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Written by Bill Daley, MCT
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Thursday, 31 May 2007 |
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Barbecuers have a range of options: back-yard pits, piano-sized custom smokers with rotating racks, and even old refrigerators jerry-built as smokers. Most of us, though, will use our charcoal, gas or electric grills.
Using a grill can be a challenge, but it can be done. Look at your owner's manual, for starters, for manufacturer recommendations.
GOING SLOW
The key is slow, even cooking at a relatively low temperature. "You want to keep the temperature just about the level that the meat will register when done," write Cheryl and Bill Jamison in "Smoke & Spice." "Since pork needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees, you barbecue it at 180 to 220."
Other authors insist such low temperatures are more the province of experienced barbecuers. Amateurs should expect grill temps closer to 350 degrees. While you should still expect slow cooking that will take hours, make sure to have an instant-read thermometer to check doneness.
Maintaining level heat is easier with gas- or electric-powered grills. Charcoal grills will need occasional replenishment. Jamie Purviance, author of "Weber's Charcoal Grilling: The Art of Cooking with Live Fire," recommends adding 10 to 12 unlit charcoal briquettes to the lighted charcoal every hour or so. What sort of charcoal to use is up for debate. Many prefer hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes because of the additives used to form the latter. Use a chimney starter or an electric charcoal starter; lighter fluid can leave an aftertaste.
USE INDIRECT COOKING
Set up the coals for indirect cooking. Some ring the outside of the grill, leaving the center free for the meat. Others pile coals on two sides or one side. It's your choice. Place a drip pan filled with water below where your meat will sit. When the coals are hot, sprinkle wood chips or chunks soaked in water over them.
GO EASY ON THE WOOD
"A novice barbecue cook may not realize that the major heat source in barbecue should be the charcoal," writes Mike Mills, the Illinois-based restaurateur and champion barbecuer, in his "Peace, Love and Barbecue" cookbook. "People who get all of their heat directly from wood will oversmoke their meat. Smoke should be an ingredient, not the main taste you notice when you take a bite. "
CLOSE THAT GRILL
Still, when you close the grill keep it closed, said Ed Mitchell, who used to operate Mitchell's Ribs, Chicken and BBQ in Wilson, N.C.
"We don't peek," said Mitchell, who cooks up whole hogs in the eastern Carolina tradition."
You want to maintain that steady heat and you want the smoke from the smoldering wood chips or chunks to do its job. | Only registered users can write comments.
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