BBQ / Meat: BBQ'n and Grillin' Tips and Discussion. Tips, and Questions

PitMaster

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BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

For All Things Smoked and Wonderful!


Please share your tips, ideas, experiences, and questions! Nothing beats a lazy day around the grill or smoker spent with good buddies, discussing The Tide and solving the world's problems in general :)

A few things I do, basic stuff, but it NEVER hurts to review the basics from time to time, no matter how high your skill level.

My number 1 tip - NEVER be afraid to experiment or try something different! Mix things up by creating your own rub or seasoning, sauce, marinade, or anything. Every great thing we have was first discovered by someone saying "Why don't I try..."

Do use a moisture pan when smoking

Do use a spray bottle to moisture the exterior of meats - I use apple cider vinegar and beer mixed for most pork dishes - the spray bottle also is handy when grilling to douse the random flare-up.

DO NOT
sauce until you are in the finishing stages - sauces contain sugars and they will burn. I like some char on my meat, but a little rustic char can soon turn into a full fledged burn.

DO realize that just like certain foods and wines seem to pair well together, so does certain meats and woods when smoking food.

This chart is from weber, linked below, and I pretty much agree with their assessments

http://virtualweberbullet.com/woods.html



Beef Pork Chicken Fish Comments
Alder X X - XX Delicate flavor
Apple XX XX XX XX Mild, fruity, goes with any meat
Cherry XX XX XX XX Mild, fruity, goes with any meat
Hickory X X X X Can be strong, mix with apple/oak
Maple X X X - Great with pork
Oak XX X X X Mild, nutty, great with beef and pork
Pecan X X X - Sweet, spicy, more assertive than oak

I as well find that oak and hickory can be a bit strong and pungent so use these with care - I think they are best used in concert with other, milder woods.

Mesquite is a wood I love to grill over, but extreme care must be used when smoking with it, as it as well can impart bitterness.

Generally, fruit woods impart a sweeter and fruity type flavor.

Maple works GREAT with ham in my opinion.

Cherry and apple provide a great color, and smoke ring when doing brisket or ribs.

IF I could only have one wood to use - I would be torn between apple and cherry.

DO log what you are doing when trying something new or different. Few things suck more than turning out the most wonderful delicious, and you can only guess at how to replicate it.

Looking forward to discussing a Great Southern Pastime with everyone!
 
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2003TIDE

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

I've got to where I mostly use apple. Maybe 1 or 2 chunks of hickory thrown in. I see you posted from VWB. You a bullet guy? I kinda miss mine. Had to get rid of it when I got my Kamado Joe(had too many grills.) The kamado is nice, but the weber had more room.
 

ddsmit

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

We use cherry chunks for smoking poultry, it gives the skin a nice reddish tint.
 

PitMaster

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

I've got to where I mostly use apple. Maybe 1 or 2 chunks of hickory thrown in. I see you posted from VWB. You a bullet guy? I kinda miss mine. Had to get rid of it when I got my Kamado Joe(had too many grills.) The kamado is nice, but the weber had more room.
Two good products you mentioned.

I have several smokers, and surprisingly one that has worked and lasted very well has been a $75 Char-Broil kettle

I do have a custom built offset smoker for big cooks, and I love it dearly
 

2003TIDE

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

Like i said my only regret is the WSM seems a lot bigger. I need a XL Kamado Joe
 

ddsmit

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

I use a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and apple juice to spray our meats. Good to have you on the board PitMaster.
 

PitMaster

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

I use a 50/50 mix of apple cider vinegar and apple juice to spray our meats. Good to have you on the board PitMaster.

You are a wise man :cool:

Cept I never measure mine :redface:
 

PitMaster

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

A couple of other basic but very important things.

Always remember to let meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting into it, so the juices redistribute within the meat itself. Also, when striving for a particular temp, such as a perfect medium rare - do not forget that the meat will continue to cook after its taken off the heat source. If you are using a meat thermometer comma allowed for the extra cooking time
 

PitMaster

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

It is tailgating and grillin time again :BigA: :) :cheers2:
 

day-day

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Re: BBQ'n and Grillin' Discussion. Tips, and Questions

When I cook a pork butt, I douse it with bbq sauce and wrap in foil after the first 4 hours of cooking in the smoker. From that point on, I only need to maintain a constant temperature. If I'm not cooking a lot of them, I will put the wrapped butt in a pan in the oven which allows me to maintain a 225F temperature with no maintenance to wood or charcoal.
 

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