Ten Tips To Get Started In BBQ

Learning how to BBQ is the gift that keeps on giving. Science has proven that people who BBQ well, and by that I mean people who turn out kick ass food, are more attractive, more fun to be around, and will live longer, healthier lives*. It’s science, and who am I to argue with science? Learning to BBQ is both fun, and rewarding.

Before you can BBQ well, however, there are a few things you need to know first.

• BBQ refers to cooking low and slow, and this takes time. If you’re in a rush, or don’t have a whole lot of patience, you may be better off learning to master the grill, or just going out to eat. While there are things you can do to speed up the process, it’s best to plan on cooking over the course of several hours. Beer is perfect for these occasions.
• You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a cooker to turn out kick ass BBQ. When I first got started in BBQ, I had no earthly idea what I was doing. I was broke and wanted to do something special for my then significant other’s birthday, so I headed to the local hardware store and bought an ECB (El Cheapo Brinkman) for $50.00. My first cook was a couple of tri-tips, which did not come out as well as I had hoped. My second cook, however, was pulled pork. Several hours of work, and many lessons learned turned out some of the most fantastic pulled pork I have ever had in my life. From there I did ribs, chicken and a full turkey, all in my little $50.00 cooker. The food was a home run every time.
• Start with something simple and forgiving while you learn your cooker and technique. My advice for someone new to BBQ is to start with something simple and forgiving, like pork shoulder or pork butt. Pork is forgiving because you can cook it to a wide variety of temperatures and still have something pretty awesome. With something like brisket or ribs, there’s a delicate balance between cooking it just right, and getting something that resembles mush or leather.
• Take time to season your cooker properly. Seasoning your cooker helps burn off and seal any impurities from the manufacturing process, plus it also helps protect your smoker from moisture. Seasoning is a pretty simple process: Coat your grill in oil, and run a load of coal through it. The oil will absorb itself into the pores of your cooker and seal them up. For additional sealing, run a pound or three of bacon through your cooker. Or cook something fatty, like pulled pork. The grease and fatty build up will further coat the inside of your cooker, and ultimately will help provide an insulation barrier that will help regulate the temperature better.
• Do a mock cook with your smoker. Charcoal and wood chunks don’t cost a lot of money, so you might find it beneficial to do a test cook with your smoker before you cook anything you plan on serving to people. This will give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with your cooker’s temperature controls, airflow settings, water consumption and burn time, and will help avoid catastrophe when you start cooking actual food.
• You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment or tools to get started. You can turn out killer BBQ with just a $15 meat thermometer, a cheap pair of oven mitts and a set of tongs. Sure, the fancy wireless thermometers and air temperature control devices are nice, and no, the built in thermometer isn’t the most accurate, but don’t let your lack of advanced equipment prevent you from getting started. When you come down to it, all you really need is to be close enough in cooking temperature and a way to gauge the progress of your cook.
• Dry Rub doesn’t need to be complicated. While it’s great to develop and experiment with all of these complex seasonings and rubs, there’s no reason to over-complicate things when you’re just starting out. In fact, you may find the basic Dalmatian rub of equal parts kosher salt and ground black pepper to be to your liking. Or, if you want to get fancy, the SPOG rub might be well suited to your liking: Equal parts kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. If you’re new to BBQ, keep it somple.
• It’s normal for the temperature to stop increasing, and even cool down for a bit, before climbing back up again. One of the most puzzling aspects for me when I first started learning how to BBQ was the concept known as “The stall.” The stall is when your food suddenly stops increasing in internal temperature, and possibly even decreases a bit. This is absolutely normal, and isn’t cause for panic. What happens when the food stalls in temperature is the meat gets to a point where it’s sweating out all of its moisture- Like the human body, this sweating process causes the meat to cool down a bit, which is why you’ll see the temperatures decrease slightly. Once the moisture in the food has evaporated, the temperature will start increasing again, at often at a much faster rate than previously. Of course there are tricks you can use to power through the stall, which we’ll discuss in another article.
• There is no one way to do something. Old timers with years of experience will swear their way is the best, but the thing to remember is, there’s no right or wrong way to BBQ. If something isn’t working for you, try something new. Maybe the way you light your coals is causing your cooker to burn too hot, or maybe your food is taking much longer than you anticipated. There are lots of ways to make BBQ work for you, so if something isn’t working for you, feel free to change it up and try something new.
• Relax and have fun! While BBQ is considered an art form for some, it’s therapy for others. Ultimately, though, BBQ is fun. The food is almost always amazing, and with enough practice, you will be the toast of your friends and family in no time. BBQ is the perfect reason for a social gathering, so have fun with it! Enjoy your favorite adult cocktail or three, invite some friends over, watch the game, or just relax and read a book. There’s no right way to BBQ, so be sure to enjoy the process.

Obviously this isn’t a comprehensive list, but it’s a good starting point. If you have questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail at backyardpitmasternet@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to assist in any way I can.
*OK, so some of this may be made up. My point still stands- BBQ rocks, and so do those who know how to do it well.