Alex Baker has Version 2.0
available on his web site
The BBQ FAQ is available in three formats. Microsoft Word 95 (FAQ2-W95.ZIP)
Microsoft Word 97 (FAQ2-W97.ZIP), and plain ASCII Text (BBQFAQ-2.ZIP)
The Adobe Acrobat version is still under construction as of 6/14/98.
The files have been compressed with PKzip to minimize space and
download time.
Version 1.0
Edited by Bill Wight
Last Updated 7/27/976
This is the mini-Frequently Asked Questions of
the BBQ List. We hope
this list of questions and answers will get you started going
in the
right direction in the land of barbecue. This document was edited
by
Bill Wight. Please direct comments, corrections or additions to:
wight@odc.net.
This mini-FAQ and the full FAQ were put together by the BBQ List
FAQ
Team and various list contributors and I wish to give credit to
the
people who did a lot of very hard work bringing this document
to you.
The FAQ Team:
Ed Pawlowski, Lloyd Carver, Tom Kelly, Dan Gill, Bear, Rock McNelly,
Rodney Leist, Garry Howard, Bill Wight
So let's get started with some questions and answers. Much more
information on barbecue will be available in the full FAQ.
[Who are we, and what do we do here?]
We are list subscribers to the Rick Thead BBQ List. We're just
a bunch
of down-home folk, a lot like you. We like to sit around the barbecue
pit, watching the smoke rising out of the stack, drinking a beer
or a
Dr. Pepper and having us a real good chat about barbecue, the
size of
the universe, the meaning of life and other important stuff.
Definition of terms:
SWOCS A barbecue pit made by Southwest Outdoor Cooking Systems.
An
offset pit that uses gas for fuel and to heat and burn wood chips
or
pellets to produce the smoke. The company ceased operations in
early
1997.
ECB El Cheapo Brinkmann smoking pit. Refers to a vertical water
smoker made by several manufacturers that costs in the neighborhood
of
$30. Can produce, in the hands of a skilled pit-master, prize-winning
barbecue.
MD Mindless Drivel. A term used for postings to the BBQ List that
are utterly without any redeeming social merit, sort of like smut.
'I
can't describe it, but I know it when I see it'. Also known as
'Total
Waste of Bandwidth'.
NBBD An offset firebox smoker pit manufactured by New Braunfels
called the Black Diamond.
Hondo A pit like the NBBD, made by the same company, with a metal
shelf instead of a wooden shelf.
SnP A smoker pit manufactured by Brinkmann called the Smoke N
Pit
Professional. It is similar to the NBBD.
Lazy-Que A derogatory term used by wood-burning pit traditionalists
referring to those who choose to use gas or electricity to fuel
their
pits and wood chips/chunks for smoke. The Lazy-Q'ers thereby relieve
themselves of the necessity to expend any but the most trivial
effort in
the act of barbecuing.
Pseudo-Q or Faux-Q (don't say this one out loud) Meat that is
boiled
in water (parboiled) and then finished on the grill and served
with a
barbecue sauce containing liquid smoke product. Also used to refer
to
foods cooked in the oven that simulate real barbecue.
Larding A technique for use with very lean meats where slabs of
fat
are placed on the outside of the meat. This acts like a fatter
piece of
meat and bastes the meat as it smokes. The slabs of fat can be
1/2 to
1" thick and can be held in place with cotton string, the
kind you'd use
to tie a rolled roast with.
KCBS The Kansas City Barbecue Society. They sanction many barbecue
competitions.
Thread A series of list or newsgroup posts that share the same
subject with each subsequent contributor adding something new
to the
current subject.
[Tell us, just what is barbecue?]
Ed Pawlowski--
There are many interpretations of the term 'barbecue' in the world.
Some people use it to describe a social gathering and cooking
outdoors.
Others use it to describe grilling food. For our purpose here,
we are
using the term to describe meat, slow cooked, using wood smoke
to add
flavor. There is equipment designed just for this type of cooking.
Barbecue is not grilling. Grilling is cooking over direct heat,
usually
a hot fire to sear the outside of the meat. Barbecue is cooking
by
using indirect heat and cooking low and slow. The smoke from the
wood
gives barbecue its unique and delicious flavor.
[I've seen it spelled: 'barbecue', 'barbeque', Bar-b-que, Bar-B-Que,
and
'BBQ'. Which way is correct?]
Darned if we know. It tastes the same to us no matter how we spell
it.
For this FAQ, we will use the spelling: 'barbecue', from Mr. Webster's
big book and the abbreviation 'BBQ'.
[How do I subscribe to the BBQ List?]
To subscribe to the Thead BBQ List, set your Web browser to this
URL:
Follow the directions to unsubscribe to the BBQ List
Posting guidelines:
As with any newsgroup or list, there are certain courtesies that
all
subscribers should adhere to.
1 We are all friends here. There should be no posts that are
insulting or degrading to any members of the list.
2 There are women and kids on this list, so all posts should be
respectful of that audience.
3 This list is about barbecue. Keep off-topic posts and mindless
drivel posts to a minimum.
4 Avoid sending posts to the list that are devoid of any real
information content to the list members.
5 Everybody appreciates a joke or humorous story once in a while,
but
these should be limited to stories that are appropriate to this
list,
i.e. stories about Q and Grilling.
6 Nothing in doing barbecue is written in stone here. Everybody
has
their own way of making Q. Diversity is a good thing.
7 When you reply to a post by another list member, cut the original
post to the minimum number of lines necessary to make a meaningful
reference. Please save the bandwidth--the Internet is getting
to be a
very crowded place.
8 Remember, we're here to have some fun and to share information
on
barbecuing.
9 When you post a message to the List and you have a barbecue-related
question, make sure that the subject line reflects your question.
i.e.
'Subject: How do I smoke fish?' You'll get answers that way--boy
will
you get answers. If you post your question to the List by replying
to
an existing thread, that thread may have nothing to do with your
question and people may delete your message from their in-box
without
reading it, thinking it was related to a thread they no longer
wanted to
read about.
10 Advertising on this list is discouraged. If you do it, expect
to
get flamed big time. If you can condense your ad to a couple of
lines,
put it in your signature. Then no one will complain too loudly.
If
someone asks questions about your product or service, just answer
them
by private email.
[Where Can I Find The Archived Digests?]
The Archived Digests are not available at this time. Check back
from
time to time and we'll let you know when and where they are available.
Where Can I Find The Recipe Archives?
Set your Web browser to this URL:
http://infoest.sbc.edu/barbeque.html *note barbeque is spelled
here
with a 'q'
[Where Can I Find the full FAQ and Updates Of This FAQ?]
This FAQ will be posted to the Thead BBQ List on a periodic basis
and
will be the latest version available.
The full BBQ List FAQ is still under construction and version
1.0 is
scheduled to be completed and posted to the Thead BBQ List on
or before
September 1, 1997. The full FAQ will thereafter be posted and
updated
on a monthly basis. The Full and Mini-FAQs will also be available
for
downloading on Dan Gill's BBQ Survival Guide Web page at:
http://members.tripod.com/~DanGill/Survive.HTML
[Can You Tell Me Something About Barbecue in General?
This portion of the mini-FAQ was written primarily by Ed Pawlowski--a
barbecue pitmaster and teacher of Q par excellence. It is to help
the
novice barbecuer get started and to help him or her find the information
needed to cook excellent barbecue. Recipes are abbreviated here,
as
there are as many variations as there are cooks. Look at the ones
that
seem appealing to you and try them. Excellent books abound, as
well as
information on the various web sites, newsgroups and other mailing
lists
on the Internet. Check the recipe archives listed above and barbecue-
related Web sites listed below. There are hundreds of barbecue
recipes
available.
[What is the best way to learn how to barbecue?]
Put the engineering books away. This is cooking meat here. There
is far
more art than science, more alchemy than chemistry. Get some wood,
matches, and meat and go to it. You will learn far more by building
a
fire and watching the results than anyone here can tell you. There
is no
instruction book on making good Q.
Editor--
Six months ago I was a Q-newbie. I found the BBQ List and started
reading the posts. I asked a few questions, got a few answers.
I found a
copy of the book "Smoke and Spice" by the Jamesons at
the library and read it
cover to cover. I downloaded the recipe archives. I bought a new
electric
bullet water smoker for $40. I started barbecuing with a pork
picnic roast. It
was a success, as were my ribs, brisket, chickens and fish. I
then borrowed my
neighbor's charcoal-fired bullet water smoker. After reading all
the posts on
pit fire and temperature control, making a fire with lump charcoal
and keeping
the temperature right where I wanted it was easy--the whole chickens
I barbecued
over the lump charcoal was some of the best chicken I've ever
had. It was the
great guys on this list willing to share their knowledge of barbecue
that made
that possible. So if I can do it, so can you. My next stop along
the barbecue
road is a full-sized wood-burning pit.
[Will the smoke preserve my food?]
There are two types of smoking, cold and hot. Cold smoking is
a method
of preserving meat. First the meat or fish is soaked in a brine
solution, then smoked cold at temperatures of 100F or so. Bacon
is done
this way. Hot smoking is really smoke cooking. It is done at
temperatures in the 225F range and will not add any preservation
to the
foods. This FAQ is devoted to smoke cooking.
[What meats are used?]
Beef briskets are favored in Texas, pork shoulders in North Carolina,
ribs in Kansas, chicken in Louisiana. Much of the regional favoritism
is due to the type of animals raised in the area. Seafood can
also be
smoked in this manner.
[Why cook the meat so long?]
Barbecue is an evolution of cooking technique that involves using
the
tough, cheaper cuts of meat and cooking them until they are tender.
Brisket comes from the breast area of a steer that does a lot
of work
and tends to be very tough. This is also true for pork shoulders
(the
forelegs of the pig). These cuts of meat have a lot of fat and
collagen, the material that holds the muscle together. Long slow
cooking transforms the collagen from a tough material to a gelatin
that
dissolves. This can take hours at a temperature of about 160F.
[What is a rub?]
Often meats are seasoned before cooking by application of a dry
rub. It
is a blend of spices and herbs rubbed onto the meat to enhance
flavor.
There are many variations. Most rub recipes include: salt, paprika,
chili powder, garlic and onion powders, black and red peppers.
There is
no limit to the imaginative use of spice combinations.
[What's the best kind of smoker for me to buy and what will it
cost?]
You can spend as little as $30 for a Brinkmann water smoker or
tens of
thousands of dollars for a custom built rig. Most of us spend
less than
$500. Keep in mind that equipment is only part of the story. A
good
pitmaster can turn out good barbeque on simple homemade units
costing a
few dollars. Starting out, consider the Brinkmann Gourmet or similar
units that cost about $50. Once you have mastered barbecuing on
one of
these pits, you can move up to an offset firebox smoker that runs
about
$200 (the NBBD or SnP) or a more expensive unit.
[Are they all wood-fired? Can I use my gas grill to BBQ?]
It is the wood that is used to generate the smoke. That is the
common
denominator of all barbecue pits. For a heat source, some use
charcoal,
wood, gas, wood pellets, even electricity. Traditionalists use
wood as
a fuel, but many of the newer units work well with charcoal. A
gas or
electric smoker with wood chips for the smoke can do a very good
job of
making barbecue and be much less labor intensive in keeping the
fire at
a steady temperature.
The common backyard gas grills are not air tight enough to do
proper
smoking, but you can still get some flavor by using the wood chips
in a
pan over the lava rock. Use one burner and keep it as low as possible
and put the meat on the other side of the grill, elevated if you
have a
top rack.
[I've seen some inexpensive water smokers. Are these smokers any
good?]
There are two main types of BBQ smokers, horizontal and vertical.
The
horizontal smokers usually have a firebox offset to the side to
provide
the heat and smoke. I highly recommend the vertical water smokers
to
the beginner, especially if you are not sure if this is the way
of life
for you. They are very capable cookers and can turn out prize-winning
food.
There are three basic types of vertical water smokers, segregated
by the
fuel they use: wood or charcoal, gas, or electricity. All can
give the
beginner very good barbecue.
Vertical smokers are more compact and can be cheaper to build.
A good
example is the $30 Brinkmann, the better $50 Brinkmann Gourmet
and
others made by Weber and Char Broil. What they have in common
is a
water pan. This is what differentiates the smoking process over
indirect heat from grilling over direct heat. The water pan is
a buffer
between the heat source and the meat. It also acts as a heat sink
and
thermal mass, lessening the temperature spikes often seen while
adding
fuel to the fire.
The original Brinkmann had two pans, one for water, one with a
hole in
it for the charcoal. Due to someone burning down his deck, they
no
longer provide the hole in the bottom pan. This restricts the
airflow
and makes it more difficult to use. See the full FAQ for information
on
how to modify your smoker to make it work more efficiently and
to give
you better barbecue.
Start the coals with a chimney starter and let them burn until
a white
ash covers the coals. Put the water pan in place. To make clean
up
easier, spray it with Pam first and put in a foil liner. Pour
in some
hot water. I suggest hot (almost boiling) because it will get
the food
cooking faster instead of wasting the heat output to bring the
water up
to temperature. To add water during the cooking session, use a
long-
nose water can or similar item. Open the door, not the lid, and
pour,.
If you are using an electric or gas-fired water smoker, lift the
dome
lid and pour the water past the meat into the lower water pan.
DO BE
CAREFUL WHEN YOU MOVE OR POUR HOT WATER, AS SERIOUS INJURY CAN
RESULT
FROM UNSAFE HANDLING. FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER'S SAFETY GUIDELINES
FOR
YOUR SMOKER.
It is best to pre-start coals if you must add more than a few.
This can
be done in a bucket or other pan. Use tongs to transfer the coals
to
the smoker. If the temperature drops, give the coals a stir with
a
metal rod. Re-bar and old Studebaker lug wrenches work well for
this
job.
After you use the smoker a few times, you can experiment. Instead
of
water, leave the pan empty, but cover it with foil, much as if
you were
making it into a drum. You will still have the buffer, but the
smoker
will now operate at a higher temperature. If you have a well in
the
center, or place an aluminum pan on the top, it will still catch
the
drippings from the meat.
You may want to add a more accurate thermometer to your smoker
to
supplement or replace the simple thermometer that came installed
in the
dome of your smoker. Most important is knowing your smoker. Note
the
needle position of the factory gauge--the actual number will not
matter.
After a few tries, you will know if the temperature is running
too hot
or too cold. The end result is what counts.
Resist the temptation to peek. You release a lot of heat and smoke
every time you lift the lid. You can use wood chips, pellets,
or chunks
to get the smoke you want. Just put them on top of the burning
coals.
Chunks should be soaked in water for an hour or two before hand
so they
do not burn up too fast. It only takes a few chunks to turn out
good
smoked food.
[Is it really possible to get good barbecue from an inexpensive
water
smoker?
Frank Boyer--
There is a gentleman named Harold F. from Oregon who has ten or
so
Brinkmann water smokers, and he often uses up to four units to
compete
with. He has won the Oregon state championship, as well as taking
first
in ribs [open] and brisket [invitational] at the 1994 American
Royal
Barbecue Championship in Kansas City. The invitational is all-state,
comprised of champions or winners of previous cook-offs. There
are over
50 cooks competing and the cook-off is KCBS sanctioned. If you
learn to
use your water smoker, world class results can follow.
The RE Max team at the KCBS of 1995 uses 2 or 3 Weber water smokers
and
has won many events. The Weber units cost about $170 and are the
highest quality of all of the water smokers, and they have the
best air
controls.
[Can I make good BBQ on a gas or electric smoker using chips of
wood?]
Danny Gaulden--
I just want to say this. Sometimes we ole pros and perfectionists
get
so carried away with the long, slow, wood-only, "perfect"
Q'ed product,
that I think we get some of the beginners thinking that if they
can't do
it that way, then just don't BBQ anything. That's horse hockey.
If you
have the time, and gain the experience, then do it the old-fashioned
way....it can't be beat. But if time is short, your experience
level
low, or you're just plain lazy, there's nothing wrong with a little
faster smoking time, or using a gas or electric pit. It can still
be
damn good, and better than most anything you will ever put in
your
mouth.
You can make excellent barbecue on a gas or electric smoker--no
question
about that. However, the very best barbecue comes off a wood-fired
smoker.
[How do I maintain an even temperature inside the smoker?]
Regulate the amount of fuel in the fire. Dampening down the burning
wood can make the fire smolder and make a heavy bitter smoke.
It is
better to use less fuel burning at a high temperature rather than
a lot
of fuel burning at a low temperature. If the temperature gets
too high,
open the door to release the heat. Short temperature spikes and
drops
are normal and will not affect the end result.
There are two approaches here. One is the Lazy-Q way, letting
an
electric or gas-fired system make your life easy. The other way
is to
have a traditional wood-burning pit. The Lazy-Q'ers are often
at odds
with the wood purists. Have to say though, the wood burners work
harder
and have more skills to make their Q good. It is more challenging,
both
mentally and physically to keep a fire in a narrow, low temperature
range for a long period of time.
You have to learn to think ahead, not for what the thermometer
says now.
You have to anticipate. Using a baseball analogy, the batter starts
his
swing long before the ball is over the plate. He has to figure
out
where it is going to be and has to be there to meet it. Same with
wood;
you have to know how long the coals will be hot, how long for
the next
log to catch, what the wind will be doing, what effect the sun
or lack
of it will have on the smoker. What works at 2 PM in the afternoon
is
not going to work at 2 AM the next morning when that brisket is
still
going.
The sun affects the heat of the smoker. On a 90F day, you have
a
differential of 135F from optimum cooking temperature. Later that
night, you have a 175F differential. At night you'll have no heat
absorption of the sun's IR, and a slight breeze may carry off
lots of
BTUs from the surface of the smoker and you'll have a stronger
draft in
the flue.
[What's the best kind of wood to burn and do the different kinds
of
smoking woods 'taste' different?]
The southwest uses a lot of mesquite, the south uses mostly hickory,
the
northeast has maple. The main reason is because these woods are
plentiful in those areas. Any wood from a nut or fruit bearing
tree can
be used. Do NOT use any softwood. The resin in conifer wood (pine,
fir, spruce, etc.) will ruin the meat and make you sick. The main
types
used for barbecue are hickory, oak, mesquite, apple, pecan and
cherry--
grapevines are good for flavor too. There is more information
available
in the full FAQ regarding smoking woods.
[Can you make good Q with briquettes and what's the difference
between
lump charcoal and charcoal briquettes?]
Charcoal is made by burning wood with very low oxygen levels.
This
leaves mostly carbon. In this form, it is known as natural or
lump
charcoal. It will be of irregular shaped pieces of wood broken
up. If
you shake the bag, it sounds like the tinkle of broken glass.
Briquettes are different. The charcoal is ground into a powder
and then
additives are introduced. The additives can include starches,
coal
dust, oil products and other binders. Under high pressure, the
ground
charcoal and additives are formed to the regular shapes that are
familiar to us. The advantage touted by the manufacturers of briquettes
is the consistency of the product in heat output and burn rates.
Lump
charcoal has a higher BTU rating per pound and is preferred by
many
barbecuers. Never use the easy-light type charcoals for slow cooking.
They have additives that must be burned off at high heat and if
used in
a smoker will give your barbecued meat nasty flavors.
[How can I modify my NB Black Diamond/Hondo (Brinkmann S n P)
to make it
work better?]
There are instructions on how to make these modifications in the
full
FAQ. They include tightening the lid with gasket material, extending
the stack inside so it reaches down almost to the grill level,
and
putting a baffle between the firebox and cooking chamber to force
the
heated air lower.
[My door mounted thermometer read 220F the whole time but it took
a lot
longer than I expected for the meat to get done. Why is this?]
The thermometer on the door is giving you the temperature at the
door.
Cooking temperatures are defined as the temperature at the rack
where
the food is. All smokers have hot and cold spots as well as temperature
stratification. Heat rises so the readings at the top can be 50
or more
degrees F hotter than at the rack. Use an oven thermometer on
the rack
to find the difference in your smoker. Keep in mind, it can vary
depending to how it is loaded, so you will want to try this several
times. Once the difference is known, you can make the adjustment
by
knowing that you have to keep the door thermometer at a certain
temperature so the meat cooks at 225F or so.
[What is a smoke ring?]
Smoke rings are produced by a chemical reaction between the meat
and the
penetration of the smoke. You will see a smoke ring on meat barbecued
over a wood fire. It is a pink color that extends from the outside
surface into the meat. It's thickness is dependent on several
factors,
such as the type of smoke and the duration of smoking. See the
following section about chicken for a better understanding of
the
chemical reactions involved. You will only see a smoke ring in
your
meat if you are using a wood-fired smoker.
[Why is my BBQ chicken pink? Is it still raw?]
No, the smoke has a reaction with the chemicals in the bone and
meat.
The meat turns a pink color even though it is thoroughly cooked.
Ash is
loaded with potassium and sodium nitrates. This reacts with
oxymethyglobin to form nitrosaminoglobulins and gives us the pink
color
of hams, lunch meats, hot dogs, and smoke rings.
Man has known this for a long time and has been using salt to
preserve
meat. It was found that nitrates are a natural impurity in salt.
This
was isolated and used to chemically cure meat.
[When do you use a dry rub and when do you use a marinade?]
Much depends on your personal choice. Marinades penetrate into
the meat
and can flavor and tenderize it . Rubs are put on the outside
and can
add flavor only.
[Can you give me a few recipes for dry rubs and marinades?]
Dry rubs contain some salt along with other spices. Many have
sugar in
them to take the bite out of the spices. Experiment to find what
you
like.
Dry Rub for Ribs
This is for sprinkling on spareribs or pork shoulders before you
barbecue them. Use heaping measures when you are mixing it and
do not
skimp when you use it.
Sprinkle this on chicken and turkey before barbecuing.
6 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. black pepper
2 Tbs. pepper powder
2 Tbs. garlic powder
2 Tbs. ground bay leaves
1 Tbs. paprika
2 Tbs. dry mustard
==================
A simple marinade is 8 ounces each of cider vinegar, lemon juice,
two
ounces of Tabasco, a few cloves of crushed garlic. You can use
beer and
onions or you can use Dr. Pepper or Coke, or all three together.
Another simple marinade is to just combine orange juice and beer.
There are many dry rub and marinade recipes in the BBQ List recipe
archives.
[When do I apply the BBQ sauce?]
Finishing sauces, especially those with tomato and sugar, should
be
applied only at the very end of cooking. If applied too early,
they
will caramelize, burn and turn black from the heat.
[What's a mop and when do I use it?]
Mops are basting sauces used to add moisture during the cooking
process.
They usually contain liquids that can take the heat with no ill
affects.
They consist of one or more of: beer, wine, beef broth, fruit
juices and
some spices. Apply them about every hour during cooking.
[How do I BBQ really good tasting and tender pork ribs?]
Everybody likes ribs, especially baby backs. On the fat side of
the rib
there is a membrane over the fat. From one corner, cut it with
a knife
and work the rest of it with your fingers. Pull it off working
to the
other side. You can marinate them or you can put a rub on them.
Remember, ribs are thin so you do not want to pile on the rub
like you
would a large piece of meat. Just a light coating on each side
will do.
Fire up the smoker and get it to a temperature of 225F on the
grill. If
you put them on flat, place them fat side up. If you want to save
space,
use a rib rack to stand them on end. Smoke baby backs for about
4
hours, spares about 5 hours. You will see the meat pulling back
on the
bone when they are done. Serve with a little sauce on the side.
Opinions vary, but the meat should be the star, not the sauce.
Sauces
are to accent the taste of the meat.
[How do I BBQ North Carolina-type pulled pork?]
True NC pulled pork is a pork shoulder smoked over hickory. You
can use
either the picnic half or the butt half as it is difficult to
find whole
shoulders. Each half will weigh about 7 to 8 pounds. Smoke gently
until the meat is very tender. This takes from 8 to 12 hours,
keeping
the meat at 160F. It is ready when the bone moves easily. The
meat
should be ready to fall apart. Pull or chop the meat, putting
it into a
container. Eastern NC style uses a sauce consisting of cider vinegar,
salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Variations include sugar to
offset
the vinegar. About 12 ounces of sauce to 6 pounds of finished
meat.
Mix this together, refrigerate overnight so the flavors meld together
and serve on white bread buns, perhaps with coleslaw on the top.
[Can you tell me what went wrong?]
[I tried to smoke a 3.2 lb. sirloin tip roast yesterday. Held
220F as
best I could (you know how that is). Had rubbed it with pepper
and
garlic after oiling the outside, hit it with oil once more and
sprayed
it with water every hour or so. Was on for nearly 6 hours and
the
internal temp never exceeded 138F It was rather dry inside.]
Edwin P.--
My guess is that while you were waiting for the temp to go up,
it was
just drying out. I've done sirloin tip, but for less time and
it was
good. Could be that it was just a dry tough piece of meat anyway.
[I'm new at barbecuing. Other then burning burgers in my backyard
or on
those highly sanitary permanent grills at all city parks I've
never
REALLY cooked. I finally broke down and bought me a New Braunfels
smoker. The problem is the meat turned very black and was bitter
(esp.
the briskets). I expected some blackening of the meat due to the
smoke
but the briskets were so bitter my dogs laughed at me. Any help
would
be appreciated.]
Edwin P.--
OK, this BBQ List is the place to learn. Step one is to quit your
job.
There are more important things in life than working and BBQ is
one of
them. You can work part time in the winter, just enough to buy
some
meat for making Q.
The bitter and dark smoke you encountered was from having too
big a fire
dampered down too low. You want a small amount of fuel burning
to make
the temperature you need. Smoldering will produce heavy smoke
and it
also makes a bitter taste. Open the dampers and control the temperature
by the amount of fuel. If it gets too hot, instead of closing
the
damper, open the door to release the heat. Most of all, practice.
You
will get better each time.
Tom Kelly--
First piece of advice from a Q-newbie like me would be ignore
the NB
instructions to use the exhaust damper. The group says, and I
follow
their advice, to leave the exhaust damper wide open. Otherwise,
you can
get incomplete combustion and the bitter creosote flavor.
Belly--
Rule 1----small fire, big open damper,
Rule 2----big fire--- you get burn bad tasting meat
Rule 3----small fire, six pack, good meat, ten hours slow cooking
call
me I be glad to check it out for you.
Rodney Leist--
Probably one of the biggest hazards to great tasting Q is stale
smoke.
The reason for including a few words about this subject here is
because
bad wood is often blamed for bitter tasting Q. More often than
not, the
real culprit is smoke that has been trapped in the meat chamber
and
allowed to cool and condense on the meat. ALWAYS leave the exhaust
vent
completely open to prevent smoke from becoming trapped and cooled
in the
meat chamber. Use the inlet vent to control the fire. Trapped
smoke
picks up bitter flavors from creosote buildup in the chamber,
cools,
and deposits them on the meat, just like a rain cloud. Stale smoke
can
also be caused by the fire cooling too much due to lack of attention
or
attempting to add too much cold wood into the fire chamber. No
matter
what the cause of stale smoke, the meat comes out the loser.
[I purchased a Brinkmann charcoal water smoker last year. I'm
having
some problems with temperature control. The temperature drops
as the
hours go by even though I have the same size fire. Any ideas on
this?]
Scott Mark--
When you light a big pot of charcoal, with the smoker top portion
off,
there's plenty of oxygen available. All the coals get burning;
all the
coals get hot; all the coals give off a lot of heat.
When the smoker top gets put in place, the air flow gets cuts
back quite
a bit. The coals slow their burning rate, and they don't generate
as
much heat. The overall amount of heat being transferred to the
smoker
is less. As the smoker burns, ash accumulates, further reducing
airflow. The only solution I've found that works well is to lift
the
entire smoker off of the fire pit (my smoker is actually three
parts:
fire pit, cylinder, and top) and then use a shovel to dump the
burning
charcoal on top of a grate (getting rid of ash, which is also
removed
from the fire pit) and then reloading the fire pit with the burning
charcoal and more that is already burning. Because of the lack
of
airflow, adding non-burning charcoal to the pit doesn't do much
good.
In addition, my understanding (from the School of Southern BBQ)
is that
all charcoal briquettes give off a bad smell while they are lighting,
even if no lighter fluid is used. Something to do with the binders
used, as the problem is not supposed to exist for true lump hardwood
charcoal, which you may or may not be able to buy.
So you don't want to add charcoal briquettes to your smoker anyway,
unless they are already well lit.
[I smoked a brisket. It tasted great but had the texture of old
tires.
It was still juicy but was very gristly and sinewy. Did I overcook
it?]
Rick Thead--
It was undercooked. Brisket is just about the nastiest piece of
meat
out there. It really has to be cooked past the point of 'doneness'
to
be edible. But, IMHO, when cooked properly, it's the best BBQ
there is.
If you are having trouble keeping the temp on the smoker up, then
smoke
it as long as you can for flavor, then wrap it in heavy duty foil
and
finish it in a 250 to 275F oven. I'm not recommending this as
a
preferred method, but in some cases, it's the only way to go.
Here's how to tell if a brisket is ready: check it by feel. I
happen to
use one of those small instant-read thermometers to track how
the meat
is doing. I found that I can tell by the feel when I insert it
in the
meat if the meat is 'done.' You could also use a carving fork,
but try
not poke any more holes in the meat than necessary. When you can
feel
that the thermometer glides in without any resistance, it's done.
If
you feel any resistance (it feels like it's hitting gristly meat)
it's
not ready yet. If you've ever cooked corned beef (usually brisket)
the
principle's the same. Anyway, if you check the meat periodically,
you'll
be able to detect the shrinkage of the tough part. Shoot for about
160F
internal temperature.
[I have, perhaps, a boneheaded question: Is it possible to over-smoke
something? The last time we smoked some meat, it had a very harsh,
acrid, taste that was not appealing. Simply put, it was sour!]
Larry Willrath--
Sounds like you might have gotten hold of some green wood or your
smoker
is very dirty--I would check the type and age of the wood and
the
condition of your smoker--I use some green wood but try to limit
it to a
1 hr burn or not to exceed 15% of the total smoke cycle.
Frank Boyer--
Different smoker manufactures recommend to use wood that is from
a
couple of weeks old to totally dry. I have cooked large quantities
of
ribs and left 10 to 20 slabs in the cooker after I served. The
slabs
pulled out when they were done were good, and the ones that sat
in the
cooker after I stopped putting wood in, had a very bitter taste.
What I
am guessing happened is that after the fire died down the smoldering
wood imparted the bitter taste on the slabs. So what might have
made
the difference on your "over-smoked meat" was that the
fire died down,
started smoldering and caused the bitter taste. I have cooked
brisket
up to 16 hours and whole hog for 25 hours and never had a bitter
taste
problem. Some people say preburning the wood will eliminate the
bitter
taste, also.
Mike Cain--
I've run into situations of using green or wet wood--beware of
molds or
other natural fungi that can grow on the bark of these pieces.
There are
some pretty scary looking and smelling grungies that can accumulate
on
certain pieces of wood which could affect the flavor of the smoke,
especially at lower temperatures.
[I recently purchased New Braunfels Black Diamond Smoker. I keep
running into the same problem when I try to smoke briskets and
Ribs.
There is too much smoke. The ribs have a smoke ring all the way
through
them, and the Brisket is way to smoky. When I cook the ribs, I
use a
lot of regular charcoal, and only one 12" piece of Hickory.
What do you
suggest?]
Stephen J. O'Connor--
I had a similar problem with my OK Joe of a similar design. I
had the
problem when burning straight wood though.
The problem with these units, is the temptation to build a fire
big
enough that you don't need to tend it so much. I kept having to
choke my
fire down after getting it going. I made the mistake of trying
to
control my fire with the top vent, rather than the intake. This
resulted
in stagnant smoke and a sooty flavor.
Be moderate with your fire, even though it will mean more tending.
Regulate from the intake rather than the exhaust, even though
it is
slower to respond. Lastly, give up regular charcoal and get lump
charcoal--it gives a much cleaner flavor.
Frank Boyer--
Try using 2-3' chunks of flavor wood. Hickory is one of the strongest
woods, Pecan is mellower. Make sure that you have a good air
flow...Don't control the outlet airflow. If the smoke smells nasty
the
meat will taste nastier.
[What goal should I aim for in my barbecue? How should I judge
that it
is good enough?]
M. Baudoin--
"I've made ribs that make grown men fight and chicken that
has made
women faint."
(Sounds like a pretty fair goal to me. --Editor)
We hope that this mini-FAQ has answered some of your questions
and
helped you get a start on making some great Q. So come along with
us,
join the list, lurk for awhile and then jump right in with a question
or
a comment.
