Great BBQ starts with high quality fresh meat.Use prime or choice grade cuts from a reliable local butcher. Select meats that are well marbled and rich in colour. Choose cuts that are well suited for BBQ-Smoking & the Grill. Choose from free-range, organic, grass fed and well marbled Beef Brisket, Beef Ribs, Pork Shoulder, Pork Ribs, Whole Hog & Chicken.
Rub secrets...
Use a fresh spice rub recipe to enhance and not cover up the natural flavor of the meat. Experiment with different spices and flavour combination's or use a classic recipe. When applying the rub cover the meat thoroughly then wrap in plastic or tin foil and store in fridge for 2-12 hours. The rub spices used on your meat should be the base for any bastes, sprays or sauces you add to the same meat.Equipment secrets...
Buy a quality bbq-smoker and accessories. Learn everything you can about your BBQ-smoker by practicing. Learn how to control your fire, heat and smoke. Learn where the hot and cold spots are in your smoker. Practice with lower cost cuts of meat and different rubs & sauces. This will build up some fat & smoke residue in your smoker, which only adds to the flavour of future meats. Try different types of woods with different types of meat for different smoke flavours.Cooking secrets...
Heat and temperature control is a secret to great BBQ cooking.Be patient and let the cooker do the work. Low & Slow is the motto. Let the meat come up to room temperature before you start cooking. Monitor your cooking temperatures throughout.
BBQ-Smoke time will vary depending on the type of meat, the cut and its weight. You will be BBQ-Smoking meat between 2-4 hours (Chicken, Ribs) and 12-18 hours (Pork Butt, Beef Brisket) @ (200-235F) in order to reach an internal temperature, in a pork butt for example of (185F). The ideal cooking temperature is (215F).
Smoke secrets...
Research the the various characteristics of different BBQ woods. Use mild woods. Use fruit woods. Oak, Hickory & Cherry are the most popular woods used in Southern BBQ. You need 1 hour of smoke for every 4 hours of cooking. Do not to over smoke the meat.
The Smoke Ring The bright pink ring is evidence of the penetration of the aromatics into the meat. The more pronounced the smoke ring the better! The reddish color is caused by nitrogen compounds in the smoke reacting with myoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in muscle tissue. Nitrates not only color the meat but act as a preservative, inhibiting bacterial growth. The red smoke ring is a good thing and should not be mistaken for raw uncooked meat.
Southern BBQ History
BBQ Restaurant Tour - Watch video tours of BBQ Restaurants across North America.
The 10 Secrets of Championship BBQ
How-To-BBQ - Watch videos on how to prepare meat & BBQ recipes.