The BEST Barbeque

Friends,

I have been at perfecting barbecue for many a year. I have eaten barbecue in most every State in this Union. I think I know a bit about it. Here are a few thoughts on barbecue and how to make it great.

First, if you've ever gone to any of these 'cookoffs' -- ribs, pork, barbecue, etc., I rarely find any barbecue or ribs at them that I would call GREAT! The reason? Because almost all of them, maybe all of them, cook their ribs and pork way ahead of time and warm them up at the cook-offs (or at least that's what they serve us customers). Sorry, doesn't work for me. Barbecue is best fresh, and the best barbecue I have ever had, and have ever made, is right off the grill.

Here's what I do.

Most important thing -- you need lots of time. Barbecue is a work of art.

No, you don't have to labor over it hour after hour, but you do have to occasionally tend it.

Second -- I'm a purist and I use charcoal. Just the flavor of the thing.

I also generally make my own rubs and sauces. That's not what this particular blog is about, but maybe I'll share some ideas at a later date.

Your goal? Tender, flavorful meat with a hint of smoke.

How do you get there? Cook it slow.

For ribs:

If you want really juicy barbecue use a full rack of ribs, untrimmed. OR as a second choice, St. Louis-cut rack which is only partially trimmed. Baby-back ribs are best cooked moist because there isn't as much fat to them. You can do them this way, but it takes even more care and time.

Preparation: Start early; we're looking at five hours min. cooking time, ideally twelve to eighteen or more; at 200 myou'll need that much time

About an hour or two before you're going to cook, sprinkle the whole rib rack, both sides, with an equal mixture of salt and sugar. Then just before you grill, rub the rack with your spice mixture. [So far we're doing 'dry ribs'. If you want 'wet' ribs, or ribs with a sauce, the process is the same, except you may not want as powerful a spice mixture or it will take away from the sauce. Sauces are added near the end anyway; otherwise the ribs will char.] Place the meat on the grill when the coals are ready without much overlap. [Treat pork roasts or brisket the same way. NOTE! A pork tenderloin roast has too little fat to do well cooking this way! Use shoulder or butt roasts.]

Depending on the size of your grill you can cook the rack whole or cut it in two or three chunks to arrange to fit. However you do it, you don't really want the pieces covering each other.

I use indirect heat, always. That means the coals go on both sides, the meat in the center. I have heard a variety of techniques (coals to one side or the other, using foil, etc.), this is what works for me.

Cook it slow. You can get the heat up to 300-350 to start, but get it down right away. The slower the better. I shoot for 200 to 250. The best way to accomplish this with a charcoal grill is to place a small single layer of briquets on opposite sides of the grill (7-10 briquets). Start (I use a tower) about twenty or so briquets and then sprinkle them atop the non-lit layers n the sides. Arrange the meat, close the lid, watch the temperature carefully for the first fifteen-twenty minutes. If it gets hot -- over 300 -- close some of your vents a bit. Aim for the ideal -- 200-250. Once it settles in there, leave it. This should last three to four hours or so. Then you will need to add additional briquets. Check it every so often.

The next part of this depends on your circumstances and your time schedule.

Most ideal: add briquets a few at a time on each side for the next ten to twelve hours. Aim at keeping the temperature between 200 and 250. The trick is to add them before the others die, but without raising the temperature. You'll get the hang of it after a few tries. [The higher the temp, the less long they need to cook; keep in mind though, that as far as I'm concerned that slow and low is best. Ribs are almost done when they pull well back from the bone at the ends. Stick a fork in. They should be tender and juicy.]

If you don't have this kind of time, you can get really good tender ribs in four to six hours cooking at 200-275. Slower is better, though. Some of the best ribs I have had cooked for 24 hrs! The bones were even soft! But the meat wasn't dry or tough -- it melted in your mouth.

Alternative: Recently at a barbecue I had I cooked the meat (pork shoulder roasts and beef brisket) for eighteen hours. My technique? The first four to five hours was on the grill the evening before (as above at 200-250). Then I took the roasts and brisket off, put them in pans covered, but not sealed, with foil in a very slow oven: 175, over night -- all night. I let the meat rest about two hours with the oven turned off in the morning, then finished off on the grill (200) for an hour or so.

If you want sauce, add at the end as a condiment OR brush on the last half hour.

The result, dry or wet, your ribs or meat should be VERYtender ribs that fall off the bone. Juicy and mouth-watering. I can taste them now!

Best,

Joe Koob