Many families look to their grills for their barbecued favorites throughout the summer, but how about after the turn of the fall? Smoking and grilling doesn’t have to be a summer exclusive for your family. Assuming your family understands the differences between these methods and the safety measures necessary to facilitating them, delectable meats can be had year-round. This post will provide comprehensive details regarding these two methods in addition to some strategies to grill and smoke food at home with the whole family.
The first method that will be detailed down is grilling. When you grill foods, you’re cooking them with indirect or direct heat, producing a charred surface that traps the natural flavors and juices of foods. This is typically done atop charcoal or bass grills, but in some instances infrared grills may be used. Grilling readies meats much quicker than smoking does. Direct grilling in particular is very quick. This is the method traditionally used to prepare chicken breast, pork chops and even steaks. Indirect grilling, on the other hand, is a much lower heat and thus slower cook method. This is how most pork shoulders, briskets and ribs will be prepared.
Next up, smoking. This is the process of slow cooking foods through the heat provided by smoke coming from low burning wood. Meaning whatever you prepare will have a bit of a smoky or wood-based flavor profile, dependent on which wood you use. The process of smoking these meats is meant to break down the collagen and tenderize the meat. Typically, smoking is done with specialized smokers or grills that can support temperatures between 68° and 176° Fahrenheit to properly smoke foods.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed? No need! Smoking and grilling foods can be difficult, but there are a few tips and tricks that can help you feel like an expert in no time. Consider your average grill clean up. Rather than using the same old gross grill brush, ever use aluminum foil? Grab a sheet and crumple it up into a ball. Take the ball with a pair of tongs and rub along your grill’s freshly used grates. All of your grease is gone. Onions are an alternative if you’re running low on aluminum foil. Their acidity is no match for any residual grill grime.
Some more flavor-based tips include misting meats with a solution of equal parts water and apple cider vinegar. Not only with this help maintain moisture, it will also draw more smoky flavor particles to the surface. Aromatics are another excellent addition to any smoked food’s flavor profile. Try including some herbs in the burning coals to enhance the flavors of any barbecued meats.
Think your family could use a bit of additional information surrounding these two barbecuing techniques? Make sure to review the infographic that is coupled alongside this post. Courtesy of Barbecue At Home.