I live in an apartment with a smoke alarm just outside of my kitchen. Needless to say, one notch down from just under the broiler element works best for me. It takes a smidge longer to get the blackened char, but it saves me from having my smoke alarm going off!!!! My rule of thumb is to watch it like a hawk!!!!!!
I guess distance would depend on the output of the broiler. On mine I need to put meat on the bottom rack or else it will resemble a charcoal briquette on the outside and raw in the middle within a few minutes. But just keep in mind if you know how to grill then your element is just upside down. All the same fundamentals still apply. It's just that your at the mercy of a non adjustable heat source so you might have to move your meat around a little (top shelf, bottom shelf). If you have convection capabilities this could work to your advantage with a broiler just but be careful.
Think of your broiler as an indoor upside-down grill and you will be just fine. Like an outdoor grill you want whatever you are cooking to be 4-6 inches away from the heat. 4 inches is usually best. Just be careful if you are cooking something with a lot of fat in it. If it splatters up and hits the element it can cause a flare up just like a regular grill. You can start an oven fire that way.
generally I do about 3-6". Kind of depends on what it is, but my oven is not the greatest and I don't have a huge range of options. I do tend to go closer, rather than further to get that hot, quick heat.
Actually, your broiler works really well for most things you'd throw on the grill. What you don't get is the smokiness of charcoal or wood, but how many people in the US actually bother with that anyway? I don't have a rule of thumb, I generally crank it as hot as I can get it and give it a go!
the best thing you can do is buy a baci meat thermometer. That way you won't have to guess at doneness when converting from one method to another. Once your meat hits the right temp, it is done. No cutting meat open, no poking.
8 Comments