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 100°F! 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.
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The Thermodynamics of Cooking and How Different Cooking Methods Work
"A man in the house is worth two in the street." Mae West
You may have thought you left physics and chemistry behind when you left school, but if you want to eat well, you need to understand that cooking is all about physics and chemistry, with a little magic mixed in. Here are some broad concepts every outdoor cook needs to know. For more on heat and food, food scientist Harold McGee has written profoundly on the subject in the New York Times. You should also read my Glossary of Cooking Terms and my article on meat science.
What is cooking?
Cooking defined. Most foods are composed mainly of water, fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Cooking is the process of transferring energy, usually heat, from an energy source to the food long enough to change its chemistry until you achieve safety and digestibility, as well as the desired flavor, texture, tenderness, juiciness, appearance, and nutrition.
The five ways heat cooks food. Food gets hot when molecules vibrate so fast that their temperature rises. Heat is transferred to food by means of conduction, convection, radiation, excitation, and induction. The processes have been described this way: Conduction is when your lover’s body is pressed against yours. Convection is when your lover blows in your ear. Radiation is when you feel the heat of your lover’s body under the covers without touching. Excitation is when she talks dirty to you on the phone. And induction is when she gives you electric socks.
Let's be a bit more precise:
Conduction is when heat is transferred to the food by contact with the heat source. Cooking a hot dog in a frying pan is conduction. As the surface of meat gets hotter than the interior and the heat transfers to the center through the moisture and fats, that's also conduction. Grill marks on food are caused by conduction heating.
Convection is when heat is carried to the food by a fluid such as air, water, or oil. Cooking hot dog in your kitchen oven where it is surrounded by hot air or deep frying it is convection. The interior of the meat, however, is cooked by conduction as the heat travels through it.
Radiation is the transfer of heat by direct exposure to a source or energy. Grilling a hot dog directly over hot coals is cooking mostly with radiant heat with the exception of the parts touching the hot grates. They cook by conduction. That's where the grill marks come from.
Excitation is how microwave ovens work. Microwaves are radio waves that penetrate the food and vibrate the molecules inside the hot dog until it gets hot without heating the air around it. Water heats first in the microwave. Technically, this is a form of radiant heat cooking.
Induction is the latest technique for stove tops. An copper coil is placed under a smooth cooktop and an alternating current is sent through the coil creating a rapidly changing electromagnetic field. Electrons in conductive steel or cast iron pots placed above the electromagnet are jostled by the rapidly changing magnetism, but they resist and get hot. The pot then conducts the heat to the food without the cooktop or the air around it getting hot. Induction is very responsive to the control knob and is extremely energy efficient, but it does not work with aluminum, glass, or copper pots.
The different cooking methods
The thermodynamics of grilling and barbecue
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A brief discussion of 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.
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. Those bubbles are steam rising to the surface. Water boils at 212F (100C) at sea level and once it hits that temp it does not rise any higher, no matter how much heat is applied. Alcohol boils at 172F. Boiling temperatures decrease as you go up in altitude because the column of air on top of the liquid is shorter and exerting less pressure so it is easier for water vapor, in the form of steam, to escape. The boiling temp of water is about 203F in Denver. If you are cooking with wine, a mixture of about 12 to 20% alcohol, the alcohol will boil first and the temp will hold somewhere just higher than 172F until the alcohol is mostly gone, and then it will rise to 212F and hold there until the water is mostly gone. You cannot make liquids boil faster by increasing the heat. 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. And tough.
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 to 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 flame. Similar to grilling. In recent years the meaning has been confused lately, and many people refer to broiling as when the flame is directly above the food.
Curing. Although heat is not necessary to cure meats, and in fact curing is usually done at cool temps, it is like cooking in that it changes meat chemistry. Curing involves the preservation of meat by the heavy application of some or all of the following: Salts, sugars, nitrates, nitrites, or smoke. Each works differently by altering meats chemistry, inhibiting some microbial growth and promoting others, altering enzymatic digestion, changing the color, and of course, flavoring the meat.
Deep frying. Cooking at high temperature, usually 350 to 360°F, 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. Deep fried foods are usually crisp on the exterior and moist in the interior. 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 directly a heat source usually at temperatures of 350°F or more. Grilling is hot and fast cooking.
Microwave Cooking. This is a clever and fast method of cooking by exciting the molecules deep inside the food until they vibrate and heat without heating the air around it. The effect is similar to steaming. There is no dry heat to create the Maillard effect.
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. Similar to stewing, but poaching is usually done in water, or water with just a little salt and/or vinegar added.
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 effect and caramelizes. Food can be roasted on a grate, in a pan, on a spit, or other carrier.
Rotisserie. A form or roasting where the food rotates in front of or above a flame so that the meat gets hot on one side and then cools and gets hot again, etc. Some of the heat is absorbed into the food and some dissipates in the air. The interior cooks evenly.
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 125°F. 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 165-200°F 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 200-250°F. 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! It is similar to poaching but more flexible. 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 Maillard effect 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. The liquids are usually flavored with stock, wine, vegetables, herbs, etc.
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 4/22/2010
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