All About Barbeque

Being an absolute foodie you must have, by now, realized why meat smokers are gaining popularity. There is not one American who does not realize how his tastes have got accustomed to the barbecue-style of cooking meat. All over the world when people eat meat they want it to turn out according to their preferences and taste. When roasting or baking it cannot be ensured that everyone will like what has been made. But with barbecued food that is not a worry, even a first-timer will take to it before you know!
To barbecue food in a meat smoker is the most efficient and probably the best possible option. Smokers make sure that the temperature at which your food is getting cooked stays at the correct level and gives you the freedom of doing other work while the meat gets cooked. A person who has tasted food straight from the meat smoker will not like to get back to roasted or baked forms of the same delicacy.
Any one who has used a meat smoker will tell you that it has greater advantages compared to the conventional methods of smoking food. Firstly, smokers, as mentioned above, impart a distinctive flavor to any kind of food. But most importantly the emanating smoke contains nitrates that produce a series of chemical reactions which consequently assist in breaking down connective tissues, making the tougher cuts softer and juicier. Moreover, the collagen that gets broken down has sugars in it that give the meat a certain amount of sweetness. There are some popular items that have attained their popularity just because they are barbecued. Some items that are best cooked in a meat smoker are ribs, pork shoulders and even pork buttocks. To make the most of what a meat smoker offers you need to ensure that the meat being cooked is always enveloped by a thick film of smoke.
This naturally leads to a faster softening of the meat, lending it a taste worth remembering! Another aspect that you always need to consider is the temperature being used for cooking. A temperature ranging from 200 to 220 degrees, gives the food perfection in terms of preparation. Also, a certain temperature ensures that no unwanted germs are left in the meat you are about to eat.
Everyone, once or more has had the misfortune to eat tough cuts of meat. While other traditional forms of barbecuing do not spare much thought to the final taste that will be acquired by the food, meat smoking not only guarantees the right flavor but also increases the preservative nature of the cooked meat. The fact that meat smoking improves shelf life of food makes this option be considered by many barbecue-lovers and cooks, irrespective of whether they are skilled or amateurs. To get a new flavor every time, experiment with different kinds of meat smokers. This will not only allow you to get various flavors but also stick to your favorite method of barbecuing.

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There are virtually endless variations in methodology depending upon equipment, the style of BBQ or smoker grill and personal preferences. However, here are some universal guidelines for choosing a barbecue smoker grill.

Cost
A smoker should be a long term investment. As a general rule, buy the best smoker you can afford and justify. Here are some considerations.

Fuel
If you just don’t have time to maintain a charcoal or wood fire for long burns, consider gas or electric. Smoke is generated by heating shavings or sawdust. You will sacrifice the authentic wood smoke flavor and the feeling of pride and accomplishment derived from managing a fire properly for a long time to produce outstanding barbecue.

Good-One Patio Smoker/Grills are portable and easy to use. Charcoal will give some smoke flavor which may be supplemented by adding chunks of wood during the burn. The cheaper water smokers require a lot of fire tending and are usually modified to improve performance.

The Good-One Smoker/Grill is more expensive but is well built, durable, and controllable, holds temperature for a long time and is assembled and ready to Smoke right off the sales floor. Kettles and barrel smokers can be used but special precautions and techniques are required to maintain the proper temperature and avoid flare-ups.

Capacity
Are you just going to cook for family and a few friends, or have large parties or even do some catering?

Portability
This is how easy it is to move the smoker around, all Good-One Patio models come with 10? pneumatic tire for easy portability.

Metal Thickness and Quality
Check the thickness of the metal construction, also look for Smokers that are welded together not bolted. The Cheaper the smoker the more bolts to hold it together, thus causing heat loss among the bolt joints.

Temperatures and Smoke
Temperature is really what distinguishes Smoking from other forms of cooking with fire. Smoking is a form of smoke cooking but smoke cooking (which includes higher temperatures) is not necessarily barbecuing. You may use a grill to make barbecue but it is not grilling (also a high temperature cooking method). Cold smoking is done at temperatures of less than 120º F.
Actually, there are only two rules in Smoking on Good-One Smoker/Grill barbecues…
Low and slow: Long cooking times of four to twenty four hours, depending upon the meat, at temperatures ranging from 200º to 275º F. measured at the meat level allows tough meat to get tender without drying out. 225º to 250º is ideal.
Keep your smoke sweet: Stale or acrid smoke results in a strong, bitter and unpleasant flavor.

Keep a small but active fire
Maintain airflow through the smoker. Keep the upper spinner open 1 ½ turns and regulate the fire with the bottom spinners Do not let the fire smolder or starve for air.

Use high quality wood for smoke
Wood should be well seasoned, only use green wood if you really know what you are doing.
Use only hardwoods for smoke. Hickory, oak and cherry are fine traditional woods and easy for beginners to use. Avoid wood from conifers or needle bearing trees such as pine.

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Barbeque rubs are a healthy alternative for cooking flavorful foods without using a lot of fattening oils in your coking. Barbeque rubs can be used on meats that are baked, smoked, grilled or simmered in a small amount of stock to create a delicious meal that anyone is sure to love.
Barbeque rubs are comprised of certain proportions of herbs, spices, sea salt, and minimal sugar or sweetener. Note, diabetics may prefer homemade barbeque rubs using Stevia. A sample rub might contain paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, cayenne, onion powder, oregano, and thyme. These herbs and spices, as well as others, stimulate digestion, hydrochloric acid production, and, last, but not least, the taste buds and sensors. The palate won’t know what hit it!
A pressing consideration is whether to use store-bought sauces, marinades or rubs on your meats, or if one should you use your own homemade blend of herbs and spices to add intense flavor. Nutritional experts concur with one another that, unless you can find a trust-worthy sauce, marinade or rub, it’s wiser to create your own at home. Widespread herb irradiation, hydrolyzed cornstarch, MSG, artificial sweeteners, corn syrup, sugar, and other taste impostors will hurt your body whilst tricking your taste buds.
Hot, sour, tangy, spicy, sugary - these are all flavors that you can control when creating a homemade barbeque rub. It’s best not to overpower the subtle, chewy, thick, juicy taste inherent to the meat with a bunch of high-power spices like cayenne and garlic powder. In other words, don’t rub the meat in a pound of sea salt, cayenne, or anything else that strong for that matter. Impart the stronger ingredients lightly with a larger amount of milder, complementary spices to create a steady, natural seasoning.
The art of barbeque rubs is too broad to be covered in this short space, but it’s worth noting that the application of the rub is just as important as the composition of the ingredients. Even, equal distribution is much more important than splotchy, uneven layers, even if it takes more time and dexterity to the rub added just right. Thick layers will cause your meats to be too spicy in some areas; whereas a thinner layer on other parts of the meats can cause those areas to taste bland.
Righteous Urban BBQ is just one example of a popular restaurant that built its restaurant’s reputation around rubs. People clamor for its tangy, juicy rib dinners. One customer says that, “Real BBQ does not require sauce, it’s merely a matter of preference but not essential nor the key ingredient to the meats.” This startling revelation appears to imply that rubs can bring out the best flavors in meats without a bunch of sauce on top. Many people use sauces when they BBQ meats. If you were to grill meats with sauce, and with barbeque rubs, at your next barbeque event then you may be surprised to find that the rubbed meats may be eaten much faster. Your friends and neighbors will think you’re a genius because the rub will be barely visible on the surface of your ribs. “How are So-and-so’s ribs so good?” they’ll say. Little do they know that you learned how to rub ‘em right, as they say in the Deep South.
The best barbeque rubs in the South were created out of necessity, with simple spices, and not thick sauces.
Additionally, barbeque rubs traditionally have longer expiration dates because dried spices last longer in cool, dry places than artificial sauces in cool storage. They’re also cheaper to make and taste better in general.

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Many people ask the question “Which is better. Store bought or home made barbeque sauce?” It really comes down to what your personal preference is but if the run of the mill taste of the bbq sauce found on grocery store shelves just doesn’t cut it then creating your own secret sauce can be part of the grilling fun.
Let’s face it, using the right or wrong kind of barbecue sauce can make or break your barbecue. The flavor of your meat, poultry or pork will live or die by the sauce that you choose. Barbecue sauce provides that extra kick that barbecue is known for and with the right kind of sauce any dish you prepare will taste that much better.
Let’s look at store bought barbecue sauce for a moment. We’ve all seen the bottles lining the shelves. They come in different flavors and colors, in small bottles and large bottles, but are they really the best choice for the ultimate in barbecue tastiness? It seems that most people are satisfied by what they offer, otherwise they wouldn’t buy them. But for most people it’s probably just a matter of convenience. What most consumers don’t realize is that barbecue sauce bought at the local grocery store is nothing more then a watered down version of the homemade sauces that make barbecue so popular in the first place.
Foods that sit on grocery store shelves have been manufactured with a long shelf life in mind. The ingredients used are chosen because they will not go bad quickly and in many cases are less then healthy. The barbecue sauce found on store shelves uses high fructose corn syrup as a sugar substitute because it is a whole lot cheaper to use than natural sugar. While sugar is not necessarily healthy high fructose corn syrup is even less so. It is a sugar substitute that is a low grade quality food. The human body is actually unable to metabolize and break it down so when it gets to your liver it is almost always instantly turned into fat.
There is an easy way around this problem, make your own barbecue sauce. Nobody is saying that barbecue sauce is the healthiest of food products, but by making your own recipes you can cut out some of the processed foods such as high fructose corn syrup. The way real barbecue sauce is made is with natural cane sugar or brown sugar. There are also hundreds of spices and herbs readily available as well as other ingredients that if combined right can make a tasty sauce that will have friends and family asking you for your secret recipe.
You start with a basic sauce and add to it from there. A base sauce consists of melted butter, sugar and small portions of chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Once you have a basic foundation sauce made you can add some tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, maybe some onion powder. Mixing these basic ingredients in different amounts and combinations will give you a multitude of flavors to start with. After that you can start adding any number of other spices, herbs or flavorings such as lemon juice, hickory or mesquite flavoring to make a truly personalized barbecue sauce. With a little patience you can create a sauce that can compete with the best of them.
Store bought barbecue sauce will work in a pinch but for truly remarkable barbecue taste creating your own home made barbecue sauce is the best way to go.

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BBQ sauce is generally a basic mixture of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Tomatoes used can be in various forms such as tomato sauce, paste, puree and even ketchup. Sugar adds sweetness to the barbecue sauce and can either be corn syrup, honey or molasses. The addition of vinegar, on the other hand, lends a sour flavor to the bbq sauce and can be in the form of beer, white or flavored vinegar, wine or citrus juices. In general, bbq sauces can be used throughout the barbecue process from preparation to cooking.
Bechamel sauce or White Barbecue Sauce has a long and illustrious history. It has been a pet of the French food connoisseurs, since 1651. One of the mother sauces of French cuisine, the white sauce is nowadays made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour-butter roux. However, it can also be made by whisking a kneaded flour-butter beurre manié into scalded milk. The thickness of the final sauce depends on the proportions of milk and flour. White Barbecue sauce, unquestionably adds a delicate flavoring to your meat dishes.
White Barbecue Sauces of Alabama are different from most other barbecue sauces in the use of their bases. These sauces are predominantly mayonnaise based, unlike the traditional and ubiquitous tomato. Chicken, turkey or pork - these white sauces are taste uppers beyond imagination. Like its tomato- and mustard-based cousins, white barbecue sauce comes in shades ranging from porcelain to putty. There are also differences in consistency. Some sauces flow like fat free milk, while others are more reminiscent of a creamy dressing. As for the ingredients, well, purists such as Myra Grissom, owner of Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q in Birmingham, insists there are only four items who play the role: mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, and coarsely ground pepper. Perking up salads or topping pulled pork sandwiches or grilled fish whatever you are up to these sauces are great.
Smuggler’s Run White Grilling Sauce and Big Bob Gibson White BBQ sauce are sauces that can be recommended, without any hesitation. Mayonnaise, Egg Yolks, Water, Corn Syrup, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Calcium Disodium, Cider Vinegar, Onion, Garlic, White Pepper, Salt and Xanthium Gum are what goes into the making of this taste bud rocker. Big Bob Gibson White BBQ sauce comprises distilled vinegar, sugar, salt, spices, egg yolks, mustard flour, paprika and garlic. Poultry, pork, seafood, and wild game-Big Bob, goes with them comfortably enough.

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