Useful Tips for Cooking
over the Grill or Smoker

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

While each tip can mostly stand alone, it is best to read them all and incorporate them into an overall assault on the grill. Be sure to have your assault well fortified with your favorite beverage! Today's tip is: Caution with the tomato sauce

The use of barbecue sauce during the cooking process is probably the most misunderstood techniques used in cooking outdoors by the backyard cook. Tomatoes and sugar, some of the primary components found in barbecue sauce, both have low burning temperatures. That means that they burn very easily and quickly.

The misconception is that placing a lot of barbecue sauce on the meat helps keeps the meat moist and tender. The truth of the matter is that you're building up a charred crust of sugar and tomatoes.

A better process would be the use of a basting sauce (a recipe for which can be found in the recipe section of the site) during the cooking process. Just before you remove the meat from the grill, and while it is not directly over the heat of the grill, place the barbecue sauce on all sides of the meat and allow it to sit (away from the direct heat) in the pit for 15 to 20 minutes. This sets up a nice tender surface and prevents the sauce from being burned. The difference in these techniques will make you the hit of the neighborhood!
Enjoy!