Barbecue...
- WHETHER you spell it BBQ, Bar-B-Que, Barbeque or Barbecue, it all means the same thing: Good times in the backyard. Sizzling, juicy meat cooking on the grill. Cooking meat over an open fire made it's way into all cultures. However, when you dig a pit to concentrate the heat and capture the smokiness of the flame to coat the meat...you are now roasting the meat in a BBQ fashion.
- Throughout the Southeast, pork is the favored meat. This preference likely goes back to the colonial period, when pigs were let loose to grow fat on apples, nuts, and then captured and eaten later, saving the farmer effort and expense in sheltering and feeding the livestock. Virginia and North Carolina favor thin, vinegary sauces that provide a sharp contrast to the rich pork. The rest of the region goes for thick sweet tomato-based sauces that makes the most of local produce. The meat itself is sauced during cooking over the flame and is served mixed or topped by the sauce.
- To barbecue means to slow-cook meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal.
- Barbecue is a Southern cultural icon. Bound to the long tradition of Southern history, barbecue has become more than just pit-smoked pork. Its ties to history, and culture to make it one of the few aspects of life in the South that has not been significantly homogenized by the "Americanization of Dixie." Most Northerners do not understand the concept of barbecue, and are perfectly content to continue grilling hot dogs in the back yard, thank you very much. Barbecue remains a Southern phenomenon, one that can be embraced by Southerners of every race, class and political orientation. What constitutes true barbecue is another question, but arguing over barbecue beats arguing about other, more incendiary (no pun intended) topics. A rousing discussion over a plate of pulled pork makes for a healthy airing of opinions.
- The true art of barbecuing requires time and patience to do it right. The cooking is done at 225° in a smoke-enclosed barbecue for twelve to fourteen hours. Most people don't have the time to cook like this but still crave the taste.
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Direct Heat Versus Indirect Heat:
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There are primarily two methods of using a grill. Cooking directly over the heat source is known as grilling over direct heat. The food is cooked for mere minutes on a hot grill, and the lid is rarely if ever closed. Thin cuts of meat, fillets, kabobs, sates, and vegetables are good candidates for this method. Indirect heat is used for larger pieces of meat, such as thick steaks, roasts, and whole fish. In this method, the food is cooked just off the heat at about 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The lid is closed, and the cooking times are somewhat longer. On a gas grill this generally means firing up the two outside burners, and cooking the meat over the middle, unlit burner. When using charcoals, the coals are pushed to the sides of the grill, leaving a place in the middle to cook. Traditional barbeque is a form of indirect heat using very low temperatures over long periods of time. A gage is...the use of "direct heat" is ideal for searing meat and indirect heat for slower cooking. To address the question of "how slow", the answer is provided by a meat thermometer. Here are some temps for you:
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Well done: >= 130 deg.F for red meats (beef), >= 170 deg.F for white meats (pork & poultry)
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Medium done: =140 to 159.9 deg F (beef), 160 to 169.9 deg F (pork & poultry)
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Medium rare: >= 130 deg. F (fish), 130 to 139.9 deg.F (beef)
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Rare: 120 to 129.9 deg. F (fish), 120 to 129.9 deg F (beef)
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Direct Grilling is the most basic and simple way to cook. Foods are cooked, or grilled, directly over the heat. What can be simpler than that? There is one basic variation to direct grilling, however: leaving the lid up, or keeping it down. Direct cooking is the oldest method of cooking. You can do it with a piece of meat, a stick and a fire. It is the direct exposure to the heat that cooks the food. In this day and age we have cooking devices with lids. It is this lid that determines whether the food is grilled or baked. By closing the lid you hold in the heat and allow foods to be cooked all over.
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Imagine using a frying pan. The frying pan on the burner is using direct heat. The part of the food in direct contact with the pan is cooking. Now put the lid on that pan. The part of the food in direct contact with the pan is cooking faster, but the sides and top are also cooking because the lid is trapping the heat inside. The same principle applies to grilling. Open the lid and the rising heat will cook the bottom of the food. Close the lid and the trapped heat will cook the sides and top. Of course you still have to turn things over to get even cooking, but with the lid down you reduce the cooking time and cook through to the center faster than you would with the lid up.
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The foods you cook with direct heat are the traditional grilling fare: steaks, burgers, fish fillets, etc. Anything that is less than 2 inches in thickness should be cooked by direct grilling. These are things that generally cook quickly and benefit from the fast cooking of a hot grill. As for having the lid up or down, generally you want to go with down. The only reason to grill with the lid up is for items that need a lot of basting, or cook so quickly that having the lid down increasing the risk of over cooking.
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Any large food item or cuts of meat more than about 2 inches thick should be grilled indirectly.
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Indirect Grilling is more similar to baking than direct grilling. This method requires that the "fire" by built off to the side of where the cooking will take place. If you think of a typical gas grill, imagine having the burner(s) turned on, on only one half of the grill. This is the heated side. You then place the food you wish to grill indirectly on the unheated side and close the lid. Convection and radiant heat will then cook the food. Since the food is not being exposed to direct heat from the burners it will cook more evenly and be less likely to burn on the exposed side. Of course this also means that it will cook more slowly.
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This method of cooking only requires that you be able to enclose the food in some way, charcoal works just as well as gas. With a charcoal grill you simply build the fire on one side of the grill and cook on the other. When using a charcoal grill to cook indirectly I find it best to build the fire like you always would and then use a small metal shovel or similar tool to shift the hot coals to one side.
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Of course there are a lot of possibilities when it comes to fire building. With a gas grill you are limited in how you set up the fire. Burners have this annoying habit of either being on or off. When it comes to indirect grilling a burner on low is still too hot so it's off or on, how high depends on your target cooking temperature. However with charcoal you can build all kinds of indirect fires. Coals can be piled in the middle and food placed around the edge, the coals can be around the edge and the food in the middle, the coals can be on the side, well you get the idea.
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So what do you do if you have a small gas grill and only one burner. Well on of the tools you need for indirect grilling is a drip pan. This can be a heavy cast iron pan or a disposable aluminum pan. This pan sits under the cooking grate where you plan on doing the cooking. If you have a one burner grill then the drip pan should go in the middle with the food directly over it. The drip pan diverts the rising heat and creates the space you need for indirect grilling. The drip pan also catches all the drippings from the food and helps keep your grill clean.
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As I said you grill indirectly anything that will burn on the surface before it can get cooked through to the middle. This includes cuts of meat over 2 inches in thickness, poultry, roasts, etc. You also use this method for grilling with a rotisserie.
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Grilling Basic:
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The key to a successful BBQ is to have fun! Keep your ingredients simple and fresh, and make sure you plan and prepare before you start cooking. Following is some rules to observe to enhance your barbecuing experience.
Rule 1: Always keep your grill clean.
Rule 2: Use oil or cooking spray on your cooking grate when grilling low fat meats and other foods. Do not apply cooking spray to a lit grill.
Rule 3: Always give yourself plenty of time. Don't leave you family and/or guests waiting.
Rule 4: Always keep an eye on what you’re grilling.
Rule 5: Do not use spray bottles of water to control flare-ups. Flare-ups are caused by too much fat and too much heat. Trim excess fat and when you turn meat on the grill move it to a different part of the grill.
Rule 6: Do not add sugary or oily sauces or marinades to meat on the grill. This causes burning.
Rule 7: Keep your grill away from anything flammable like lighter fluid, fences, your house, etc.
Rule 8: Spice up your food a good hour before you grill. This lets the flavor sink in.
Rule 9: Use the proper tools. Forks are good for eating, not good for grilling.
Rule 10: Always make more than enough food for everyone.
Timing Is Everything:
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A table of grilling times is of necessity only approximate. There are a lot a variables, such as the difference between the 7 seconds Uncle Frank can keep his asbestos hands over the live flames and the 3 seconds your absolutely normal hand measures the same grill at the same time. Of course, a thermometer can measure the heat exactly, but where's the fun in that? There are other variables, less easily tested, that can make two seemingly identical cuts of meat cook at different times - exact thickness, texture, age, and temperature of the raw meat.
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That being said, timing is everything. There might be only a minute or two between a moist and tender chop and dry, tough shoe leather. So, check for doneness at the approximate time given in the recipe. An instant read thermometer is a good tool. Insert it into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, to measure the internal temperature of the food. The most popular method of ascertaining the doneness of the meal is, again, the caveman method. Slice the meat, and observe the color of the juices. If the juices are red, the meat is rare. Pink juices indicate medium rare, and well done meat will have clear juices.
Food Handling:
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Prepare all ingredients before you begin grilling. Not only is it unsafe to leave a hot grill unattended, but it can be very stressful to run back and forth between your kitchen and the grill.
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Do not allow raw meat and fish to come into contact with other foods. Use separate cutting boards, or thoroughly sanitize the one you are using. Wash with hot soapy water, spray with a 5 % solution of chlorine bleach, and air dry. Plastic cutting boards can also be sanitized in the dishwasher.
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Do not carve cooked meat on the board used to hold or cut raw meat.
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Cut the fatty edge of steaks and chops to prevent curling. Slice through the fat at 2 to 3 inch intervals, cutting just to the meat.
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Most basting sauces can be brushed on throughout the cooking process, the exception is sugar based sauces. Many commercial barbecue sauce preparations fall in this category. These tend to burn if applied too early, so apply during the last few minutes of cooking.
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Marinades should be boiled if they are to be used as basting sauce as well.
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Poking and stabbing the meat will cause the loss of juices that keep your meat moist and tender. Do not attempt to turn the meat with a carving fork. Instead use long handled tongs or spatulas to turn the meat.
Smoking:
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You can add a more distinctive flavour to your foods by adding flavourings such as any of the MASTERFOODS dried herbs while cooking. Dried rosemary, tarragon, sage or thyme are all great herbs for smoking. It’s a good idea to soak your herbs for about 30 minutes and drain well before cooking to help create the smoke flavour and aroma.
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For charcoal BBQs, sprinkle your herbs directly onto the coals before cooking. If you’re cooking with gas, put your herbs into a small foil pan and place the pan on the grill next to your food.
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The above techniques should help you achieve the perfect BBQ. All you need now are a few friends and family members. And when they smell the food, you shouldn’t be in short supply. Happy BBQ!
Charcoal Versus Gas:
If you have the room then I would suggest both.
Today you can even purchase a grill that can do both. With
today's busy lifestyles I suggest the gas grill for during the
weekdays and the charcoal grill for the weekend when you have more
time to slow cook.
American families today live dual lifestyles: During the week,
nearly 80 percent experience "frantic family syndrome," rushing home
from long commutes to pick up kids, supervise homework and throw
something together for dinner. But when the weekend comes
along, most opt out of the frenetic pace for two glorious days,
spending precious down time relaxing with family and friends.
Catering to these dueling lifestyles is a whole range of new combo
products designed to help consumers balance their daily activities,
including new dual-purpose products for the kitchen and backyard.
Among those is the Charcoal/Gas grill from Char-Broil, which gives
busy families two options in one grill that’s easy to assemble and
use.
During the time-constrained work week, the grill's gas burner is
ready for cooking in less than 10 minutes and cleans up just as
fast. Switch to charcoal for the leisurely pace of the weekend
-- simply remove the grid, and insert the charcoal pan and
multi-level cooking grate that locks into two positions for varied
cooking intensities. The burners light the coals with the push
of a button, so no lighter fluid is required!
The decision of grill type is which will meet your lifestyle needs.