2 of 5

Write now Article Tools

The Art of Barbeque
I don't know of anyone who does not enjoy good barbeque. There are many different kinds of barbeque, the taste of which varies from region to region throughout the United States. Sauce based barbeques are more prevalent in the South, while in the Midwest regions dry rubs and seasonings predominate. The meats are varied from pork to brisket to ribs to poultry. One thing is agreed upon by almost all barbeque enthusiasts everywhere: true barbeque is slow smoked over low temperature fires. The fires are wood based. I first entered this world of true barbeque two years ago and I have been caught up in it ever since (my wife calls it obsessed). Let's look at the process of creating real barbeque from the smoker to the dinner table.

The very first step in creating good barbeque is finding something to cook on. Devices are as varied as the meats and sauces that people cook with. Some folks select gas or electric smokers, but many true barbeque cooks scoff at this, and think of those smokers as being for wimps. True smoke barbeque comes from charcoal or wood smokers. There are two main wood/charcoal smokers. The first is the tower smoker. This smoker is comprised of a cylinder or a rectangular box. At the bottom of the box is an area for fuel. This usually consists of a basket or grate for charcoal and a pan below that for the collection of ash. Directly above the fuel area is the cooking area. This area is for the meats to be smoked in. This area will usually contain several racks for different size of meats. The second type of smoker is called an offset. This smoker has two main areas, the smoking chamber and the side firebox. Both chambers are barrel shaped, with the smoking chamber being larger than the side firebox. The barrels are laid sideways, with the side fire box attached to one end of the cooking chamber. Fuel is loaded into the side fire box. An opening between the two chambers allows for heat and smoke to enter into the cooking chamber and surround the meat, exiting through the chimney.
The second step in good barbeque is fuel selection. Although some enthusiasts insist on either charcoal or wood only, the majority of people use a combination of both. I find it best to use charcoal as a main heat source and then include wood for the smoke. Charcoal selection is very important. I use natural charcoal exclusively as it contains no added chemicals or fillers. More important is the wood selection. It is imperative to use only hardwoods

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Unusual methods for cooking meat?
We want to hear your view. Write now!