The Perfect BBQ in Three Simple Steps

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BBQ, to a traditionalist, means slow cooking. This usually includes using a smoker or a grill with a tight fitting lid and large surface. Your goal is to keep the food separated from the direct heat. To achieve this, you could trying moving around some briquettes or lighting the fire on one side only. This will give you an area of lower heat that will allow you to get started on infusing, the first of three steps to the perfect BBQ.

With infusing, your objective is to get all of the flavorful ingredients into the meat before the surface layer is cooked sufficiently to seal the inside. Sauces, rubs, fat and the meat’s juices intermingle with the heat and smoke to create a symphony of effects within the meat. Both the fats throughout the meat and on the surface dissolve and form an exterior layer. Now the stage is set for the movement of the flavor compounds. Some killer BBQ is right around the corner.

The time consuming second step is where the cooking actually takes place. While the inside temperature of the meat increases, the proteins break down and convert to amino acids. Sugars change their composition and spread their sweetness. Salt gets ionized and enzymes speed up. The outcome of all this chemical activity is the transformation of a hunk of meat into a savory main course.

Throughout this stage, smoke from any wood which has been added lends flavor to the finished product. The meat seals itself and internal juices are preserved, heated up and altered. This is the phase where the meat needs to pass most of its cooking time. Maintain the temperature at a lower level than what you use for indoor cooking.

Once the meat’s inside temperature reaches 200F, it’s time to take it off the BBQ grill or smoker.

In the third step, the meat continues cooking. While it cools down, there is still sufficient internal heat to keep altering the structure of the meat slightly. Throughout this stage, meat can become even more tender, creating a most satisfying meal.

Once the temperature has decreased to less than 165F, it’s time to dish it up. Slice off a bit and notice the color. Beef should be a dark red, and chicken should have become white and any juices should now be clear. Pork should be a grayish white. The flavor should be delicate and the texture easy to chew.

And voila, the perfect BBQ.