Category: Barbecue Techniques

A marinade is a savory, acidic sauce in which a food is soaked to enrich its flavor or to tenderize it.

It’s important to marinate food in the refrigerator and not on the counter.

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A continuing debate? Not really. Basically it’s pretty simple to decide.

If you are grilling meats that are going to be done in 20 minutes or less, direct heat works great. Hamburgers, boneless chicken breasts; meat on that order that is tender when it’s done.

If you are grilling or barbecuing meat that needs to be slow cooked for tenderness and thorough cooking, usually over 20 minutes, use indirect heat.

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To really get that smokey flavor in your meats, using wood chips is the way to go. If you have a smoker already built into your barbecue grill, you are on your way to great smoke flavors.

What about the rest of us? No problem!

Get yourself a foil pan. I like to keep a few around anyway as they are excellent for heating up beans and such.

Place pre-soaked wood chips inside (dry them first - hardwood works best). Cover with aluminum foil and poke holes in the top to allow the smoke to escape.

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After cooking meat and poultry on the grill — at home or on a picnic — keep it hot until served. Keep the cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the
coals where they would eventually overcook.

At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a 200° F oven, in a chafing dish or slow cooker, or on a warming tray. After cooking, hold hot food at 140° F or warmer.

Placing wood into the barbecue can enhance the taste of your food. The combination of woods burned will result in different flavors blended into the meat. Some wood most often selected for their flavor include mesquite, hickory, maple, pecan, apple and oak.

Avoid wood such as conifers. These contain tar, which gives off undesirable resinous and chemical flavors.

Different types of wood burns at different rates. The heat also varies according to the amount of wood you use and your ventilization. Wood and charcoal are oftens combined to optimize smoke flavor and consistent burning.

Adding wood smoke flavor when using gas grills can be accomplished by using water-soaked wood chips placed in an inexpensive “smoker box” (simply a perforated metal box), or using a perforated foil pouch. Place the pouch under the grilling grate and over the heat. Some high-end gas grills include a built-in smoker box with a dedicated burner to make this barbecue technique a lot easier.