Recipe writers hate to write about heat. They despise it. Because there aren’t proper words for communicating what should be done with it.
—Alton Brown
This is the way I think we got here: Millions of years ago a hunting party of hominids stumbled upon the charred carcass of an animal after a forest fire. The smell and taste were ethereal, and the next beast they speared went right into their campfire. And thus began the struggle to master fire, heat, smoke, and meat.
The cooked meat must have seemed miraculous to them because they knew nothing about the components of smoke; the differences between convection, conduction, and radiation; the power of infrared energy; the Maillard reaction; the conversion of collagen to gelatin; the caramelization of sugar; and the isoelectric properties of salt.
And, sadly, neither do most modern backyard cooks, who throw meals into the sacrificial pyre and are doomed to serve carbon-coated chicken wings and hockey-puck hamburgers. Many of us are cavemen in a digital age.
But barbecue and grilling are not magic. Every recipe we cook is a physics and chemistry experiment. Outdoor cooking, though, is a lot harder than indoor cooking. Very few outdoor ovens have a thermostat to control temperature (and a grill is really a crude oven), and just when you think you know how to make the perfect steak, cold air, wind, and rain embarrass you by cooling your fire and food and screwing everything up. And then there’s smoke, the ephemeral spice that can go from aphrodisiac to ashtray if you don’t know what you are doing.
We all have painful memories of epic failures, but they are avoidable. Understanding is the first step in mastery. This book explains the science of barbecuing and grilling in lay terms. Along the way, I use science to filter the hogwash, bust the myths, and take down the old husbands’ tales and canards passed along by pitmasters whose rituals have gone largely untested since that first forest fire.
For help, I consulted several scientists, chief among them Professor Greg Blonder, Ph.D., of Boston University. A physicist, he conducted original experimental research for this book and the barbecue website I founded, AmazingRibs.com. With his input and that of others, I’ll share techniques guaranteed to improve your cooking.
Three core concepts alone can elevate your food from the ordinary: two-zone set-up, reverse sear, and the use of digital thermometers. Master them and someday your children will tell their children, “Here’s how Dad taught me to grill a steak.” And thus you will achieve immortality.
Technique. My motto is “Give a man a fish, and he’ll probably get it stuck to his grill. Teach a man to grill, and he’ll become a big fish among his family and friends.” With this book, you will learn how to keep fish fillets from sticking to the grill; how to make your own rubs that taste much better and cost far less than store-bought; and how to amp up tomato sauce by grilling the tomatoes. You’ll also learn that cooking time depends on the thickness of the food, not its weight; why you shouldn’t soak wood for smoking; why sticking a beer can up a chicken’s butt is a waste of good beer; why rubs should not have salt in them; and that you shouldn’t bring cold meat to room temperature before cooking because cold meat attracts smoke better. Do you know why you should avoid making grill marks on your steaks? And that resting meat after cooking can do more harm than good?
If you are skeptical, that’s all the more reason to read this book.
Hardware. Whether you are shopping for your first grill or your yard has enough steel to build a battleship, I think you’ll find the equipment recommendations useful and at times surprising. They were compiled with the help of my associate Max Good, whose full-time job is kicking the tires of grills and smokers.
Recipes. More than 100 recipes help you put all this knowledge to work. Of course, I have included the traditional all-American barbecue canon of pork ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, whole hog, and chicken wings, tweaked with the latest science. I have also added creative recipes outside the box, like Japanese Happy Mouth Yakitori Ribs, Italian Suckling Porchetta, Hawaiian Huli-Huli Teriyaki Chicken, and Chocolate Chile Barbecue Sauce.
You can achieve greatness with these recipes, but I hope you will also create your own outstanding dishes with the techniques you learn. Remember, almost anything you can cook indoors can be cooked outdoors, only better. All it takes is the four Ps: practice, patience, persistence, and a knowledge of key cooking principles. So come on out! The backyard gate is opesn. Get fired up, strap on an apron, and grab some tongs, a thermometer, and a wad of napkins.
Just one warning: There is a hazard. If you get good at this—and you will, because it is not hard—whenever there is a Little League fundraiser, a graduation, a farewell party at work, or a church picnic, someone will make a request slathered in flattery. Would you mind bringing some of your famous pulled pork or amazing ribs? Could you grill the chicken or smoke the turkey? And you will not be able to say no.