If you are craving grilled chicken, kebab, steak, or vegetables but do not have a grill then trying the oven can be a good idea. There is an option in our oven that we rarely use. The broiler function is the lurking secret that we can use to grill in our oven. The broiler can produce intense heat that is necessary for grilling the food. Let’s find the way of grilling in an oven using the broiler function.
Although broiling is different from grilling, it can produce a very similar taste to grilled foods. The prime difference is that it will give you heat radiation from the top of the oven. In the actual grill, the heat radiation comes from below the grates.
How you can grill in your oven
Setting the right temperaure
Grilling and broiling are cooking functions at high temperatures. The required temperature for these functions can range from 400F to 550F. However, some ovens have two broiling functions – high broil and low broil.
The temperature for low broil can range from 400F to 450F. Low broil is suitable for foods that require high internal temperature for fully cooked. Chicken breast and steaks are foods that should be cooked in low broil function.
On the other hand, high broil function may have a temperature range of 450F to 550F. This function is suitable for cooking thin and sliced vegetables, zucchini to have a quick crust outside layer.
Set the rack in a correct position
Positioning the broiling rack is a balancing act. In grilling, maintaining the right distance between the heat source and the food is important. The same theory goes for broiling as well. Your convection oven may have different layers to position the rack. The upper layers are closer to the heating element.
Therefore, if you set the rack in a lower position, the food can remain uncooked or look roasted. On the other hand, positioning the rack too close to the heating element may burn the food or even cause ignition.
To find out the right rack position, read the manufacturer’s recommendation. If you are not satisfied with the result, then try one step up or down. After experimenting a few times, you will be good at positioning the rack rightly that gives the results as per your expectation.
Keep the door open if allowed
If the manufacturer allows, keep the door of the oven open when grilling with the broil function. Don’t keep it open from the beginning. After broiling for a few minutes, open the door a few inches. If the door is open, it will allow better air circulation. Thus, it ensures a uniform and even browning.
Use the convection broil setting
If your oven has a convection broil setting, then use it for a better crispness. A convection setting will circulate the heat throughout the cooking chamber that ensures uniform browning. You do not need to keep the door open if you have a convection broil setting. The fan will circulate the air itself to ensure cooking uniformity that resembles a grill.
Use the grill pan
If you have a broil or grill pan, then use it during broiling with the oven. The excessive heat during the broiling process will render the fat of the food very quickly. The grill pan will help the excess fat dripping away while cooking.
You should place a solid pan in a lower layer of the grill pan to catch the fats that drip down. The grates of a grill naturally drip the fats of the food while cooking.
Bottom line
Grilling in the oven will not give as tasty and smoky flavor as cooked in a grill. However, you will still get a charred outside that is almost similar to a real grill. If you have the oven with broil function, don’t keep it idle. Try grilling your favorite chicken or steak barbq with the oven.