Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology
Grilled on February 2nd, 2006 in Resources, Smokology
I know nothing about “smokology,” my new favorite term of the day, and hopefully a copy of this 224 tome on the topic by Richard W. McPeake, one of the top instructors at the The Culinary Center of Kansas City (a claim made by the owner of The Culinary Center); will educate me on the subject. All I know is that when I go to a good barbecue restaurant, and I mean good like the heart of Louisiana last year, a well smoked piece of pulled pork (insert your favorite meat or cut of meat here) really does taste marvelous.
What sold me on Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology were the twenty glowing reviews on Amazon. Here are some choice excerpts:
Tim Janson (Top 100 Reviewer) - “…this book is on smoking, as opposed to be purely another book on BBQ. Smoking is a technique that takes time and patience and don’t expect to get things perfect the first several tries.”
jonathanbbq writes - “Since getting into the bbq world, I have purchased many books on this subject. I can honestly say that this book, since receiving it, is a gem! The whole book is all about smoking, not any stories about himself or grilling. It is truely a book about the art of smoking. He does a great job in breaking down the things to do before you get to the smoker, what happens during the process and how to change or improve your results, and what to do after the process.”
Perfect!
Well, you know me, I’ve always gotta jump in. Here’s my thoughts on smoking meat, as refined since meeting a pair of young ladies who were, um, “life partners”, and big winners on the BBQ-Cookoff circuit:
Rule one: don’t oversmoke. Brisket: about 2-3 hours exposure to smoke. Ribs: about an hour.
The meat can’t hold more smoke than that, and will just become bitter if you oversmoke it.
A perfect brisket, when sliced, has a visible 3/8″ smoke ring in the meat. This is the standard of judging at BBQ cookoffs!
After the smoking period, wrap the meat TIGHTLY in foil, add “wet” sauces if desired, and cook slowly, either in the smoker or an oven, at about 225 degrees, for one hour per three pounds of meat. Don’t worry if you go over on time. If the temperature is low and the meat is tightly wrapped, you almost CAN’T overcook it.
The end result will be savory meat with a great smoky flavor, and so tender you won’t believe it. Brisket will be fork tender, and ribs will result in clean bones if you try to “pull” them apart instead of slicing.