Everyday Barbecue (eBook)

9780345543646|excerptMixon / EVERYDAY BARBECUE

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HOW IT'S DONE

Remember this, folks: My job here in this book is to show you that barbecue is food that you can enjoy every day. I'm going to break it down and make it as easy as possible for you to make at home.

Six different cooking methods work for the recipes in this book:

1. Smoking on a smoker

2. Smoking on a charcoal grill

3. Smoking on a gas grill

4. Grilling on a charcoal grill

5. Grilling on a gas grill

6. Using an oven

Now I don't want to confuse you with too much information up front. So what I'm going to do is offer up a general primer right here, right now, and give you all the steps you need to adapt just about any recipe in this book to whichever your preferred cooking method may be. And along the way if there's additional information you need about cooking methods, I'll give it to you then and there.

How to Ready a Charcoal Grill

Spread coals on the bottom of the grill.

Using lighter fluid: Pour the lighter fluid on the coals as directed in the instructions, and move away from the grill before you strike the match.

With a chimney starter: These are the very popular 6- to 8-inch-wide cylindrical canisters with handles attached that make good fire starters. To light charcoal (or wood, either way), place a few sheets of newspaper or some lighter-fluid-touched charcoals in the bottom. Place the chimney on the charcoal grate, touch a lit match to the newspaper or charcoals, and the coals will begin to blaze. When most of the coals are white-hot, lift the chimney and dump out the coals into the base of the grill.

Spread the hot coals on the bottom of the grill. It may take up to 30 minutes to get to 500F (for high heat). Use the hand-pass test to determine the heat: For medium-high heat, rake the coals into a slightly thinner layer and let them burn 5 to 10 minutes longer, so your hand can linger over the coals comfortably for about 5 seconds (count to 5 slowly: one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc.), if you can make it to five without having to pull your hand away, the temperature is right. For medium heat, spread the coals even wider along the bottom of the grill and do the hand-pass test for 7 to 8 seconds. For medium-low heat, let the coals burn for 10 to 15 minutes longer than you did for medium-high. You should be able to hold your hand six or so inches above the hot coals for 10 seconds.

The last thing to do before laying your meat on the grill: Make sure your grill grate is clean. The kettle itself can be smoke-and-spice seasoned, a condition that imparts another layer of flavor onto your meat, but you need for that actual grate to be pretty free of encrusted leftovers. When the grill is heating and you've already lit the coals, it's in its 'preheated' state: First, brush the grate with a long-handled wire brush. Then use a spatula to scrape off any pieces of debris. Now oil the grates, and there are two methods that work for me. In a hurry: Using heavy-duty potholders, carefully remove the cleaned grate from the grill and spray it with nonstick cooking spray or some olive oil from one of those misting canisters. A little more time: Leaving the grate on the grill, take a couple of sheets of folded-over paper towels, dip them in about cup vegetable oil to coat, and, grasping the oil-soaked paper towels with tongs, rub them up and down the bars of the hot grate.

How to Ready a Gas Grill

Set all burner dials on high. Preheat until the temperature reaches...