ARMOURY KITCHEN
BBQing
LOW AND SLOW
I Ð
When it comes to the BBQ, i f it ’s succulent , sticky meat you crave, rather than a mouthful of beast as tough as old boots, then there are a few key ground rules to follow, according to Gr i l lStock fest ival organiser JON FINCH
F YOU WERE served a plate of baby-back ribs that have been beautifully seasoned, then pit-smoked for four to five hours over a smouldering
pecan fire Ð gloriously sticky with fresh home-made BBQ sauce and perfectly tender so the meat falls away from the bone Ð youÕd probably dig in for second or third helpings, wouldnÕ t you? Of course you would; who wouldnÕ t? BBQ at its simplest is meat and fire, and we all get that. However, true BBQ is much more. It is sticky, juicy and seductively smoky. But whatÕ s the secret of how to best
cook your meat? ItÕ s no good taking a tough-as-old-boots cut like brisket and expecting to be able to grill it hot and fast like sirloin. Similarly, a big eight kilo hunk of meat, fat and connective tissue such as pork shoulder Ð
is probably not
the best for a quick sear on the grill. Originally, the cuts we enjoy grilling were the ones nobody wanted. The ones
that were left behind when all the good stuff had been taken off the carcass. The fiddly bits, the tough bits, the sinewy bits. Baby back ribs, for example, are what
is left when the pork loins or back bacon have been butchered out. Spare ribs? TheyÕ re what was left after the streaky bacon or sausages had all been made. The real art in BBQ is taking these
unloved cuts of meat and turning them into something beautiful. True BBQ is all about time and patience. WeÕ re talking
Ô low and slowÕ here, a form of cooking which canÕ t be rushed. We want the fat and connective tissue to gently and gradually melt down, leaving succulent, fall-apart meat thatÕs packed with flavour. HereÕ s the thing: brisket for lunch on
Sunday means starting the cooking of it on Saturday afternoon. But time and patience alone do not
make great BBQ. I could stick the brisket in a low oven and just leave it. Yes, it would cook and yes it would be tender,
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but it wonÕ t be great BBQ Ð or something your friends will talk about for days to come. The secret to
real BBQ is in the alchemy of the rubs, sauces and smoking woods used, but also the mastering of indirect cooking. ItÕ s impossible to cook a large joint
Something for the dads: barbecue is perfect bloke cooking, combining dead animals, fire and geeky detail. Can’t argue with the results, mind…
of meat over screaming hot coals. The outside will burn and the inside will be raw. The trick is to load your coals to one side or, if using a gas grill, have one side burning hot and the other set low (or even off ). This gives you control, and crucially allows you to slow everything down so the food can cook through. Even smaller pieces such as chicken thighs or drumsticks benefit from being cooked indirectly. Try it. Sear them over the flames for a few minutes then move them over until they are done.
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