Gas Grilling Temperatures Explained

Anyone who has tried grilling using a recipe knows that your food’s grilling temperature is the most crucial aspect to get the desired result.

Turning the burner knobs of your gas grill up or down adjusts the temperature between low, medium, or high heat; unfortunately, these terms are very subjective. To improve your grilling skills, it takes practice and knowledge of the surface temperature using a grilling thermometer or the in-built thermostat of your grill.

As a grilling enthusiast, this article will help you understand the basics of grilling temperatures.

How Do You Maintain the Desired Temperature on Your Grill?

Whether you swear by gas or charcoal, to maintain the desired temperature on your grill, you will need the following:

1. A proper grill has an in-built thermostat and burner knobs to help control and maintain the heat at your desired temperature.
2. An instant meat thermometer will help with accurate temperature readings with the help of the temperature guide. The in-built thermostat cannot always be trusted as it measures the temperature of the rising air instead of the heat around the meat.

Grilling Temperatures Guide

Temperature descriptions when grilling are often labeled by Low, Medium, and high. Here are the figures that correspond to these readings.

• Low – The low heat temperatures range between 200 ^oF – 300 ^oF. Low heat is most suitable for brats, pork, ribs, tenderloin, and vegetables.
• Medium – This ranges between 300 ^oF – 400 ^oF and does some justice on chicken, beef, and pork.
• High – This is as hot as it gets. It can reach as high as 700 ^oF, but most grills go from 400 ^oF to 550 ^oF, and this is best for searing steak, fish, turkey, and burgers.

Using the Hand Technique to Gauge Temperature

Without a meat thermometer, you can still approximate the temperature of your grill by how long you can safely hold your hand about 3 inches above the charcoal grill or propane grill.

• High ( 400 ^oF – 550 ^oF) : about 5 seconds
• Medium (300 ^oF – 400 ^oF) : about 4-3 seconds
• Low (200 ^oF – 300 ^oF): about 1-2 seconds

Manage Perceived Heat With Indirect Heating

Indirect heating allows us to control the food’s temperature by turning off all the burners except one or two on a gas grill. This technique enables slow cooking and prevents food from burning.

Even though charcoal grills add character to your food, managing their heat is a bit harder compared to electric or propane grills where you have ultimate control with the mere twist of a knob. With all these pointers, you’ll maintain the proper grill temperature to improve your grilling experience.