Good cooking needs more than good recipes. The best chefs have developed tricks and techniques that can make major differences in the outcome. Here are some of my favorite tips and tricks that make cooking easier, and the outcome better. I am publishing them here with this request: If you improve upon them or have suggestions, pass them back to me.
What are Amazing Ribs? The ribs the world loves best are from the American South, barbecued, with a perfect balance of porcine flavor, silky mouthfeel, springy texture, and juiciness framed by a kiss of smoke, hugged by the sweetness, acidity, and spiciness of sauce, and licked by fire. Here's my definition of what Amazing Ribs taste like.
Best setup for a charcoal grill. Forget what the Weber folks say. Here's the best way to set up a charcoal grill for real barbecue.
Best setup for a gas grill. Yes, you can get real smoky, authentic tasting barbecue on a gas grill. Here's how.
Best setup for a cheapo offset smoker (COS). These popular smokers have some problems that can ruin your meal. Overcome them and you'll love the output. This article has tips for setting up a COS as well as hot to modify it.
Best setup for a Weber Smokey Mountain and other charcoal bullet smokers. The WSM is one of the best backyard cookers available and the Brinkmann Bullet is another popular unit. Here's how to ignore the manual and set them up right.
Ribs in a hurry. Use the Memphis method for cooking over direct heat.
Glossary. First, let's define some terms: What is barbecue? What are Amazing Ribs? How does it differ from grilling and smoking? What are baby backs, spares, country ribs, riblets, rib tips, rib roasts, and the St. Louis cut?
The different cuts of ribs. Just what are baby backs? Spare ribs? Rib tips? Riblets? St. Louis cut ribs? Rib chops? Rib roasts? Country ribs? And for heaven's sake, what the H is a McRib?
The different types of barbecue sauce. Everybody knows and loves the classic Kansas City tomato based sauce, but there are at least 11 other distinct different sauces. Theres mustard based sauces from central South Carolina, Low Country vinegar sauce, Lexington sauce, and more. Learn what makes them different and how to make your own.
What is barbecue. Barbecue has almost as many spellings as definitions: Barbecue, Barbeque, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Cue, 'Cue, 'Que, Barby. Let's try and get a handle on what barbecue means. Is it hot dogs on the Hibachi or whole hog cooked for 12 hours over logs. Or both? Here's the definition of barbecue and the history of the word.
Rib science. The basic concepts you need to understand in order to make Amazing Ribs. The thermodynamics of barbecue, proper cooking temp, how to tell when the slab is ready, the truth about trichinosis, what is the best fuel, when to add sauce, and more.
For juiciest ribs, try a brine. Brines are not just for pickles. Brining is a great way to add moisture to meat.
Skin 'n' trim: Removing the membrane. On the back of all slabs there's a membrane that keeps flavor from the meat and gets very tough. Here's how to remove it.
The Texas Crutch. Boiling ribs turns the meat to mush, but the right amount of steam makes it fall off the bone.
Are they ready yet? Perhaps the trickiest part of cooking ribs is knowing when they are ready, but not overcooked. Here's how.
Meat Temperature Guide. Here's the optimum tempas to remove meats from the cooker, and optimum serving temps. They're different, you know.
Food Safety, knife safety, grill safety. How to live to cook again and how to not kill your spouse, by accident that is.
Saucing strategies. The most common error we make is adding the sauce at the wrong time. Here's how to get sizzling sauce without burning it.
The Zen of wood. The seductive aroma and flavor of smoke is the essence of barbecue. Here's how to get it.
The Zen of marinades. Here's how marinades work.
Use a cooking log. Take notes! Whenever you cook, keep a log. Make notes on the meat, the prep, the cooker temp, ambient temp, the wood you used, how it tasted, and what improvements you need to make. Here's a printable version of my cooking log.
Brew for cue, wine for swine, and booze too. The secret to matching the drink with ribs is in the sauce.
This page revised 4/28/08
