The big smoker set-ups that professionals and competition barbecuers use consist of a fire box, a smoking and cooking chamber equipped with a water pan, and a temperature gauge (figure A). The pros use a technique known as indirect cooking, meaning that the source of heat and smoke is separated from the cooking chamber, and the flow of air, smoke and heat is regulated through a venting system that includes intake vents and smokestacks. These elaborate cookers are often custom-made and may cost thousands of dollars, but you can utilize many of the same principles using some simple modifications on your ordinary grill.
Paul Kirk, Kansas City's "Baron of Barbecue," offers some insights into the principles of smoking and shares tips for achieving some of the same results on your backyard grill.
Using an ordinary charcoal grill with the briquettes banked to one side of the grate, and with the addition of a metal pan filled with water, you've essentially formed the basis of a miniature version of a big smoker (figure B).
The suspended grate, covered by the grill lid, serves the same purpose as the smoker's cooking/smoking chamber (figure C). This is where the meat and other foods will be brought to the proper cooking temperatures and exposed to the smoke and steam that will enhance their flavors.
The exhaust ports (figure D) are the counterpart to the smokestacks and venting system on the smoker.
Many new grills have built-in thermometers for monitoring the cooking temperature inside the closed grill, but if yours doesn't have one, there's a simple solution: Purchase an inexpensive candy thermometer from a cooking-supply store. Insert the probe portion through a cork completely. The probe may then be placed down into one of the exhaust ports to give an accurate temperature reading inside the cooking chamber. The cork allows the indicator portion of the thermometer to rest securely on above the grill-lid (figure E).
Obviously, your small grill can't accommodate the large volumes of meat that a large smoker can, but there are some simple techniques for getting the most out of your limited cooking area.
Whole chickens, laid flat, take up a lot of room on a grill. By using a griller's technique eloquently named "beer-butt chicken,", however, you may be able to fit six or more whole chickens on an average-size grill. Using the opening that was made in cleaning the chicken, simply insert the whole chicken over an open beer or soft-drink can (figure F). This forms a "stand" for positioning the chicken upright on the grill.
Oriented in this way, the chickens take up far less surface space (figure G) and can be positioned on the grill so that they aren't in contact with one another.
With the chickens placed over a hot fire, the lid placed over the grill and the vents partially closed, the cooking temperature can be regulated and any flavoring from liquids or wood-smoke can be contained in the cooking chamber. The upright positioning of the chickens makes it unnecessary to turn them during cooking.
A similar technique may be used to cook ribs without utilizing a lot of space on the grill. Roll a slab of ribs into a cylinder shape and use skewers (metal or moistened-bamboo) or string to hold them in that shape for grilling. Place the "cylinder" upright on the grill for cooking and smoking, just like the chickens described above.
An alternative to the ordinary charcoal-grill set-up is the water smoker, a tall cylinder-shaped cooker built with all the necessary parts for slow-cook smoking. It employs a fire-ring (analogous to a firebox on a larger smoker), a smoking chamber, a water pan, two cooking grills, a lid and a temperature gauge. The functional design of these cookers makes backyard smoking simple for even the novice and may allow the cooking of twice as much meat as an ordinary charcoal grill. 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
GUESTS :
Paul Kirk
Kansas City's "Baron of Barbecue"
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