An outdoor cook must be master of the flame and keeper of time Good cooking is the proper combination of heat and time. Your indoor oven has three basic components to control heat and time: A heat source, a thermostat, and a timer. Your outdoor oven, and that is exactly what your grill or smoker is, has a heat source, but only a few have a thermostat or a timer. And that's why cooking outdoors is difficult. To make good food outdoors you need to become master of the flame and keeper of time. Many grills come with a thermometer, but they are usually crap. The thermometer on my gas grill is often off by 100F! You absolutely positively must have a good oven thermometer. In addition to knowing what temp your cooker is, you need to know what temperature your meat is. Cooking without a meat thermometer is like driving without a speedometer. You might think you're under the limit, but try explaining that to the judge. You might think the meat is ready, but try explaining that to your guests when it is dry enough that they ask for a glass of saliva to help them swallow. Here is a meat temperature guide, and here's everything you need to know about thermometers with links to good ones you can buy. Some of the better digital thermometers have timers. If yours does not, get in the habit of wearing a watch when you cook and write down what time you put the meat into the heat in a cooking log. Some of the old timey barbecue artisans say you can learn to cook by sight, smell, and feel. That's just plain BS. Once you know how to cook you can rely more and more on your senses, but until you are ready to call yourself a top chef, get a thermometer, wear a watch, and keep a log like I do.

More on heat and food Food scientist Harold McGee has written profoundly on the subject of heat and how it changes what we cook in the New York Times.

The Thermodynamics of Cooking and How Different Cooking Methods Work

Cooking methods

A brief discussion of other cooking methods and terminology is worthwhile. Often these methods are combined. For example, beer can chicken, where a chicken sits on an open can of beer combines steaming in the cavity and roasting on the outside. For more definitions of cooking and barbecue terminology, check out this glossary. Click here for a description of the different cuts of pork and all the different types of ribs.

Baking. See roasting.

Barbecue (also: Barbeque, BBQ, Bar-B-Q, Bar-B-Que, Bar-B-Cue, 'Cue, 'Que, Barbie). There are at least nine spellings and a dozen or so definitions. I had to devote a whole page to the question "What is barbecue, anyway?"

Boiling. Cooking by submerging in water that is boiling with large bubbles and creating steam. Boiling is a very severe method of cooking and can easily damage food by breaking down its structure and squeezing out its moisture. That's right, boiled food can be dry.

Braising. Similar to stewing, poaching, or simmering, but the food is usually not submerged as they are in those methods. It is only partially covered in hot, but not boiling liquid for a long time, perhaps 6-12 hours. Braising is usually done in large pots like Dutch ovens or slow cookers and the lid is usually not on tight. This keeps the food in the air cooler than the 212F of the liquid, and allows it to tenderize without drying out as easily. The result is a moist meal where everything in the pot gives up its goodness in the name of the whole, and like an orchestral symphony, no single instrument stands out.

Broasting. A trademarked method of deep frying in a pressure cooker.

Broiling. Direct heat cooking with the flame directly above the food. Like grilling only the flame is above.

Deep frying. Cooking at high temperature, usually 350-360F, by submerging in oil or fat. This method creates more heat than boiling. The high heat creates steam within the food which cooks it and creates pressure at the interface between the food and oil preventing the oil from penetrating if the temperature is properly set. moist on the interior. Deep fried foods are usually crisp on the exterior and moist in the center. Because deep fried foods are often dipped in starch or batter, they can be extra crispy. This batter can absorb significant oil, however.

Drying. The process of dehydrating food by warming it slightly in a low humidity, high airflow environment. An excellent method of food preservation since most microbes need water to thrive. Freeze drying is done by freezing the food in a low pressure environment, and then a small amount of heat is applied to sublimate the moisture.

Grilling. Cooking with direct heat over flame or the heat source usually at temperatures of 350F or more. Grilling is hot and fast cooking.

Pan Roasting. The chef starts a piece of meat, often a thick piece of fish, by browning and crisping the exterior in a thin layer of hot oil in a frying pan. But the meat is still uncooked in the center, so she puts the pan in the oven to finish roasting. The result is fried on the top and bottom, and roasted in the center.

Planking. This is a combination method of indirect cooking especially popular with salmon. A wood plank, usually untreated western red cedar, which is porous and aromatic, is soaked in water. The food is placed on top of the plank and the plank is placed over direct heat in a closed oven. The plank heats the food by conduction, the water creates steam, the underside of the plank burns creating smoke, and the food roasts in the closed environment. That's conduction, steaming, smoking and roasting. Alder is also a popular wood for planking. Cooking planks are usually labeled as such. It is important that you do not use construction woods for planking because they can be treated with poisonous preservatives.

Poaching. See stewing

Pressure cooking. Pressure cookers are heavy sealed pots with a locking lid with a gasket and a high pressure release valve. A small amount of moisture is placed with the food in the cooker. As the pot heats up, moisture and pressure build. The boiling point of water rises as pressure builds, so the food cooks in at a higher temp and faster than when steaming under normal pressure. The product resembles braised or simmered food.

Roasting. Cooking, usually in an enclosed oven with medium to high heat. The food is usually surrounded by dry heat and browns with the Maillard reaction and caramelizes. Food can be roasted on a grate, in a pan, on a spit, or other carrier.

Rotisserie. A form or roasting by rotating the food in a heated environment.

Sautéing. This is a method of cooking food in a small amount of fat over a high heat on a hot metal surface, usually in a frying pan or skillet, with the goal of rapid cooking and browning. This method helps the food retain moisture and helps prevent it from absorbing oil. To be successful it is important the food is not too cold, the surface of the food must be dry, and the pan cannot be crowded.

Simmering. See stewing.

Surface frying. This is frying in a thin layer of oil on a hot metal surface, much like sautéing, but usually on a griddle. Only one surface at a time fries as opposed to deep frying. Diner burgers are a great example.

Smoking. Smoking is a way to cook, flavor, or preserve food by exposing it to smoke, usually from wood, although other combustibles, usually cellulosic, such as corncobs, tea, and herbs are used. At one time, before refrigeration, smoking was a widely used method of preservation. But it is not good for all foods since smoke does not penetrate very far.

• Cold smoking is usually done at temperatures under 125F. The food is heavily infused with smoke flavor, but it is not cooked by heat. This method is tricky because the temperature is ideal for growth of microbes, and, although smoke has preservative properties, unless done properly cold smoking can produce food that is dangerous. For this reason cold smoked meats are often heavily salted, brined, or otherwise cured. Cold smoking of meats should be left to professionals. Most commercial smoked fishes and cheeses are cold smoked.
• Hot smoking is usually done at temperatures in the 165-200F range. These foods are often also brined or otherwise cured. Most American smoked hams are hot smoked.
• Smoke roasting is usually done in the vicinity of 200-250F. The food is cooked by the heat, and when it is finished it is free of harmful living microbes. At these temperatures not much shrinkage occurs. Smoke roasting is relatively easy to do on backyard smokers and barbecue equipment. Most of the best barbecued ribs, pulled pork, and briskets in this temperature range.

Sous-vide. Sous-vide is French for "under vacuum" and it means putting the meat in a vacuum sealed plastic bag and immersing it in water at the temperature at which you plan to serve it for hours, even days! The process also prevents liquids from escaping, and some chefs add butter or sauce to the bag to build more flavor. Meats come out uniform in color and texture throughout, so they are sometimes seared after cooking to create a crust. The results can be spectacular. Sous-vide must be done correctly because if you do it wrong, you die of botulism. In October 2009 SousVide Supreme was introduced for home use at $399.

Steaming. The food is placed in an enclosed container above boiling water. Steam penetrates the food. It is a very effective method of tenderizing and moisturizing and it is fast.

Stewing. Food is cooked under a water based liquid at temperatures that create only a few small bubbles usually between 160-211F. Stewing usually is a slow cooking process. Stewed meats are usually browned by sauteing or broiling first to add flavor. These methods can be done in a pot over a heat source or in a slow cooker.

Stir frying. Similar to sautéing, but the food is cooked in a curved pan called a wok, and the food is often not browned.

Sweating. Like sautéing, but at much lower temperatures. Food is placed in a pot or pan with enough fat or oil to coat it but cooked at low temperatures until it softens or wilts.

This page was revised 11/15/2009