Barbecuing 101 There are three basic styles of outdoor cooking: - Grilling
- Barbecuing
- Smoking.
Bruce Bjorkman, the author of The Great BBQ Companion, provides a quick primer on the basics of barbecuing and some of the more popular barbecue equipment. Grilling cooks food hot and fast; one of its objectives is typically to sear the outside of meats to seal in their natural flavors and juices. Temperatures for grilling range between 400 and 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Barbecuing and smoking are generally slower-cooking techniques, use lower heat and enhance the flavors of the foods gradually through such methods as repeated marinating and basting. Smoking is simply a variation on barbecuing in which the airborne smoke-residue from certain woods such as hickory, mesquite, oak or apple is used to help flavor the foods as they cook. There are several common varieties of barbecue equipment that allow you to perform a combination of these outdoor cooking techniques.
Grill Basics First introduced in 1960, the gas grill has become one of the most popular setups for backyard barbecuing. Most come equipped with two to four burners, which ignite easily and are used primarily to grill food quickly at very high temperatures. On a gas grill, cooking temperatures may reach more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit. With the addition of a smoker box, the gas grill can also be used to barbecue food and to do some rudimentary smoking. Moist wood chips are placed in the box and put directly over the burner so that smoke flavors will penetrate the meat during cooking. A makeshift smoker box can be made simply by using a shallow metal can, such as an empty tuna-fish can, to hold the moist wood chips. A Traeger wood-pellet barbecue grill burns compressed hardwood pellets as fuel. The specialized pellets are made from pure, compressed sawdust and are made especially for this type of grill without the addition chemical additives. As the pellets burn, they serve not only as the heat source but also as a smoking and flavoring agent. The fire box (the area of the grill where the food is cooked) is equipped with a heat baffle that helps disperse heat evenly, creating convection within the cooking chamber. A toggle switch allows you to select the type of cooking you want to do: grilling, barbecuing or smoking. Once set up, this type of grill does much of the work of barbecuing for you. A water smoker is a tall, cylindrically shaped grill that uses convection cooking. A charcoal pan housed in the bottom level of this grill provides the source for fire. To give your food a smoke flavor, simply add moistened wood chips (such as hickory or apple wood) to the charcoal in the bottom pan. About 12" to 18" above the heat source is a water pan that is filled with water to provide moisture and ensure that the meat does not dry out as it's being slow-cooked. Fruit juice or wine can be substitued for water to help flavor the food, if desired. Above the water pan are two separate grills that may be placed one over the other. Having multiple grill-shelves provides you with a greater area and allows you to prepare more food simultaneously. If you wish to use this style of cooker for standard barbecuing (rather than slow-cook smoking), simply place the charcoal pan on the bottom grill so it serves as a direct-heat source to the top grill. Then use the top shelf as you would in an ordinary barbecue grill. The standard kettle grill is one of the least expensive options, and is therefore perhaps the most popular piece of equipment used in outdoor cooking. It provides a deep container to hold wood charcoal for the heat source. The charcoal briquettes rest on a bottom grate that allows air to circulate underneath. For simple grilling, just use plenty of briquettes and cook using the direct-heat source. For barbecuing or smoking, use a smaller amount of charcoal, pile the briquettes to one side and cook on the other side of the grill using the indirect-heat method. Closing the lid and regulating the air-flow using the built-in vents on the grill allow you to control the cooking temperature. Add moistened wood chips to the charcoal to add smoke flavor to the food you're preparing. Web site resources for gas grills, general barbecue information and Brazilian barbecue (churrasco): Information and supplies for gas grills and accessories Barbecue gift packages and accessories One of the most popular sites about barbecue on the Internet -- great general information. A site dedicated to Brazilian barbecue (churrasco) About.com barbecue information, including a list of associations
RESOURCES :
Skewer Cooking on the Grill
Model: 1558671226
Author: Bob Simmons and Coleen Simmons
(1995)
Bristol Publishing Enterprises
Website: www.bristolpublishing.com
National Barbecue Association
National Barbecue Association
Douglas , GA 31533
Website: www.rbjb.com/rbjb/nbbq.htm
Barbecue Supplies (Barbeques Galore)
Barbeques Galore
Website: www.bbqgalore.com
The Great Barbecue Companion: Mops, Sops, Sauces, and Rubs
Model: 0895948060
Author: Bruce Bjorkman
(March 1996)
Crossing Press
The New Grilling Book: Charcoal, Gas, Smokers, Indoor Grills, Rotisseries
Model: 0696210290
Author: Kristi Fuller
(April 2000)
Better Homes & Gardens Books
National Agricultural Library (USDA)
USDA's national agricultural library
National Agricultural Library
Website: www.nal.usda.gov
Memphis Barbecue, Barbeque, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Q, B-B-Q
Model: 0925175161
Author: Carolyn S. Wells
Finger Lickin, Rib Stickin, Great Tasting Barbecue
Model: 0894802089
Author: Jane Butel
Workman Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.workman.com
Weber's Art of the Grill : Recipes for Outdoor Living
Model: 0811824195
Author: Jamie Purviance
(1999)
To order this title from Amazon, click here.
Chronicle Publishing Company
Website: www.chroniclebooks.com
On the Grill : A Complete Guide to Hot-Smoking and Barbecuing Meat, Fish, and Game
Model: 1558218068
Author: A.D. Livingston
Jerk: Barbecue from Jamaica
Model: 0895944391
Author: Helen Willinsky
The Cook's Encyclopedia of Barbecues, Grills & Outdoor Eating
Model: 0754808025
Author: Christine France
Weber's Big Book of Grilling
Model: 0811831973
Author: Jamie Purviance
Chronicle Publishing Company
Website: www.chroniclebooks.com
The Gas Grill Gourmet: Great Grilled Food for Everyday Meals & Fantastic Feasts
Model: 1558321101
Author: A. Cort Sinnes, John Puscheck
Harvard Common Press
Website: www.harvardcommonpress.com
Better Homes and Gardens Gas Grill Cookbook
Model: 0696000628
Author: Shelli McConnell (Editor)
Better Homes and Gardens Books
Website: www.bhg.com
Grill Products from Traeger Industries
Traeger Industries
Website: www.traegerindustries.com
GUESTS :
Bruce Bjorkman
Author and barbecue expert
The Great Barbecue Companion: Mops, Sops, Sauces, and Rubs
See resources for information on the book.
Traeger Industries
Web site: www.traegerindustries.com
Hayward Harris Jr.
The Rib Doctor
Respected authority on fine barbecue foods and supplies
Information private
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