooking time.
Basically the thickness or weight of the type of meat, seafood, or vegetable you plan to grill will determine the approximate total grilling time. For instance, if you’re grilling a porterhouse steak that is ¾-inch thick directly over hot charcoal, your total cooking time will be 6 to 8 minutes.
Since you’re only to turn the meat once, set the timer for 3 minutes, turn the steak, close the lid and remove the steak after 6 to 8 minutes. And of course let it rest so the juices stay in the steak instead of on your carving board.
If the menu calls for Baby Back ribs, your grill should be set for indirect cooking with a 300°F to 350°F medium heat. The gas grill center burner should be off to moderate the heat, or your charcoal grill will have the ashed-over charcoal separated leaving an empty area in the middle.
Your 3 to 4 pounds of spareribs will cook for approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Check to make sure you have enough LP gas or enough charcoal to add the second hour.
An instant-read thermometer is helpful to gauge the internal temperature of thicker cuts of meat.
