Foreword by J. Kenji López-Alt
MYTH: Plan on a 5 to 10°F carryover.
How Boiling Temperatures Impact Cooking
MYTH: Meat needs to rest after cooking.
The Two-Zone Setup and Indirect Cooking
MYTH: Creosote in smoke must be avoided at all costs.
MYTH: The more smoke you see, the better.
MYTH: After an hour or two, meats stop taking on smoke.
MYTH: A smoke ring is caused by billowing smoke.
MYTH: It’s important to match the wood to the meat.
MYTH: Soak wood chips and chunks for the most smoke.
Troubleshooting Chips and Chunks
Slow-Twitch vs Fast-Twitch Muscles
MYTH: Let meat come to room temperature before cooking.
MYTH: Searing meat seals in the juices.
What You Need to Know About Salt
MYTH: Osmosis is how salt gets into meat during brining.
Briners, Beware: Double-Salt Jeopardy!
MYTH: Massaging in the rub pierces the surface and makes the juices run out.
Injecting: No Wait, No Waste, More Flavor
The Secrets and Myths of Marinades
MYTH: Marinades penetrate deep into meat.
Why We Love Bark, Crust, Caramelization, and the Maillard Reaction
The Fat Cap: To Trim or Not to Trim
MYTH: The fat cap will melt and make the meat juicier.
When to Cook Hot and Fast, When to Cook Low and Slow, and When to Do Both
What Factors Influence Cooking Time?
A Faux Cambro Gives You Breathing Room
MYTH: Pink pork puts you at risk for trichinosis.
MYTH: Cook chicken until the juices run clear.
How to Get the Perfect Maillard Sear
MYTH: Meat is safe when it is no longer pink.
MYTH: Grill marks are the sign of a great steak.
What Is That Stuff Oozing Out of My Salmon and Burgers?
MYTH: Flip your meat as little as possible.
Strategies for Using Barbecue Sauces
Cooking More Than One Large Hunk of Meat
A Challenge to Gas Grill Manufacturers
Freezing and Reheating Leftovers
Charcoal vs Gas Grill Throwdown
How to Get a 50 Percent Discount
About That So-Called Grill “Thermometer”
What Are Propane and Natural Gas?
MYTH: The higher the BTU rating, the hotter the grill.
Not All Stainless Steel Is Created Equal
Large-Capacity, Commercial, and Trailer-Mounted Rigs for Restaurants, Caterers, and Competitors
Think Carefully Before Buying Built-In Grills or Smokers
Extension Cords for Pellet Smokers, Electric Smokers, and Electric Grills
The Most Important Tool You Can Buy: A Thermometer
MYTH: You can tell the temperature of your grill by holding your hand over it.
MYTH: You can tell doneness by cutting into meat to check the color.
MYTH: Oil the grill grates to keep food from sticking.
Other Accessories You Really Need
Calibrating Your Grill or Smoker with Dry Runs
Troubleshooting and Cleaning Your Gas Grill
How to Tell When the Gas Tank Is Low
MYTH: Lump charcoal burns hotter than briquets.
MYTH: Caveman steaks are the best.
MYTH: The parabolic shape of the Weber Kettle acts like a heat reflector.
Don’t Worry If Your Wood Bursts into Flame
Temperature Gradients in a Weber Smokey Mountain
Cleaning the Exterior of Your Grill or Smoker
Cleaning the Interior of the Cooking Chamber
MYTH: A thick black seasoning is needed inside a smoker or grill.
MYTH: The best tinder is dry leaves or newspaper.
Griddling and Pan Roasting with Steel, Wood, and Salt Blocks
Cowboy and Chuck-Wagon Cooking
Brines, Marinades, Rubs, Spice Blends, Pastes, and Injections
The Simple Blonder Wet Brine (6.3% Salinity)
Rubs and Blends of Herbs and Spices
Smoked Garlic Powder or Onion Powder
How Long Can You Keep a Barbecue Sauce?
Columbia Gold: A South Carolina Mustard Sauce
Lexington Dip: The West Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Sunlite Kentucky Black Sauce for Lamb and Mutton
Hawaiian Huli-Huli Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade
Chocolate Chile Barbecue Sauce
Cascabel Mole, Inspired by Chef Rick Bayless
Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Coulis
Japanese Happy Mouth Yakitori Sauce
60-Minute Ribs Dreamland Style
Kermit’s Second-Favorite Pork Chops
Pork Tenderloin with Cowboy Java Rub
Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin
Grand Marnier–Glazed Ham Steaks
Approximate Timetable for Cooking a 75-Pounder
Suckling Pig: Small Enough for Your Grill
Prime Rib and Beef Roast Revolution
The Afterburner Method for Skinny Steaks
For Those Who Don’t Want Medium-Rare
Santa Maria Tri-Tip: Poor Man’s Prime Rib
Chateaubriand with Compound Butter
Beef Ribs: The Long and the Short of Them
Short Ribs, Brazilian Steakhouse Style
The Great American Steakhouse Steakburger
A Better Italian Sausage Sandwich
Sunlite Kentucky Mutton or Lamb
MYTH: Beer can chicken is the best way to cook a bird.
Hawaiian Huli-Huli Teriyaki Chicken
Sweet Georgia Brown Smoked Yard Bird
Big Bob Gibson’s Chicken in ’Bama White Sauce
Blasphemy Buffalo Chicken Wings
Grilled Duck Breasts in Cherry-Port Sauce
Chef Bonner’s Fish Fillets with Brioni Broth
Smoked Trout, Florida Mullet Style
Quick-Smoked Clams, Mussels, or Oysters
MYTH: You can purge bivalves with cornmeal and water.
Clambake with Grilled Crostini
Grilled Oysters with White Wine Sauce
Joe’s Fireproof Grilled Shrimp
Championship Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Shrimp
The Ultimate Grilled Corn on the Cob
Fire-Roasted Eggplant Baba Ghanoush
Baked Potatoes Are Best on the Grill
How to Gussy Up the Humble Spud