Standing at the grill with spatula and fork in hand with a throng of hungry guests waiting for the feast, it is tempting to rush taking the meat off the grill. Instead take a few precautions so that those steaks, kabobs and chicken wings are done exactly right.

Charcoal grilling times can vary extensively due to how hot the coals are and if the meat is on direct or indirect heat. These are a few guidelines for time and temperature.

First it is important to buy a quality meat thermometer. This can provide the most accurate information about a particular piece of meat.

Remember the following temperature ranges:

Rare: 135-140 degrees
Medium: 150 degrees
Well done: 160-170 degrees
Chicken: 185 degrees

In order to coordinate the menu, it is important to have an estimation of cooking times. These are are typical cooking times.

Beef

Boneless Steaks: 8-14 minutes -Rare/12-18 minutes medium
Bone-in Steaks: 7-14 minutes medium rare/11-18 minutes medium
Hamburgers: 10-16 minutes

Poultry:

Boneless chicken breasts: 8-12 minutes
Wings: 25-30 minutes direct/ 35-40 minutes indirect
Drumsticks: 55-65 minutes
Turkey: 2-3 hours
Kabob cubes: 12-15 minutes

Pork:

Pork Tenderloin: 18-22 minutes
Ribs: 1 1/4 hours
Pork kabobs: 8-12 minutes
Chops: 12-16 minutes
Ham Steak: 6-10 minutes

Hot Dogs/Sausages

Pre-cooked hotdogs/sausages 4-6 minutes
Raw sausages: 8-12 minutes

Seafood and Fish

Fish Fillets: 4-6 minutes
Fish Steaks: 4-6 minutes
Shrimp: 5-7 minutes
Whole fish: 30-35 minutes

The timing is right, the temperatures have been checked and the wait is over for those mouth watering morsels. It's serving time! Put that spatula and fork into action. Your guests are hungry.

Learn more about this author, MJ Suttor.
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