Well, you would not surf without a surfboard or sky-drive without a parachute, so it is going to be hard to Barbecue without the right equipment. Many start off with a cheap grill and then wonder why their food comes out either raw, burnt to a crisp, or both. Some of the first chicken thighs I cooked had skin that was so burnt it
was black as charcoal and the meat by the bone was raw. After that, when I told the family I was going to Barbecue, they told me they had all become vegans. I knew for the sake of my family’s health and for my own self-esteem I had to do my best to master this wonderful art of cooking called Barbecue.
The first step was learning the basics, starting with ensuring you have good equipment. Now you do not need to spend a lot of money, but this is not an area you want to buy cheap. Here we go.
The Grill or the Smoker
So you know I have both grills and smokers. From little take to the beach ones and I need three people just to move it. What I have found besides size and weight that each one has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
Grill
For steaks, chops, skewers, and seafood, I prefer the grill. These meats are usually tender (no slow cooking needed) and can cook fast at higher temperatures. You are also cooking with direct radiant heat. A steak is a good example of meat that is cooked best using a grill for it is cooked well on the outside (you want the char) but needs to be less cooked in the inside (you want it medium). Ahi tuna is also another meat that you want the inside less cooked than the outside.
Now, this is not the same for poultry. There, you want the meat to be cooked the same way all the way through.
If you start with a grill you can buy a decent charcoal or gas grill for around $200 and that will let you feed the family. If you are going to feed the neighborhood or entertain all your friends you need to look at something not just bigger but also better. Better grills do a better job of evenly heating the food and allow you to visit more with family and guests and not have to be constantly watching that you do not burn down the house.
Smoker
Now on to the smoker. This might be the most misunderstood outdoor kitchen device. Most people will say I don’t want a smoker cause I don’t want all my food tasting like smoke. Well, there are electric smokers that unless you add wood don’t produce any smoke but can still cook food. A smoker is really just an indirect heat oven. There is no direct radiant heat like a grill. Like an oven, the air is heated and then moved around to heat the food from all sides. Many wood pellet smokers actually cook like a convection oven for they use a fan to help burn the pellets but also distribute the heated air all through the cooker.
There are many types of smokers. There are wood, wood pellets, and electric. I prefer wood pellets, but each has its advantages. If you are starting I would go electric (plugin, add water, wood chips, food and wait) or pellet (plugin, add pellets, food and wait). Wood is for purest and requires a whole lot of work, but most of the more celebrated BBQ restaurants (Franklin’s in Austin) only smoke with wood smokers.
Now What?
So you got this great Grill or Smoker and you just cannot wait to burn, I mean cook something. Well, if you plan the event, chances of success are high. If you “Wing It” failure is just around the corner. Let’s start with what you need to succeed.
Gloves
You need two pairs. One for handling raw food and the other for handling cooked food. The links are to show you what I use, but as long as they are of good quality, they will work.
Disposable food handling gloves keep you, family and friends, from getting sick. When handling raw poultry you need to treat it like it is radioactive. Here are the facts, one in four pieces of raw chicken carry salmonella, and salmonella from poultry sickens 200,000 Americans a year, according to government data. The good news is when you cook it all of that bad stuff dies and then is safe to eat. I prefer the gloves that you need to order by size for they fit tight and give you more control over what you are handling.
So you just finished that fifteen-pound brisket and you need to move it to the kitchen so you can wrap it up. Well, it is going to be HOT and HEAVY. Also don’t even think about using a big fork. It will most likely fall apart if you try. I went three years before I realized how ignorant I did not have gloves. If you want to be macho and start handling food without these gloves, I promise you will not only risk you and your family’s health, you will end up burning the hell out of yourself. You need really good BBQ grill gloves. Do not go cheap.
“Having the right gloves will make your BBQ life a happy and wonderful one.” – Wiley
Foil and Foil Pans
When I had my first big BBQ at the house I found that keeping things warm and moist was just as important as cooking the food. One thing about BBQ is nothing finishes on time. The chicken is always going to finish too soon and the brisket might take an hour longer. So you have all this food coming off the grill or smoker and you got to keep it warm. The solution is Large Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil and Disposable Aluminum Foil Pans.
Whatever finishes too soon can be put in a pan to stay warm and if the ribs are a little underdone then into the pan to finish in the oven or the brisket goes into a stall and you need to wrap in foil (Texas Crutch) to finish it off.
You would never see a top competitor at a BBQ contest without foil and aluminum pans.
Now when I plan for an event where I know I will be cooking many types of meat for lots of people I always make sure I have plenty of foil and pans. One other nice side benefit is that the pans and foil make it easy for your guests to take home leftovers.
One more thing. You are NOT going to find the Heavy-duty Foil at your local grocery store so please find a place that has it and stock up. The regular foil is not thick enough to do you any good.
Instant Thermometer
With full readings in only 2 to 3 seconds, the Super-Fast® Thermapen is the world’s best in speed and accuracy. Advanced technology makes the new Thermapen ONE even more intuitive than previous models. Hold it in any direction and the display automatically rotates right-side-up so you can read it in any position—in either hand, straight up or down; read temperatures without cocking your head.
I always cook BBQ with a shirt with a breast pocket, and guess where I keep my Thermapen ONE? In that breast pocket. You ever see a chef that runs around with his special spoon so he can taste everything well in BBQ your instant thermometer is your spoon.