does black = burned?

[Pinny]

When you grill chicken, are you looking for black marks, or dark brown marks? If they are black, does that mean you burnt it?

I ask because I can't seem to cook high heat without my sauce or rub turning black. I was wondering though if maybe that's fine. I see "expert" grillers (read: neighbors, friends) who make blackened food all the time (ie: black lines or large areas of charred sauce), and I wonder if that's what's supposed to happen, or if these people just aren't as good as I thought.

 

[Phil Perrin]

This was our mantra when I was an Army cook,"If it's smoking,it's cooking. If it's black,it's done!" Just kidding! I'm not sure how the "experts" do it,but I always sauce near the end of the cook. Also,are you doing whole pieces,or boneless ?

 

[Ryan D]

To me black is burned. But generally it's the sugar in whatever you have on it that seems to burn. Have you tried grilling but indirectly? Also only sauce in the last 10 minutes so the sugar can't burn?

 

[Pinny]

Hmmm, I have heard people say to wait until the end to sauce, but I never got it, because bbq sauce will burn in 5 seconds on a HOT grill. But thinking about it, maybe if I turned down the heat and let it finish on indirect, I would have better luck. Or maybe if I only sauce the top of the food.

I do wonder still - there are things which are truly not done until they're blackened. One thing that comes to mind is pineapple. Without fail, the blackened pieces are the best.

Also, I was watching some Raichlen videos today, and all of his stuff comes out black as night on the bottom. Any explanation?

 

[Ron G.]

I think, like almost anything, IT DEPENDS:

Some of the best steaks I've ever had had a very thin "scorched crust" on the outside - they were seared at over 1000 degrees at a well-known local steakhouse.

If I'm doing it myself - some thin black lines are OK, but big black areas over major surface areas = usually NOT good.

 

[Brandon A]

I guess its up to personal taste, you can cook anything indirect the entire time and have little to no black char. Most people like a little char, and I suppose there are people who may like a LOT of char?

I'm in the "little char" camp, I cook everything indirect, burgers, steaks, brats, chicken parts, etc. When the fire is really going hot at the end of the cook I throw the meat over the raging coals and do the charing to finish.

If I have my meat on the <span class="ev_code_RED">fire</span> , I'm standing there with tongs in hand. I fished up this post of one of my chicken cooks. Indirect cook with a quick char at the end.

 

[K Kruger]

I am totally with Brandon. I cook virtually everything indirect. If the finish color is not to my liking (and this doesn't happen often) I will briefly go direct.

I don't sauce things while they cook though I do sometimes baste. (I dislike cooked-on sauce as I feel it ruins surface texture.)

Charring, imo, should be fairly minimal and, actually, brown to very dark brown, not black (although it can look black). What I want to avoid is actual black. Black usually has subtle to strong bitter notes. No thank you.

Grill marks/char lines can be achieved by heating the grate well then spinning it so that the portion that is over the coals is no longer. The meat (or vegs) gets immediately place on that section to line them. No direct required if the grate is hot enough. If more color is desired the grate can be spun back near or at the finish, or the items can be moved direct with tongs, for just enough time till the desired result is achieved.

Note that sucrose (table sugar) will caramelize (color) ~320 and burn >350. If cooking in the mid-300s this will take a bit of time as the surface temps of the meat and applied sauce will be lower for a little while due to evaporation. Over time (and moisture loss) the process will accelerate. At higher cook temps the process is quicker. The sauce can get dark to the point of looking black but not actually be black. Burnt sugar has an unmistakably bitter taste - and that is actual black. Note too, though, that fructose (fruit sugar) caramelizes and burns at lower temps. If you're going to sauce with one containing fructose keep an even closer eye on the process.