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 perfect barbeque cooking.
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 surface and interior fats melt away and the particles become part of the external layer. The conditions are now perfect for the flavor compounds to spread. Some killer BBQ is right around the corner.
The second step is a time consuming one during which the actual cooking occurs. As the interior temperature of the meat climbs, proteins break down and become amino acids. As the sugars break down they lend a sweet flavor throughout. 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. The temperature has to be lower than what you’d use indoors to cook. When the temperature inside the cut of meat arrives at 200F, it should be removed from the smoker or BBQ grill.
The third step is where your meat completes the cooking process. While it cools down, there is still sufficient internal heat to keep altering the structure of the meat slightly. During this step, the tenderness of the meat will peak, creating a superb texture.
When the temperature drops below 165F, it’s ready to serve. Make a cut to check the color. If you’re cooking beef, it should be dark red; chicken needs to be white, and its juices should be clear. If it’s pork, it should be white with a gray tinge. The taste should be subtle and it should have an easy to chew consistency.
Now just sit back and enjoy your perfect BBQ.