The Five Ways to Make Consistent Barbecue

Posted on by Wiley

The number one problem that most barbecue people have is achieving consistent results. This is because many factors can affect the outcome of a barbecue cook, such as the type of meat, the temperature of the grill, and the cooking time.

Here are some tips for achieving consistent results when barbecuing:

  • Use a meat thermometer: This is the best way to ensure your meat is cooked to the desired temperature. Forget about time when cooking outside; cooking times can vary immensely based on outside air temperature, humidity, and even if your grill is in the sun vs in the shade.
Chicken Thighs with Thermometer
  • Preheat your grill to the correct temperature: Different types of meat require different temperatures for cooking. By preheating, you are at least calibrating your cook to start consistently. Also, you need to move quickly from the danger zone of 40F to 140F. On a cold day, it might take your grill 30 minutes or more to come to temperature.
ambient temperature
  • Don’t overcrowd the grill: This will prevent the meat from cooking evenly. Pellet grills are convection ovens. They cook with hot circulating air. When you overcrowd the grill, you restrict the airflow, meaning meat could be undercooked in one spot and overcooked in another.
bbq event
  • Don’t move the meat too much: This will disrupt the cooking process and can make the meat tough. You will also be opening the lid too much, causing you to lose all that hot air cooking your food.
  • Let the meat rest before carving: This will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making it more tender and flavorful. Some chefs like Gordon Ramsey say you should rest your meat about the same time it took to cook. Even with a turkey, he says, rest it for at least 30 minutes before carving.

The best pitmasters are the ones who know how to control the temperature of the grill, griddle or smoker. Also, learn how to adjust the temperature to cooking time to ensure everything is done cooking simultaneously. In competitive barbecue, the ones that can predict when the cook will complete are usually the ones winning the competition.

Till next time.