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Grilling and/or BBQ

M maverickMember
Elizabeth Karmel on the Crimes Against Grilling
TY F&W magazine

COOKING WITHOUT HEATING THE GRILL
It’s really important: Just like you’d heat a sauté pan before you put food in it, it’s very important to preheat the grill to cook any foods properly. Preheating also sterilizes the grill by burning off any residue.

LEAVING THE LID OPEN
You would never bake a cake with the oven door open, right? Just like preheating is essential to proper cooking, so is temperature control.

IGNORING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIRECT AND INDIRECT HEAT
I’ve got a couple of good rules of thumb: If something takes 20 minutes or less to cook, use direct heat. If it takes more than 20 minutes, use indirect. And if you don’t know how long something takes to cook: The bigger it is, the denser it is, the heavier it is, the longer it takes.

INCINERATING YOUR FOOD
The hotter the fire does not mean the better you’ll cook your food. Most food is delicate and needs a gentle heat after you sear it. You’re going to get a better result and coax the love out of the food by treating it gently and with respect.

SLATHERING FOOD EARLY AND OFTEN WITH SAUCE
A lot of people marinate raw food in barbecue sauce, because they’re thinking, “Oh, I want barbecued chicken.” Sugar burns quickly. You want to make sure that the inside of your food is done and juicy at the same time that the outside is browned. It takes 45 to 60 minutes to grill bone-in chicken pieces and only 5 to 10 minutes for sweet barbecue sauce to set and caramelize. So brush your food with sauce at the end of the cooking time.
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R RothkoMember
quote:
Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
Good, if fairly basic grilling advice. Has nothing much to do with BBQ.

PH


Looks like the article is called "Crimes Against Grilling"

I think some people use "BBQ" to mean grilling as well.

An additional crime I would add is putting cold meat on the grill. Bring the meat to room temperature first.
M maverickMember
Crimes Against BBQ Brisket with Austin’s Aaron Franklin
TY F&W magazine

Crime Blotter: Brisket

1. Using the wrong cut of meat.
Proper Texas-style brisket is made with the “Packer” cut from a cow. Many grocery stores will only sell the “flat” cut, which has the fatty point cut off the meat. “You really need that fatty half on there. If you only have that flat cut, then you’re just going to be doing a Jewish-style, pot-roasty kind of thing,” says Franklin. Most butchers will be able to provide this cut of meat.

2. Positioning the meat incorrectly in the smoker.
To ensure a tender brisket and to prevent it from drying out, position the meat as far away from the fire inside the smoker, with the fatty end facing the flames.

3. Choosing the wrong wood.
It’s easy to over-smoke brisket due to its long cook time. This will result in a piece of meat that “tastes like liquid smoke.” To prevent this, it’s necessary to use very dry wood. Franklin prefers to use Post Oak that’s been cured for 9-12 months. This particular type of wood creates very little soot when it burns and imparts a mild smoky flavor to the meat. He uses 20-inch-long logs for his restaurant smokers, but suggests buying pre-cured wood chunks (“Wood chips should only be used to get a smoky flavor when using a gas grill,”) from a sporting goods store for a smaller backyard smoker.

4. Smoking at the wrong temperature.
It’s important to keep the temperature even and calibrated according to the size of the smoker. The meat gets much closer to the fire in smaller cookers, so for those, Franklin recommends keeping the temperature around 225 to 250 degrees (temps inside the trailer-sized custom smokers at Franklin Barbecue can get up to 375 degrees). Also be sure to position the smoker’s temperature gauge as close to the grate—and the meat—as possible. Many are at the top, which often leads to an inaccurate reading since heat rises.

5. Impatience.
“The biggest mistake I see is that people simply don’t let the meat cook long enough,” says Franklin. Trying to rush the process by taking the brisket off the smoker and finishing it in the oven, or wrapping the meat in foil to speed up cooking time will increase cooking time because the meat doesn’t have a chance to cook efficiently. Franklin recommends smoking the meat for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours per pound of meat. Finally, let it rest to seal in all the juices. “You just can’t force it—when it’s done when it’s done. And then you eat it.”
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by Rob_Sutherland:
I always thought wrapping in foil helped it get through the stall faster.


i'm not a fan of foiling

requires you to move the meat around to put it back in.

you'd still have to smoke it for 2-3 hours to get the smoke rings, take it out, wrap it in foil and put it back on again for some char.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
interesting,

i've never heard of the fatty end facing the fire for a smoked brisket

i would have thought you'd wanted all that fat and collagen to fall into the flat cut


The "fatty end" or point end of a whole packer brisket is much thicker than the other side, so it would make sense to position it closer to the heat than the thin end, in order to cook more evenly.
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
interesting,

i've never heard of the fatty end facing the fire for a smoked brisket

i would have thought you'd wanted all that fat and collagen to fall into the flat cut


The "fatty end" or point end of a whole packer brisket is much thicker than the other side, so it would make sense to position it closer to the heat than the thin end, in order to cook more evenly.


my smoker is 220-230 throughout, there is no "closer to the heat"
G g-manMember
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:

weber smokey mountain

the mid section is rock steady with the temperature


How do you like it? 18 or 22"? I was about to buy a used 22 but I don't think I need something that big and it just takes more fuel to heat up.

My brother has an 18 and for my uses I think it would be big enough.


for personal use 18 is enough

during bigger bbqs, I wish i had a 22 at times

18 fits 3 full slabs if you have a rib rack and fold it over.
S shanetMember
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:

weber smokey mountain

the mid section is rock steady with the temperature


How do you like it? 18 or 22"? I was about to buy a used 22 but I don't think I need something that big and it just takes more fuel to heat up.

My brother has an 18 and for my uses I think it would be big enough.


for personal use 18 is enough

during bigger bbqs, I wish i had a 22 at times

18 fits 3 full slabs if you have a rib rack and fold it over.


The 22" is the way to go. It eats a bit more charcoal, but the room to cook pretty much anything is worth it.
V vinomikoMember
quote:
Originally posted by Shane T.:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:

weber smokey mountain

the mid section is rock steady with the temperature


How do you like it? 18 or 22"? I was about to buy a used 22 but I don't think I need something that big and it just takes more fuel to heat up.

My brother has an 18 and for my uses I think it would be big enough.


for personal use 18 is enough

during bigger bbqs, I wish i had a 22 at times

18 fits 3 full slabs if you have a rib rack and fold it over.


The 22" is the way to go. It eats a bit more charcoal, but the room to cook pretty much anything is worth it.


Thanks for the tips and I'm 100% glad I went with the larger 22". Last week I did 2 - 8lbs pork butts overnight and glad I had the larger unit.

I also did 6 slabs of ribs a few weeks back and the larger unit paid off.

I'm addicted to BBQ now.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
Thought I'd pass this along to the serious BBQ'ers here. I normally use only my own rubs, but I came across a commercial one that is different (in a good way) than anything else I've ever tried. Hard to describe the flavor, other than it seems to enhance anything it touches, regardless of meat type.
It's called Tatonka Dust.
I'm not affiliated, just a very happy customer. I give it a strong recommendation.
V vinomikoMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
Thought I'd pass this along to the serious BBQ'ers here. I normally use only my own rubs, but I came across a commercial one that is different (in a good way) than anything else I've ever tried. Hard to describe the flavor, other than it seems to enhance anything it touches, regardless of meat type.
It's called Tatonka Dust.
I'm not affiliated, just a very happy customer. I give it a strong recommendation.


Good to know. I'll have to see if I can snag some of this. Currently this is my favorite rub for ALL pork. Really it is good on everything, fish, chicken etc. It is even good on popcorn.

Memphis Dust
V vinomikoMember
quote:
Originally posted by Merengue:
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:
Memphis Dust


This recipe has no "chili powder" nor cayenne pepper etc. I always see the need for some spiciness in the BBQ rub.


I'd normally agree but the rub is pretty dynamite. I also have two young kids and any spice turns them off unfortunately. I'm also a big fan of a hint of cinnamon in my rubs but the Memphis dust is surprisingly good as is.

Try it and tweak as needed if you want to add more spice.
V vinomikoMember
quote:
Originally posted by DoktaP:
Tonight we made a potlatch rub with everyday kitchen spices to put on our cedar plank salmon. Smells great and at a fraction of the cost of ready made William Sonoma potlatch at $15 for a 3 oz tin. Here's to hoping that it tastes as good.


Sounds good. Hope it turned out well.

Must have been a salmon weekend as I did some Coho on the WSM. 2 1/2 hrs with a dry rub (brine) rinse off well, pat dry and let sit in the fridge uncovered for 30 mins (start up WSM). Finished with a sprinkle of brown sugar, dried dill weed, dried oregano, granulated onion and garlic.

Used alder wood from Smokinlicious (Can't say enough good things about their wood).

Cooked at ~240 (was running a tad hotter than I liked) until internal temp was 140F and removed and loosely tented for 5-10 mins.

Was fantastic.

On a side note: I have pork belly curing in the fridge that I'm going to smoke this weekend. First time making bacon. Can't wait.
D doktapMember
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by DoktaP:
Tonight we made a potlatch rub with everyday kitchen spices to put on our cedar plank salmon. Smells great and at a fraction of the cost of ready made William Sonoma potlatch at $15 for a 3 oz tin. Here's to hoping that it tastes as

Sounds good. Hope it turned out well.

Must have been a salmon weekend as I did some Coho on the WSM. 2 1/2 hrs with a dry rub (brine) rinse off well, pat dry and let sit in the fridge uncovered for 30 mins (start up WSM). Finished with a sprinkle of brown sugar, dried dill weed, dried oregano, granulated onion and garlic.

Used alder wood from Smokinlicious (Can't say enough good things about their wood).

Cooked at ~240 (was running a tad hotter than I liked) until internal temp was 140F and removed and loosely tented for 5-10 mins.

Was fantastic.

On a side note: I have pork belly curing in the fridge that I'm going to smoke this weekend. First time making bacon. Can't wait.


Sounds delish. I love alder for smoking salmon and either maple or apple for my rainbow trout.

This afternoon, I'm grilling calamari in an oil,garlic, lemon and fresh oregano drizzle. Enjoying it over arugula and some Spanish Albariño wine. Fingers crossed. On a side note: the calamari were a pain in the ass to properly clean.
V vinomikoMember
quote:
Originally posted by mneeley490:
quote:
Originally posted by VinoMiko:

On a side note: I have pork belly curing in the fridge that I'm going to smoke this weekend. First time making bacon. Can't wait.


I did some yesterday. Are you hot smoking or cold?


For my first attempt I'm going hot smoked, low and slow (180-200) up to an internal temp of 140F.

I know a chef who smokes his bacon multiple times and says each time, up to about 4 or 5 times can add some extra depth/flavor. I think I'll just stick to once and see how it goes. I did have to break up the belly into a couple portions to fit in the freezer bags for curing so I could do 1 of them multiple times and compare.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
I've gone the cold smoke route, three 12-hour days of peach wood smoke. Came out pretty good, but my wife and I find we like the flavor and texture imparted by smoking for 12+ hours at a temp of 130°. That brings the IT to a range of 100°-115° when done, and doesn't cook the meat. BTW, this is for cured bacon only, I wouldn't advise smoking at temps this low with uncured pork belly.
G g-manMember
for drying purposes/making pancetta I don't

to make smoked bacon i do.

i dont drain because i want to make sure the curing salt #1 gets properly distributed in the bacon

when smoking i dont use curing salt so it doesn't matter as much. I also tend to make it sweeter in that case.

let me know how the multiple days of smoking goes, that to me, sounds kinda nasty. Like eating porky jerky flooded with liquid smoke.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
let me know how the multiple days of smoking goes, that to me, sounds kinda nasty. Like eating porky jerky flooded with liquid smoke.

I would not go days with a heavily flavored wood like hickory or mesquite, but a lighter wood like apple or peach, sure. That last 3-day'r with peach could've gone another 2 days and been fine. But as I said, I get practically the same results now with 12 hours of hot smoking, so I'd rather stick with that for now.

I have some free time coming up, and I think I'll try my hand at making some Disneyland-style turkey legs.
mneeley490mneeley490Member
quote:
Originally posted by g-man:
i am addict to those turkey legs

you foil it?

Never tried making them before. Why would you foil them? Sort of defeats the purpose of infusing the smoke?
From what I've read, Disney uses a brine containing cure #1 or TenderQuick, and <gasp> liquid smoke! I'm more of a purist. And since Disneyland and Disney World are both in orange country, I will use orange wood to smoke with.
Last edited by mneeley490
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