Posts Tagged ‘smoking’

Smoking, barbecuing, grilling – what is the difference?

Smoking, barbecuing, grilling – what is the difference?

Article by Adam Marianski









A lot of people don’t understand the difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling. When grilling, you quickly seal in the juices from the piece you are cooking. An outside crust is created that acts as a barrier and prevents meat juices from migrating outside. Grilling takes minutes and it needs high temperatures to burn the meat on the outside. Smoking takes hours, sometimes even days. Don’t be fooled by the common misconception that by throwing some wet wood chips over hot coals you can smoke your meat. At best you can only add some flavor on the outside because the moment the surface of the meat becomes dry and cooked, a significant barrier exists that inhibits smoke penetration. A properly smoked piece of meat has to be thoroughly smoked, on the outside and everywhere else. Only prolonged cold smoking will achieve that result. All these methods are different from each other, especially smoking and grilling. The main factor separating them is temperature.

Smoking – almost no heat, 52

Barbecue Smoking Tools You Need

Barbecue Smoking Tools You Need

It has always been said that in order to get the job done, you need to have the right tools. This theory can also be said to smoking and grilling. Some people use the same kitchen utensils that they use in indoor cooking. Although this could be possible, it will be harder to cook without the right tools, and these kitchen utensils usually end up damaged when forced to function as something they are not meant to do.

One of the things that you shouldn’t do without are outdoor cooking gloves. Oven mitts and hot towels do not offer the same protection and often end up tattered. Outdoor gloves can cost about depending upon the brand and the material. Welding gloves are also a good substitute. Buy durable outdoor cooking gloves for longer use and to avoid getting burns.

Thermometers are also one of the essentials that you will need in smoking meat. This will help you in determining the hotness of the temperature and if you still need to make it higher or lower. It also helps in not burning the meat during the process.

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Wood Chips or Charcoal. Find fuel that will last longer and are of good quality. Some charcoals or wood are cheaper but they burn faster, so be sure to find wood chips that will burn longer so you won’t have to put a lot of wood.

Other bbq tools that you need are durable tongs, spatula and brushes. You will be flipping the meat every once in a while so it’s good to have a large tongs that will do it; and if the meat stick to the grates, the spatula will do trick. Likewise, you will also be putting seasonings and sauces on the meat while it is cooking so a handy durable brush is needed, the kind that will not let its bristles fall on the meat.

Smoking eats up a lot of time, so if you will be cooking a lot of meat, it would be best to buy specialty smoker cooker items bbq tools. These tools will be added to the smoker so you can cook more meat than the usual capacity of your smoker.

These are just some of the bbq tools that you will need in smoking. If you think that you will need other tools, then feel free to purchase them just as long as you know that they will be serving their purpose and you did not just waste your money.

If you’re interested, then visit www.socal.co.uk and see how we can help you.


Article from articlesbase.com

Hickory Smoking Secret for Home Barbecues

Hickory Smoking Secret for Home Barbecues

For years I’ve tried to capture that beautiful flavor that the big barbeque pits in KY offer.  Hickory wood gave me some depth, but I just wasn’t getting it with the chips or chunks you stocked the stores.  At any rate not on my back yard barrel smoker.

About four years ago I hit on something that I decided to give a try.  Since I’ve several hickories in my back yard, I started gathering the husks that popped off the hickory nuts as they ripened.  

Just like wood chips, I soaked the husks in water for about 30-minutes before I started to light my charcoal smoker.  Then, just as I put the meat on, I threw on a handful of these soaking wet husks.  

No kidding.  You can smell that rich hickory smoke for a mile around.  People going by the house slow and sniff the air.  

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Midway through the cooking, I throw a second handful of wet husks on the coals, and finally a handful about 15-minutes before I’m ready to pull the meat off the smoker.  

I use a “barrel” smoker that uses charcoal, not gas.  And, I don’t care if I’m doing hamburgers or steak, everything gets the hickory smoked treatment!

Talk about a hickory smoked piece of meat that will make your tongue slap your back teeth silly, this is it!

Since weather will dictate the amount of hickory husks available from year to year, I keep a 50-pound onion sack full of husks in my garage.  They stay just like the day I picked them off the ground, and they never lose the flavor.

If you’re lucky enough to live where you are able to get your hands on some Hickory Husks this fall, collect all you are able to.  Put them in potato sacks if you don’t have access to bigger onion sacks, and they’ll keep for years.

These things are so good and add such a deep, rich flavor to meats, that I’ve got people that order them from me from FL, CA, and all points in between.  You’ll NEVER top the flavor.

One last note.  Make certain you get the husks from the large (golf ball size) hickory nuts.  The little hickory nuts (called “pig nuts” as farmers used to feed them tot he hogs,) don’t have the flavor.  And, they’re so thin they burn right up and just don’t impart the deep rich, sweet  hickory flavor you get from the bigger hickory husks.

If you’re a real barbecue lover, be sure to check out the world’s greatest barbecue sauce recipe.


Article from articlesbase.com

Tips for Smoking Meat on Your Barbecue Grill

Tips for Smoking Meat on Your Barbecue Grill

Ah, spring and summer are my favorite times of year. Birds are singing, wildlife are out and about and back yard barbecue grill out smells are in the air. Makes you wonder if life can get any better. One of my favorite things to do is fire my grill up and make smoked meat.

If smoking meat isn’t one of your favorite things to do, I bet after this article it will be. At least you should try it if you haven’t ever done it. Most people of course have tasted or eaten smoked meats, but have you made your own? In this article I will give you some tips to smoke your favorite meat on your barbecue grill.

You can also purchase many different types of smokers that are just for that purpose as well. However in this article we will just be using your basic back yard charcoal barbecue grill.

My mouth is already watering just writing this article for you. Getting hungry for it. There are as many different types of meat as there are ways to grill and smoke them. Most meats fall into about 5 categories that are:

Poultry
Pork
Beef
Wild Game – such as Venison
And Fish

All of these can be made very delicious by smoking them. One of the things to remember when smoking is to make sure you get the proper heat. You want to make sure the meat is not only smoked to flavor but that its well cooked for consumption. This is as simple as using a meat thermometer purchased at your local department store or grocery.

Make Sure Your Temperature is Right

A temperature of 145°F to 180°F is sufficient to make sure your meat is well cooked. And depending on the type of meat, smoking times can be longer then others. Smoking times also have to do with the strength of the smoke flavor that your after.

Types of Wood

Let’s have a look at the many types of wood that can be used to flavor your meat with. You can use just about any type wood to smoke with. But try to remember not to use building material wood. These wood’s are usually treated with chemicals that are hazardous to the human body. Not to mention they will ruin your meat.

Where I live at there is an abundance of Maple tree wood and Oak tree wood, as well as Cherry wood. Smoking your meats on your grill is as simple as finding a dry limb of wood and placing it next to the charcoals, not on them. You want the wood just to simmer and make a strong smoke.

Then cover your grill with a lid and leave just enough room for air to get in to keep the coals burning. A slight breeze is really good for this. The idea is to keep the abundance of smoke in the grill as long as possible. The types of wood that make great smoked flavors are:

Maple
Oak
Cherry
Apple
Hickory
Pecan
Persimmon
Grape
Peach
Red Oak
Ash
Cedar

To name a few. Some of them hardwood and some softwoods. Other fuels besides wood can also be employed, sometimes with the addition of flavoring ingredients. Chinese tea-smoking for example, uses a mixture of uncooked rice, sugar, and tea, heated at the base of a wok. Some North American ham and bacon makers smoke their products over burning corncobs.

Also there are many different types of charcoal you can use that already have the wood mixed in with it. Here again it depends on the strength of the flavor of smoke that your trying top accomplish.

Try It You’ll Like It

If you’ve never done any smoking on your own, I’ll give you an example of how to do it so you can try it and see if you enjoy it. Presuming you have a basic barbecue grill that is fairly large, and you’re going to let’s say, grill and smoke a whole 2lb chicken for example. Here are the steps to make sure you maximize your flavor:

Make sure your grill is clean before starting
Place a pile of charcoal just a little larger in diameter than your chicken to either side of the grill
Use lighter fluid to start the charcoal and let burn until there’s no more flame
With the charcoal up to temperature now, place your favorite wood next to the charcoal
Do not put the wood directly on the coals
Wait until you see the wood begin to simmer
When the wood is simmering place your chicken to the other side from where the coals are
On the grate, but close to the heat
Cover the grill, leaving enough room for air to get inside somewhat to keep the temp up
Periodically check the chicken and wood to make sure the wood isn’t burning to fast
If it is move it away from the coals just a bit or add more wood
The idea is to keep as much smoke in as possible and keep the temp up as mentioned above
Rotate your chicken periodically also

Final Thoughts

Until you get experience with doing it, use a meat thermometer to make sure your temperature is up in ranges mentioned earlier in the article. After about 2 hours your ready to enjoy the best chicken you’ve ever had! As time goes on and you become more familiar with what works for you don’t forget to experiment with other types of wood.

Pretty soon you’ll find a particular type wood that pleases you most for smoking. There are many places on the internet where you can purchase different types of smoking wood. My personal favorite is Pecan wood. I can’t get enough of smoked meat with it.

Kevin S. Lehner is a Professional Product Reviewer who writes reviews of many of the products you use everyday. He includes informative articles relating to those product reviews. You are invited to visit his site at Kevin’s Professional Product Reviews. He also welcomes suggestions for product reviews as well.

(c)Copyright – Kevin S.Lehner. All Rights Reserved Worldwide


Article from articlesbase.com

Smoking, Barbecuing, Grilling

Smoking, Barbecuing, Grilling

A lot of people don’t understand the difference between smoking, barbecuing, and grilling. When grilling, you quickly seal in the juices from the piece you are cooking. An outside crust is created that acts as a barrier and prevents meat juices from migrating outside. Grilling takes minutes and it needs high temperatures to burn the meat on the outside. Smoking takes hours, sometimes even days. Don’t be fooled by the common misconception that by throwing some wet wood chips over hot coals you can smoke your meat. At best you can only add some flavor on the outside because the moment the surface of the meat becomes dry and cooked, a significant barrier exists that inhibits smoke penetration. A properly smoked piece of meat has to be thoroughly smoked, on the outside and everywhere else. Only prolonged cold smoking will achieve that result. All these methods are different from each other, especially smoking and grilling. The main factor separating them is temperature.

Smoking – almost no heat, 52° – 140° F (12°-60° C), 1 hr to 2 weeks

Barbecuing – low heat, 200° – 300° F (93°-150° C), few hours

Grilling – high heat, 500° F (200° C), minutes

The purpose of grilling is to char the surface of meat and seal in the juices by creating a smoky caramelized crust. By the same token a barrier is erected that prevents smoke from flowing inside. The meat may have a somewhat smoky flavor on the outside but it was never smoked internally.

Barbecuing comes much closer, but not close enough. It is a long, slow, indirect, low-heat method that uses charcoal or wood pieces to smoke-cook the meat. The best definition is that barbecuing is cooking with smoke. It is ideally suited for large pieces of meat like ribs, loins or entire pigs. The temperature range of 200° –300° F is still too high to smoke meats which is especially important when smoking sausages since the fat will melt away through the casings and the final product will taste like bread crumbs. A barbecue unit can be used for smoking meats but remember that to smoke a large piece of meat will take hours and if the temperature will be high the meat will be cooked for a long time. That will make it very dry.

Burn your charcoal briquettes outside until the ash is white, then introduce them inside otherwise they will impart a nasty flavor to your meat. This charcoal flavor might be acceptable for barbecued meats but must not be allowed when making quality smoked meat. Now wood chips may be placed on glowing embers to generate smoke. You can not substitute hardwood with charcoal briquettes no matter how pretty they look and how expensive they are. Hardwood wins every time.

Adam Marianski has co-authored two books on meat smoking and making sausages. He runs the web site Wedliny Domowe where you can find more about making quality meats at home.


Article from articlesbase.com

Getting the Barbecue and Smoking Equipment

Getting the Barbecue and Smoking Equipment

Everybody loves to go out and have some enjoyment with his friends and family. These activities define one’s network of social relationships. Going on vacations and camping out are the some of the main activities people have around the United Kingdom. Picnic evolved in the Britain in early nineteenth century and the notion of eating outdoors gradually increased. The first grilled items were those cooked over an open fire by the cavemen. Today barbecuing is widespread throughout the world.

There is something special about combination of barbecuing and picnic. It actually tends to be a social event when friends gather and have fun. The art of barbecuing is conducive to al fresco eating, and in bringing together times to celebrate. A flavourful smell of barbecue smoke on a windy day is a perfect treat for everyone. The uses of wood, charcoal or gas have varying effects on the taste of the grilled food. A great BBQ experience starts with the tools that you use. Cooking food on a barbecue usually creates a lot of smoke. Therefore the use of proper barbecue equipment helps in making a picnic ideal.

Whether you are cooking meat, fish, vegetables or anything else a grill is one of the most significant gadgets you need while you are planning an outdoor barbecue. Barbecue equipments come in many guises. You should always keep a full inventory of BBQ tools that you will require to pull off your barbeque experience.

You can now find Barbecue Equipment Manufacturers from SearchMe4, the online business directory and local listings of BBQ equipment manufacturers and traders all over the United Kingdom specialising in high quality barbeque grills and equipments. Make a research on the kind of barbecue grill you desire and be sure that you pick something that will last long. Have full faith in your chosen cooking materials. Avoid getting the outdoor barbecue grills that can rust in a short period of time. Read consumer reviews about the equipment suppliers and about the quality of the grilling apparatus.

For more information on Barbecue Equipment and Supplies, visit our business directory.

About the Author: Content writer and specialist

 


Article from articlesbase.com

Barbecue Grilling and Smoking Secrets Revealed

Barbecue Grilling and Smoking Secrets Revealed

The art of barbecuing has got to be one of the oldest arts in the world. The first grilled items would have been those cooked over an open fire by the cavemen. Can’t you just visualize the first time they found the charred remains of a Saber Tooth Tiger in the forest? They were probably retrieving burning sticks for the cave fire and were enticed to the carcass by the inviting smell of the cooked flesh. In time they would have realized things like: animals were best cooked without the fur, and that meat cooked with certain woods tasted better than those done over ordinary spruce. This would have naturally led to experimentation with other combinations.

Then, one night as Mama Ugh was preparing some wild boar on a spit over the fire, Papa Yuck arrived home with a honeycomb he had discovered. While he was trying to melt the honey out of the honeycomb some of it dripped onto the hog meat and, —ZOWIE— BBQ sauces were born.

This experimenting still goes on today almost every time someone cooks over the open fire or in a state-of-the-art barbecue grill. Barbecuing fascinates us, like camp fires and fast flowing rivers. We long to reach back to ancestral times and explore culinary possibilities as they must have been. Today, however, we normally don’t cook over open fires. Our venture into the past is usually on an ultra modern Weber that operates on some kind of flammable gas and using a variety of choice cut meats and condiments.

Never mind, the thought is still there, and the competition just as intense, to grill the absolutely best BBQ dinner on the cave colony or in the modern day county.

We spend about 0 on a grill and upwards to 0 on accessories, and then experiment for the most part with steaks, ribs, chicken, hamburger, or pork, to try not to make it look like we “throwed it in the fire for fifteen o twenty minutes and then drug it out”. Then we add to the cost of our learning experience every time we fork out another twenty bucks for those choice cuts so that we can eat “primitive”.

Let’s take a look at what we need to consider before getting into barbecuing.

1.) Before you do anything else think carefully about what you want to barbecue or smoke and whether there is one piece of equipment available that is versatile enough to do everything you want your barbecue to do.

2.) If the grill is mainly for barbecuing, the next thing would be the equipment required or desired. I say desired because your individual tastes are the most important when making decisions regarding food. Do you prefer

wood, coal, or gas grills?

You also need to ask yourself if the grill is to be used for grilling only, or also for smoking meat? Many BBQ’s today feature side burners and warmers, and you might even want built-in igniters if you choose a gas grill. There are even grills that are designed with special smoking features.

3.) Will you need accessories for your barbecue/smoker?

rotisserie, shish kabob tools, corn cradles, potato molds, fish and/or meat holders, shrimp baskets, marshmallow and wiener roasting “sticks”, tongs, forks, knives, basting brushes, and/or burger flippers, cleaning brushes, scrapers, and cleaners, thermometers, barbecue mitts, hats, and aprons, smoking rack

There is a wide range of products available and it is probably best to do a little research into these areas before you lay out your hard earned cash. I speak from experience when I say that you can easily spend a hundred dollars on accessories.

4.) Once you have the desired equipment you will need to choose the right type of meat or food based entirely on your personal preferences. A few choices include:

steak, brisket, ribs, fish, chicken, duck, or turkey, pork chops, sirloin strip, hamburgers, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes, onions, sausages, or wieners, shish kabob products (meat, onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc.),

This list could go on and on. If you have a food that you like to cook you can probably find a way to barbecue it.

5.) Along with that you may want to put a little study into the types of

sauces, marinades, or wet or dry rubs

that you and those close to you would prefer. This is usually a matter of personal taste but can also be determined by the type and condition of the meat. Especially if you are considering grilling a lot of wild game meat you may want to use special marinades that will keep the meat more moist or even tenderize the steaks from your trophy animal. You may want to cook your baked potatoes with onion, garlic, and spices, or grill your corn in a butter bath.

6.) Then you will have to give consideration as to where you want to use and store your barbecue. By where you would like to use it I mean, giving consideration to anything flammable that might be too close to it and the availability of water in case of an emergency. For storing you need to decide if you are going to put it under cover such as a tool shed or whether to purchase a BBQ cover if it is to remain outdoors.

7.) Just as we do in our kitchens you will want to browse for the best recipes and procedures to produce the best grilled food possible. The only thing left for you to do is to search for and practice with different procedures and recipes, and then decide which friends you want to invite down and dazzle with your barbecuing prowess.

Howdy! My name is James Hudson.

Like many of you I too have fed far too much of my precious BBQ fare to the dogs. However, I also know that some of the best food I have eaten came off the family barbecue grill.

And like most of you, nothing stimulates my appetite more than the thought of a well grilled steak, succulent baby back pork ribs, smoked and grilled farmer’s sausage, or slightly crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth inside shrimp.

 

Discover how you can become a WORLD CLASS BBQr!

On your very own grill!

In your own backyard!

 

I invite you to visit

http://www.becomeaworldclassbbqr.com

to discover how you, too can grill mouth watering, succulent food

on your backyard barbecue that will rank you

No. 1 in your area.

 

If you are not taken to the link in a few seconds please copy the whole URL to your browser.

 

SEE YA’LL AT: http://www.becomeaworldclassbbqr.com

I was raised in the country and have always loved the outdoors and cooking, especially over a open fire or hot coals. Hunting and fishing were a large part of my life until I went overseas to work as an oilfield engineer. I have lived and worked in numerous countries and tasted a great many varieties of foods. Barbecued fare is still a favorite. The last twelve years were spent in Guatemala doing missionary work and developing a regional Biodiesel program to create jobs and promote cleaner burning fuels. My favorite grilled items are baby back ribs and Winkler Farmer’s Sausage.


Article from articlesbase.com

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How to Portion a Beef Tenderloin

Save money and portion your own AAA Beef Tenderloin BBQTalk.ca

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