Setting up a SLOW COOK Barbeque
 

I have rescently discoverd what REAL barbeque is. For years, I THOUGHT I was barbequing, but I was not. Many people think that anything cooked on an outdoor grill is barbeque, but that simply is not true. Cooking things directly over the heated coals is NOT barbeque, that's grilling. Barbeque requires indirect heat, long cooking times and a whole lot of love.

Don't get me wrong, grilling is great. I am not above slapping on burgers and dogs and calling it a feast. But if you want to cook a big piece of meat, like a whole chicken, beef brisket, pork loin, prime rib or even a whole turkey (yes, it can be done) then turning your grill into a slow cook barbeque is the way to go.

What you NEED
* A rather large charcoal grill, NOT propane. The grill must have a tight fitting lid, adjustable airholes beneath the coals and on the top of the lid.
* A shallow metal pan, no taller than a pie pan. I use a 9x12 square cake pan.
* A meat thermometer.
* Beer, the barbequer's official beverage.

Things you don't NEED, but make it easier
* charcoal briquete holders (metal cages that keep the coals to the sides of the coal bed, available as an accessory at BBQ's Galore stores)
* A "chimney" style charcoal starter. makes it easer to put coals where you want them once they are hot. Also no need for starter fluid, which is an all-around bad thing.

Set it up
For slow cooking, you use less coals, depending on what you are cooking (chicken vs. beef, 4lb roast vs. 10 lb roast) you will need to adjust your coal count. Most people will tent to use too many at first. I'll post recipes soon, and give a reccomendation for number of coals. Light up the coals, open a beer and wait until all coals have the greying on the surface.

If you have the briquete holders, place them on the outside edges of the coal bed, leaving the center of the coal bed empty. Dump half of the coals in one holder, the other half in the other. If you don't have the holders, just arrange the coals so they are bunched up at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, leaving the center empty.

Place the shallow metal pan (drip pan) in the space between the coals, on the coal bed, next to, but not touching the coals. Fill the pan with about a half inch of water.

Place the cooking grill in the BBQ and close the lid. Open all the air vents and let it sit there for about 3-5 minutes. This allows everything a chance to warm up. Once its warm all over, close the vents to about only one quarter open. This will keep the temperature down and allow for slow cooking at a low temperature. Then you are ready to cook!

You will place your meat on the grill, directly over the drip pan, NOT over the coals. Keep the lid closed ALL THE TIME. Most items will take AT LEAST 2 hours to cook. Avoid the temptation to open the lid to check on the meat, you will lose the ambiant heat inside the BBQ. If cooking something really big (turkey, full rack prime rib) you will need to add coals every few hours. Big things like that can take 6-8 hours, you might also need to add water to the pan for these big things. Before cooking, make sure you have enough beer on hand to last through the entire cooking time. Again, as I post other BBQ recipes I'll give more specific coal (and marinade) directions.

With the meat thermometer, check your meat for doneness. When it is to your liking, take it off the BBQ. Always allow large pieces of meat to rest for about 5 minutes before cutting into them. Remember, poultry must be cooked to at least 170 degrees. The great thing about this method is that its almost impossible to overcook something. Even if a piece of beef is cooked until all the pink is gone (gasp) the roast will still be incredibly flavorful and juicy, all because of the method.

Be on the lookout for actual recipes for this method of cooking from me.

Ahhh... Someone else that understands the TRUE nature of barbeque! This is the best method, and is especially good if you like dry rubs instead of sauce on the meat. It's also great if you like smoke- take a small can, like from tuna, put a bunch of soaked wood chips in, and place next to, not on, the coals.

I lived with a texan for the last year and according to him, burgers and hotdogs is a cookout. Barbeque is a real man's sport (tryouts required for women, but its an Equal Opportunity Food) involving careful manipulation of meat temperature, heat distribution, moisture, food preparation, and above all beer temperature.

Ratman, regarding the smoking, would you put the smoker chips separate from the water? ie. hickory wood chips soaked overnight in Jack Daniels, in a can at 6 o'clock, coals at 3 and 9 and water in the middle?

There should be some coals touching the side of the can. It needs to be hot to create smoke. If the coals are under the can, the surface of the chips exposed to heat are the flatter, wider sides of the bottom-most chips. This tends to be a rather efficient block for hotter temps in the upper-most chips. The thinner sides of the chips which are facing the sides of the can will conduct heat better to the inside, thus more quality smoke. The edges of coals turn grey first for this same reason. If you are using a real low temp, put some nail holes in the bottom of the can to create some airflow, or mix in a few dry chips. I've never soaked chips in anything but water, so I'm not sure what the effect of alcahol will be on the qaulity and flavor of the smoke.

My guess is that alcohol might make the chips more flamable. Probably a better idea to stick with water. I'm not a big fan of the smoke taste, so I left that out. I do like to use smoke with fish, however. Copper River Salmon is only a few days away....

Mister Coaster, try cedar planking your salmon. Take a rough finished cedar baord, like a 1x6. Hit it with 100 grit sandpaper, including the sides. This should only take a minute or so. Make sure that the plank will fit inside your grill, and is wide enough to hold your fish. Use a faily low temp, because cedar catches fire pretty easily. Rub one side with oil (salad, not motor). Put the fish on the oiled side and place on your grill, with the water setup you mentioned above. Close the grill lid. the steam/ light smoke from the cedar gives any salmon, especially Copper River, an amazing flavor.