Cooking Barbecue
Just exactly what happens when you are cooking barbecue? And when I say
"cooking barbecue", I mean slow smoking barbecue - not grilling directly over
high heat. First of all... meat is made up of mostly protein muscle fibers held together with collagen strands along with a little bit of fat. Three things happen when you apply
TOO MUCH heat to meat...
- Some of the collagen liquefies and turns into gelatin. This process starts whe
n the meat temperature is around 140 deg F.
- Some of the fat also starts to melt at around 140 deg F.
- Note - melting collagen and fat is a slow process, so applying too much heat for short times will only melt some of the collagen and fat.
- Too much heat will cause the muscle proteins to contract, curl, and squeeze out the natural juices mixed with the liquefied collagen and fat. The result is dry, tough meat. Just think about
what happens when you slap a steak on a hot grill... it firms up and the juices start to flow out. Cook it "well done" and you basically get shoe leather.
Cooking barbecue (slow smoking) is different because of the lower heat involved. Here's what happens when meat is cooked at a lower temperature for a long time...
- The process of liquefying collagen and turning it into gelatin is a slow process. It does not happen instantly when the meat
temperature hits 140 deg F. It takes time - low and slow. So the longer you hold the meat temperature above 140 deg F, the more collagen will turn into gelatin.
- Same thing with the melting of the fat - it takes time.
- The protein muscle fibers start to relax and the juices are absorbed rather than squeezed out. Cooking barbecue in this low and slow fashion results in tender, succulent meats.
If you are experienced at cooking barbecue, you know about the "barbecue plateau" where your meat tends to get stuck at a
certain temperature (around 165 deg F) and stay there. An experienced pit master knows this is when all the "good stuff" is
happening... your collagen strands are unwinding, your fat is melting, and your muscle proteins are slowly relaxing instead of seizing up.
So... the "barbecue plateau" is a good thing. When your internal meat temperatures start to rise after the plateau, you need to start checking for doneness because any further cooking will tend to dry your meat out.
To learn more about cooking barbecue, get the book
"Competition BBQ Secrets" and read about how you can prepare competition quality ribs, butts, chicken, and brisket in your own back yard. Many of our readers have gone on to win BBQ
competitions and have become the king of their neighborhood! Get yours TODAY!...
Barbecue Recipes - Competition BBQ Secrets book. Learn how to slow smoke meats right... mouth watering ribs, chicken, butts, and brisket.
Barbecue Food
- Everything you ever wanted to know about barbecuing.
Barbecue Restaurant - All about barbecue restaurants and why the barbecue you cook yourself in your
own back yard may be better than your local barbecue restaurant.
BBQ Recipes - Why slow smoked BBQ is better than grilled BBQ and how you can easily switch.
Barbeque Recipes - What ingredients go into great barbeque recipes. You would be surprised!
BBQ Smoker - What kind of BBQ smoker is best suited to your needs and budget?
Barbeque Smoker
- Learn all about the Lang Model 60 traditional offset barbeque smoker.
Cooking Barbecue - Cooking chart for slow smoked meats.
Barbeque Grill - All about the Traeger Lil' Tex pellet smoker.
BBQ Grill
- How to set up your Weber kettle BBQ grill for slow smoked success.
Char-Broil Silver
- Review of the Char-Broil Silver BBQ smoker for $159 at Home Depot.
BBQ Sauce - a description of all the Regional BBQ Sauce Variations.
Barbecue Sauces - Different types of barbecue sauces and the top 3 winners in each category in NBBQA BBQ sauce contest.
Barbecue Ribs - The 3-1-1 method to slow smoke barbecue ribs.
BBQ Rib Types
- What is the difference between spareribs, baby back ribs, loin ribs, and St Louis Style ribs?
Smoked Barbeque
- How does altitude affect barbeque cooking temperatures?
Barbecue Forum
- Should you use barbecue forums to learn how to cook competition quality brisket, ribs, chicken, & butts?
Smoked Turkey - How to smoke a turkey.
American Royal BBQ - 2007 results for the biggest BBQ contest in the world.
Cooking Barbecue - All about collagen, protein fibers, and fat.
Barbecue Wood
- All about the different barbecue woods, how to use them, and the flavors that they impart.
Barbecue Smoker
- A review of the Southern Yankee Barbecue Smokers.
Fast Eddy Smokers - Cookshack's FEC100 and some history about Fast Eddy Maurin.
Barbecue Sauces - Ole Ray's Barbecue Sauces.
Smoked Ham
- How to smoke (reheat) a ham on your BBQ smoker.
BBQ Ribs Example Project - How to adjust BBQ ribs cooking in cooler temperatures.
BBQ Baked Beans - two great BBQ baked beans recipes and the Bush's Perfect Pair contest.
The BBQ Guru - a great blower device that digitally controls your pit temperature.
Cookshack FEC100
- The Cookshack Fast Eddy FEC100 and the importance of pit temperature control.
Boone Hall BBQ Contest
- results of the 2008 Boone Hall BBQ Contest.
Smoked Brisket - Here are the rusults of several of my brisket practice runs.
Douglas, GA results - BBQ contest results & Smoked Turkey & Smoked Ham reminders.
Roasted Pig - Videos of roasted pig Filipino style on a bamboo spit - also called Lechon Baboy.
Grind Your Own Spices - Kick your rubs up a notch by grinding your own spices.
Pulled Pork - How to pull a Boston Butt the right way!
BBQ Bark - How to create great BBQ bark.
Wagyu Beef - Report on the 2009 Barnesville, GA BBQ contest and also a newsletter on Wagyu Beef.
Barbecue Turn In Boxes - a sneak peek at our "secret" turn in boxes.
Barbecue Ribs - Know when your ribs are done to perfection.Copyright (c) 2007,2008, 2009 Network 6000 Inc, All Rights Reserved
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