BBQ

Although I don't plan to wax poetic about the joys of BBQ (smoked meat not grilled meat), I did smoke 2 (cut) briskets, 5 chickens, and 1 boston butt this week. 

To me, BBQ is about 2 things: preparation and patience--the latter especially if one is smoking a larger piece of meat.  As I write this, the pork butt has been in the smoker for nearly 9 hours and is now just nearly done (and I have to wait another hour to eat it). Beyond that, BBQ should be simple. It's meat and (occasionally) some sauce. That is it.  Get it right, it's awesome; get it wrong; it's still OK. 

Preparation: Like the rest of this post, most of my thoughts about BBQ concern making individual choices to bring out the taste you want.  Like Garlic? Mince away. Don't like tomatoes in your sauce? Try a vinegar or mustard sauce. 

What to smoke? It depends on how much time you have and what you like.  Pork shoulder/butt is the most forgiving, but it takes a long time (at least 8 hours); baby back ribs are a crowd pleaser and take only 4 to 5 hours, but can end up soft; likewise chicken, you can expect 1 to 1.5 hours per pound but (as with chicken in general) the breast meat can dry out if you are not careful.  Turkey, brisket and chicken thighs will require another post. If you have a free weekend, you can't go wrong with pork roast.

Preparation. At least one day before you plan to smoke the meat prepare a rub of some kind with salt, sugar if you like (be warned, it burns), black and/or red pepper, and various spices.  Apply spice rub and refrigerate overnight. I'm a big fan of using yellow mustard here (yep, the cheap yellow stuff) at this point.  You won't taste it, and it helps keep the meat moist.

Determine what wood you want to use: I like oak, pecan, and fruit woods for most. Hickory and (especially) mesquite become a bit too much after a long smoke.  See one of the numerous sites for suggestions or try your own.

[As I write this post, I'm currently letting the pork rest....painful but necessary]

Patience.  Once the meat is in the smoker, you are at the mercy of the smoker, the meat, and a thermometer.  Let the meat rest when it's finished; while you are waiting prepare th sauce and the accoutrements.

The sauce: you could use the standard stuff you find at your local grocery store (Sweet
Baby Rays is pretty good) but consider experimenting with your own.  If you are used to the over the counter stuff, expect my general technique below to be a bit acidic due to the vinegar.  Again, there are plenty of sites devoted to the different regions and sauces, but the general idea is to mix vinegar, sugar, and various seasonings.  Tomato sauce or ketchup (catsup) is generally added as you move to west from the Carolinas. 

Basic recipe:
Cider vinegar
Brown sugar
Red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Water as needed to cut the acid if you don't want to add more sugar.
Heat and pour over meat.

 Variations (and these can be fun, add or subtract based on taste)
Ketchup
Tomato sauce
Diced onion (sauteed first)
Worcestershire sauce (just a bit)
Bourbon
Mustard (a little goes a long way)
Molasses
Black pepper and other spices (be careful, though, especially if you used a complex rub)

If you are used to the store bought stuff, add ketchup and tomato sauce to the vinegar version: add more sugar if it still seems acidic.  If you are working your way to home-aid, mix vinegar, sugar, and ketchup to your favorite store-bought stuff.

 Good stuff.