Cleaning Your Barbeque Or Smoker

Cleaning a grill or smoker is no fun. Ok, now that we agree and have gotten that out of the way, let's see why it's important to do it anyway. Then we can examine how to do it as painlessly as possible.

Most food will expel grease and carbonize to some degree in a barbeque or smoker. Fats drip into the pan, smoke rises from the surface. The result? A black, crusty compound gets deposited on the interior. That compound is mostly carbon, with some unburned grease thrown in just to make the clean up that much more difficult.

Cleaning in layers will help make the job easier. Some grease can be eliminated when scraping the carbon off, but for the most part it will need to come off first. Fortunately, with modern oven cleaning sprays that's very easy to do - especially on a barbeque where you have easier access.
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After allowing the barbeque to cool to just above room temperature, spray generously and wait at least two hours. Allowing it to sit overnight is warranted if you haven't kept up on cleaning.

Take apart any removable sections from the grill like grill bars, drip pans and lid. Always scrape away from you and keep a firm grip. Many edges on a barbeque are sharp and solid enough to cause considerable harm if your hand slips.

There's always a temptation to clean right away - both to 'get it over with' and because some things come off easier when the grill is still hot. That's true to an extent. Bonds between the material and the grill solidify when as the materials cool down. And a little scraping right away with a special scraping tool is okay in order to remove the large chunks of carbon from the grill or barbeque edges.

But wire brushing and other activities such as spraying with cleaner and wiping are dangerous when the grill is still hot. There's the obvious risk of a bad burn by touching the metal. But beyond that, a wire whisk will fling specks of hot carbon onto your arms and face. Bad news. Cleaning liquids that come into contact with hot metal will vaporize, often producing toxic gases. Another bad idea. Waiting may make clean up a little harder, but it's much safer.
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A few hours later or the next day, you can wipe off the oven cleaner and grease deposits. These sprays work extremely well. But be sure to use lots of water, rinsing a sponge or towel frequently. You don't want any of the oven spray/grease residue left inside the barbeque. If it dries and remains, it will definitely impart a foul odor and taste the next time you cook.

Now comes the hard part: removing the remaining carbon build up. Here there's no safe alternative to elbow grease. A proper scraper will help, but even with it you will have to exert some force. Keep a firm grip.

Clean the barbeque regularly and each clean up will be easier than if the job is only done every third time or once a season. Your food will taste better and you'll get much less cool grease on your face and in your hair.

Barbeque Grill Add Ons

Basic grill types range from charcoal to propane to natural gas, and sometimes even electric. The add-on features available with one model may help tip you toward one over the other.

Some propane grill models, for example, offer a side burner. That burner, typically about the size of an ordinary gas stove burner in your kitchen, can be a big convenience. It allows cooking vegetables, sauces and other parts of the meal while the main dish is grilling.

But natural gas models will often provide a larger burner, or more than one for more complex meals. Propane models can and sometimes do offer more than one, but they tend to be somewhat smaller in size to retain portability. Natural gas grills are expected to remain in one place most of the time, so designers can make them slightly larger and heavier. That leaves more space for additional burners.
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Removable drip pans can be a big benefit as well. A drip pan provides a repository for grease and bits of meat or bun that might make their way through the grill and into the bottom. The ability to slide out a pan makes for much easier clean up.

Other removable parts may be simple cast iron grill bars and even miniature ceramic briquettes.

Grill bars that can be lifted off make for easy clean up. You don't generally want to remove them for pre-placing meat, though, since the meal will cook best if the grill is hot. But some recipe variations will suggest placing meat on a cold grill for a variation in effect. That makes for easy seasoning or applying rubs away from the heat.

Many propane and natural gas grill models use not only the flame from the heating elements, but briquettes the size and shape of traditional charcoal. These are made of a permanent (or nearly so), reusable material (usually a ceramic composite). The flame heats the briquette and you get the advantages of flame cooking and briquettes. That provides a very even kind of heat.
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The briquettes do require some maintenance, however, since they get dripped on by grease and carbon will build up on them. They can be cleaned to a limited extent and replacements are usually available, though they last for dozens of cooking sessions.

Still other add-on features can make one model or brand more attractive than another.

Most standard-sized barbeques will come with a lid, but the type of lid can make a difference. Some have handles in less inconvenient places, such as the front. That means that when you open the lid your hand and arm are directly over the heat. Ouch! More intelligent designers place them on the side so you can open the lid in mid-session without risk or discomfort.

Thermometers integrated into the lid are a great option on some models. That makes it easy to test the temperature without lifting the lid so you know just when to start, turn or end. That's very handy on a propane grill especially where you want to try to conserve fuel as much as possible.

Trays at the bottom or on the side are convenient for storing tools, platters and food before it goes onto the grill. Well-placed hooks or tool-holder kits are a feature you'll use every time.

Once you find a number of basic models you like, check out the extra features they offer to influence your final choice.

Cooking Brisket Outdoors

Brisket is a cut from the breast, usually the lower part. It commonly refers to beef, but can mean chicken, pork or other animal meats. Though a badly made brisket can certainly be tough and unappetizing, if well done they can be highly tasty.

One key to cooking a brisket is the necessity to do so very slowly. Throwing even a small brisket cut of beef onto a grill for twenty minutes is almost to guarantee something that would be better regarded as beef jerky. But slow cooked, in a smoker or brick oven, sometimes for even as long as 24 hours can produce a tender, mouthwatering meal.

But, however prepared, every good meal starts with good ingredients.

A good piece of brisket will have some fat on it. On top of the cut it should have a fat cap that is about 1/4 inch thick, in order to supply the meat with ample flavor as it melts into the outer layer of muscle.
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A fine brisket will be fresh, not frozen. Thawing frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter, is always preferable but still a second best proposition. Once frozen, meat never returns fully to its original state. A healthy looking red color and ample marbling throughout are signs that you've selected well. 'Marbling' is a pattern of 'veins' of fat that wend through the meat.

A proper slab of brisket is going to weigh about 10 pounds, so it will need to be prepared properly before being slow cooked.

Every backyard chef has his or her favorite rub and preferred marinade. In the case of brisket, be prepared to use more than usual, owing to the thickness and the need to slow cook. The meat will need to marinade longer as well.

Mustard is a simple, yet popular beginning for a sauce for brisket, especially in the South. Slathering a spicy mustard along the top lets the spices penetrate the meat without scorching on the bottom. Of course, in many cases, the brisket will be turned on a spit so 'top' and 'bottom' are meaningless.
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Use sparingly, in any case. Spices and sauces serve the purpose of enhancing the flavor. They should never become the centerpiece of a recipe. The flavor of the meat should always be front and center.

When both are used, rubs are often applied after the sauce, where the sauce provides a good material for the spices to cling to.

To cook, put the brisket into the smoker with the fat cap on top. Wait at least an hour before turning on any rotating spit motor. You want the fat to melt down and around the sides and penetrate the meat slowly. Some will inevitably drip off, but by starting with the thick marbling on the top, you'll get good coverage.

Add woods for enhancing the smoking flavor according to your personal preference. Mesquite is a popular choice for obvious reasons: it adds a fine flavor.

Cook at about 225F (107C), about 75 minutes for every pound of brisket. That works out to 12 1/2 hours for a 10 lb cut. Just about right. Check the meat with a thermometer every hour after seven hours to ensure a uniform interior. The meat should reach at least 180F (82C) for taste and safety.

Tools For The Barbeque

BBQ - Tools for the Barbeque

Which tools you find essential and which merely 'nice to have' depends on the type of barbecuing you plan to do. But there's a list of tools that most backyard chefs will find come in handy much of the time.

Sometimes it's best to start with the end in mind and the end of every barbeque is the clean-up phase. Some grill models can be a nightmare but with the right tools it can be relatively painless.

One way to ease the burden of clean up is to not get so messy in the first place. Disposable drip pans are a great way to accomplish that. They catch any grease or bits of meat and bun that fall through the grill and after cooling off you just pull them out and toss them into the garbage. After a couple of days, though, the garbage will begin to smell very foul with old grease in it. Make sure it doesn't stay around very long unwrapped.
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The next best thing to disposable drip pans are removable ones. If you can't throw one away, at least you can make the job easier by pulling out the pan and spraying and scrubbing over a large sink. Oven cleaner is a lot easier to use when you don't have to wipe around a dozen other parts that are in the way.

It also makes for a better grill experience, since any oven cleaner used on a grill really has to be rinsed/removed before the next use. The alternative is foul smelling and foul tasting, if not downright unsafe.

A wire brush will be essential for most clean up situations. Getting a dual purpose style is helpful. These have wire brushes on one side and a metal scraper on the other. For scraping crusty carbon off the grill, there's just no substitute.

There are many tools that make the cooking itself a pleasure rather than a chore.

Skewers are handy for shish-kabob style meals and essential as part of cooking a chunk that requires repeated turning. A good pair of tongs complements the set. 'Good' here means easy to grip, low slip and no chance of overheating in your hands. Modern materials have done wonders in solving this problem.
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Oven mitts will still be useful for most applications, though. It's almost inevitable that you'll come in contact with grill parts and metal tools that make wearing gloves the only sensible thing to do. Hot plates, hot food and other aspects of barbecuing make them mandatory.

You'll probably find a wire basket handy from time to time, if you cook fish or want to be able to turn a slice of ham without using tongs. Add to that a different style that allows, for example, putting vegetables into a wire mesh container with a handle and you've got a convenient way to make a healthy meal outdoors.

There are dozens of useful barbecuing tools. Check out your list of favorites and always buy quality. That way they end up in your hands, and not in the drawer collecting dust.

Outdoor Cooking Without Bugs

Every backyard chef has had to contend with insects interfering with the pleasure of a barbeque. If they don't actually get in the food, they can still often annoy the cook. Here are a few effective, food-safe tips for how to deal with creatures who have rightly earned the name 'pest'.

Depending on species and season insects are attracted to heat, carbon dioxide, meat and other triggers produced by a barbeque. Spraying them with commercial insect killer or repellent may be effective for bug control but not very pleasant near food. Other methods for control are preferred.

A little prevention goes a long way, some of which is nothing but obvious common sense.
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Establish a perimeter. Laying down enclosed ant traps, yellow jacket bags and other modern insect control devices well in advance can help eliminate the problem before it occurs. Keeping an eye out for nests and eliminating them before they develop fully helps with population control. Keeping the area relatively free of likely invaders ahead of time means fewer to deal with during the barbeque.

Don't leave food near the barbeque while you prepare the meal. Platters of hamburgers are going to attract bees, wasps and others who like meat. The odors can be transported for long distances on the wind and it takes only a few seconds for anything flying within a few hundred yards to make its way to your food.

Strips can help keep smaller flying insects away from the food without imparting any unpleasant chemicals into the meal. They can be usefully supplemented with more sophisticated control devices. High frequency sound emitters, propane-fueled mosquito capture devices and other high-tech inventions do work.
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Old-fashioned methods are still useful, however. A simple fly swatter can chase off or eliminate a variety of flying pests. It's not pleasant to have to do so during cooking, but it's better than having them wind up on the meal.

Water is a surprisingly effective tool. Many flying insects can be kept at bay for quite a while with a hose equipped with a nozzle that produces a good spread and a fine spray. With the right setting, you can chase away a lot of annoying bugs without wetting the area much at all. Mosquitoes won't stay away long, but they can be fought back long enough to get food under the barbeque lid or out from beneath it.

Wind can be helpful. If you can't pick a day when there's a breeze, create your own with a good fan. Placed near the barbeque it can keep any number of flying insects at bay. If you observe carefully, you'll see that mosquitoes are rarely around when the wind is strong. Even bees will be chased away if the fan is strong enough.

One way to use that principle in a more focused way is to have a high-speed, high-heat hair dryer close at hand. Directing the blast at mosquitoes, small flies and others keeps them off the meat while you flip or review. Use an assistant to keep the bugs away while you prepare the meal and you can make a variety of pests go hungry.

Types Of Barbeque Grills

Barbeque grills come in three main categories - charcoal, gas and electric - and each type will appeal to a slightly different customer.

For decades the only type available was a charcoal grill, and this style is still very popular. Chunks of black carbon are arrayed in a familiar pyramid and ignited, usually with the help of BBQ lighter fluid. Once the briquettes start to glow red, they're spread around and they make for a hot fire that adds a special taste to the meal.

Though they require a bit more effort to prepare, use and clean there's no denying that the taste of meat cooked with charcoal has a unique flavor. The coals can be flavored themselves to add a special wood and smoky aroma that makes its way into the food. But they have drawbacks.
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Charcoal grills usually require some kind of gasoline-like fluid to assist the briquettes in heating to the point that the fire becomes self-sustaining. That can easily put a foul taste into the food if the fluid doesn't burn off completely before you start to cook. The coals also require a long cool-down period and have to be replaced after one or two uses. Clean up is often messy.

Gas grills took over in popularity 20 years ago and dominate the market now. They come in two main types: natural gas and propane.

Natural gas grills burn, as the name suggests, natural gas (a type of methane chiefly). They produce high heat and an even temperature. Clean up is relatively easy and some grills are even self-cleaning to a degree, like indoor ovens.

But natural gas grills require you to have or create an outlet to hook the stove up to. Many homes already have them, so that's seldom a problem. But it does limit the mobility of the grill. Once in place, you have a fairly short hose connection and the grill has to stay near the outlet. In rare cases that can present a fire hazard, but for most homeowners natural gas grills are a great option.

The other type of gas grill uses propane, usually from a refillable metal tank. Tanks come in various sizes, with 20 gallons a common amount. Propane grills produce a high temperature, only slightly less than methane. They'll cook a thick steak just as well, requiring only a slightly longer cooking time.
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Propane grills are convenient because they can be moved around. If you cook at different times of the day that can be a big advantage. If the sun is too hot in one spot (or you happen to be doing some yard re-modeling) the grill can be moved to another location.

But the tanks do run out, slower or faster depending on how long each cooking session is and how often the grill is used. Refilling them isn't very expensive, though propane prices have risen sharply in the past few years. The hassle factor can be considerable or trivial depending on who your supplier is. Some suppliers just do a quick exchange of the tank and you're on your way. Others make you wait in line, fill out paperwork and more.

Many natural gas models can be converted into propane and vice versa. The kits are simple to use and range in price, with some representing a third of the original cost of the grill.

Electric grills are another, newer option. They are in essence electric ovens set on wheels and can have a number of advantages. They have no fuel requirement, just a cord and an electric outlet. They can be self-cleaning, just as many interior ovens are. The temperature can be very precisely controlled. They do tend to be a little more expensive than other styles, though.

With the technological improvements made in grills over the past 20 years, you can hardly go wrong if you select a major brand. Consider your budget, your preferred cooking circumstances, and go for it!