Barbecue Best

There is nothing as great as enjoying a great meal at your own home especially when you have the company of friends and relatives. It is even greater if you make the great meal yourself and you are enjoying it with the people you love. Many people shy away from cooking because they are not sure if they will ever make a great meal for others to enjoy, but with a great BBQ sauce recipe, you will never go wrong as far as cooking is concerned. It is the sauce which will add the great flavor that will make everyone like your cooking and even ask for more. Your family will never get enough of your meal once you know how to come up with a good home-made barbecue sauce to use with your home cooking.A good barbecue sauce recipe can be learned from friends, relatives or even colleagues in your workplace. As long as it worked great for them, chances of the recipe working wonders for you as well are equally high. People will always make you know if a certain BBQ sauce recipe is great by the way they use it with their foods, so you can go for a recipe which is preferred by many people in order to impress many people with your cooking. You need to like the recipe too, otherwise you will be giving people something you cannot have yourself which is not a good thing. The rule here is to enjoy your sauce for others to enjoy it as well.There are several internet sites as well, where you can get a good BBQ sauce recipe and try it in order to tell whether it is good or not. Ensure to try several recipes in order to only adopt the best for your family and friends. This way, they will enjoy the food you have prepared and you will feel good about it. A home-made BBQ sauce is the best because you are at liberty to prepare a great sauce on your home other than relying on the purchased sauce which you are not sure what it was made of. With a home-made sauce, you already know what you have put in it and therefore you will be sure of how great the sauce is.Therefore with a great barbecue sauce recipe, you will always enjoy what you have prepared at home. The sauce is not meant only for meat but for other foods as well. Initially, the sauce was mainly used with barbecues but these days, people have realized how great the flavor of the sauce is to other foods, which is why people use the sauce on practically all food types.

Crockpots and Slowcookers are great for a wide variety of foods. These recipes highlight some of the variety of beef recipes that work great in your cooker. Chili is often considered a "crockpot recipe" but have you considered BBQ Beef Chili? This is a different twist to the traditional chili and is great for those game-watching parties. How about Beef Fajitas? Had you ever considered making them in your slowcooker? This recipe will win you over.BBQ BEEF CHILI 1 tsp canola oil 1 lb lean ground beef 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed 2 cans (15-oz) pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained 2 cups chicken broth or water 1 can diced chili-ready tomatoes 2/3 cup chipotle barbecue sauce 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp chopped cilantro 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheeseHeat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until the beef is browned, stirring to break beef apart; drain.Place the beef mixture into a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker or crockpot. Stir in the squash, beans, broth or water, tomatoes, barbecue sauce and salt. Place lid on cooker and cook 4 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low. Before serving, stir the cilantro into the chili. Top bowls with the shredded cheese.STEAK FAJITAS 1 (1 1/2 lb) beef flank steak 1 can (14.5-oz) diced tomatoes with garlic & onion 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 med onion, sliced 1 med green bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 med red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro 2 tsp cornstarch 1 tbsp water 12 (6-in) flour tortillas, warmed 3/4 cup sour cream 3/4 cup your favorite salsaSlice the steak across the grain into thin strips and place in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, with the liquid, jalapeno, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir to blend ingredients and then cover the cooker. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Add the onion, red and green peppers, and the cilantro; cook another hour or until the meat is tender.Combine the cornstarch with the water and stir until smooth. Gradually stir the mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened. Using a slotted spoon, spoon about a half cup of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Add a tablespoon of the sour cream and a tablespoon of salsa to each. Fold the bottom of the tortilla up over the filling and roll tortilla up.Yield: 12 fajitasEnjoy!

BBQ Rub RecipeA BBQ Rub recipe is fundamental to making great BBQ. Do not be intimidated by all the ingredients and how they should be mixed. Below is a brief overview of the core spices to a good bbq dry rub. Feel free to try this basic recipe and experiment with combinations of these spices and more.Core SpicesPaprikaThe spice by volume most used as a good base for barbecue rubs is paprika. Paprika is made from sweet red peppers that are dried and then powdered. Most paprika originates from Hungary but now you can get some great paprika from Spain. The author prefers 'sweet Hungarian paprika' when making his own rub. Paprika is responsible for giving barbecue its beautiful red color.Chili PowderChili powder is a spice mix usually made from chili peppers (red, ancho, chipotle and cayenne). Often mixes will include other spices such as black pepper, coriander, turmeric, mace and others.SaltSalt is in everything right? Go easy because you can easily add too much salt to a rub. Smaller cuts are very suspect to oversalting, such as ribs or chicken. Also, be careful with rubs that are high in salt content if you plan to let the rub cover the meat for long periods of time. High salt rubs can turn the meat 'hammy' if allowed to blend with the meat too long. I prefer to use kosher salt (or sea salt) with my rubs, but you may need to run it through a spice grinder if your other ingredients are finely ground.Brown SugarBrown sugar is often a hig percentage of the bulk of rib rubs, but is common in many all-purpose rubs. It may be necessary to dry out brown sugar to avoid clumping if you are planning to store the rub for some time. Also, be careful with rubs high in sugar because it can easily burn.Garlic Powder,Onion Powder,Black PepperImportant ingredients present in almost all barbecue dry rubs.Secondary SpicesThe following spices are also common in barbecue rubs and often commercial rubs will include some or all of these spices.CorianderThis is another great spice that has an identity crisis. Most of the world refers to it as coriander, but in America it is called cilantro, yet, it is also referred to as Mexican parsley, as well as Chinese parsley. Whatever you want to call it, add it to your barbecue rub. But,make sure to use ground (dried) coriander. Cilantro leaves have their purpose, but its sweet, citrus like taste of the leaves is better left for other dishes. This is another spice often used in Asian, Indian and Mexican dishes.CuminCumin is a bit more obscure than most of the ingredients found in barbecue rubs, but one that I use in all of mine. Cumin is in the parsley family and has a great aroma. If you have eaten Indian or Persian food, you have had an abundance of this spice. This is a core spice for many Mexican and in nearly all Tex-Mex dishes. I love this spice and often have to hold back to keep from putting too much in my rubs. A little known fact is that cumin is the 2nd most used spice in the world (to black pepper).Cayenne PepperTake it easy with this one unless you like your rub with some kick. Too much kick is possible even for those who dig very spicy rubs. I made the mistake of using fresh ground cayenne for the first time at a barbecue competition...and the judges must have thought it was a hot buffalo wing eating contest. I enjoyed the ribs, but the judges scored me VERY low on taste.How to MixBasically,mix your ingredients together and put on your favorite cut of meat and cook to your pleasure.A few hints. Keep in mind that ribs have a small surface area, so a little rub goes a long way. Just the opposite effect with an eight pound Boston Butt or 12 pound beef brisket. With the bigger cuts,more rub is better. Also, sweeter rubs seem to do better with ribs and chicken and less sweet for bigger cuts (they cook longer and could burn with high sugar content).Here is a great rub base for starting your own rub. Feel free to experiment.Basic BBQ Rub Recipe5 parts Paprika3 parts Chli Powder3 parts Brown Sugar2 parts Kosher Salt1 part each Black Pepper,Onion Powder, Cayenne PepperPart can be any measurement - cup, tablespoon, teaspoonHappy Barbecueing.

Improving your backyard barbecue skills can be a tough road to travel, especially when it's hard to decide which of the many books, DVDs, and accessories can really help up your BBQ game.One of the biggest challenges faced by backyard barbecue enthusiasts today is how to go about selecting the resources that can really impact the quality of what you put on the table. There are literally hundreds of books, videos, and accessories out there promising to make you the star of your next BBQ cookout. However, unless you know up front which ones have actually proven useful to folks, you can feel a bit like you're poking around in the dark.Here are some of the most popular books, videos, and accessories members of a trusted online BBQ community have found useful. Take a look, and you're sure to find some information that will head you in the right direction and have you upping your BBQ cook out game in no time.Popular BBQ BooksAmerica's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants by Ardie A. Davis and Chef Paul Kirk took the #1 spot (no surprise, there from these two Kansas City BBQ guys) with Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA - with Recipes, Porklore, and More! by Vince Staten and Greg Johnson finishing at the #2 position. The Staten/Johnson book has always been a favorite among readers of The BBQ Smoker Site blog - especially those who are of the "build your own barbecue smoker" variety. Backyard BBQ: The Art of Smokology by Rich McPeake took the #3 spot and is a solid pick for backyard BBQ folks interested in learning some of the more intricate aspects of the art of barbecue.1. America's Best BBQ: 100 Recipes from America's Best Smokehouses, Pits, Shacks, Rib Joints, Roadhouses, and Restaurants2. Real Barbecue: The Classic Barbecue Guide to the Best Joints Across the USA - with Recipes, Porklore, and More!3. BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt4. Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue5. Big Green Egg Cookbook: Celebrating the World's Best Smoker & Grill6. Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking7. The Cook's Illustrated Guide To Grilling And Barbecue8. The Big Book of BBQ: Recipes and Revelations from the Barbecue Belt9. Barbecue! Bible: Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades, Bastes, Butters, and Glazes10. BBQ 25Popular BBQ DVDs Only a few Barbecue DVDs made it onto the list this time. It seems there is a lack of really up to date movies or documentaries out there about BBQ. I'd sure like to see more competition BBQ documentaries on the market. Here are a few that continue to make it into the video libraries of BBQ enthusiasts.1. Backyard Barbecue with HomeBBQ.com2. BBQ Secrets - The Master Guide To Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin'3. Inside the World of Championship BarbecuePopular BBQ AccessoriesIn the barbecue tools and accessories, thermometers and gauges took the #1 and #2 spots with the RC-T2 BBQ Grill Smoker Thermometer Gauge from River Country leading the pack as a surprise, followed by the Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer (dual probe model). Bear Paws meat handles finished solid at #3, which makes sense as I see them in use at nearly every competition cook off I visit. Here are the more popular barbecue tools and accessories for last quarter.1. River Country (RC-T2) BBQ Grill Smoker Thermometer Gauge (100 to 550 F)2. Maverick ET-7 Remote-Check Wireless Thermometer With 2 Probes3. Bear PAWS Meat Handles4. Bradley All Weather Cover 4 Rack5. Bradley Smoker 5 Flavor Variety Bisquettes 60 Pack6. Outset QS77 Stainless Steel Wood Chip Smoker Box7. Weber 9986 Premium Cover8. Harold Imports 15-by-10-by-4-Inch Nonstick Professional Roasting Rack9. Fresh Mill 210 Herb Storage Canister and Mill10.Char Broil Silver Smoker

If you plan on getting yourself a BBQ grill, the very first thing you need to know is that there are lots of BBQ grills that are available in the market today. Aside from variety, they also come in different styles and sizes. If you want to know which type of BBQ grill will work best for you, look at the different varieties listed below.Portable Grills
These grills are smaller, which makes them easy to load into your car and bring along to the beach or park. These come in three types specifically gas, electric, and charcoal. Most of them are small tabletop grills while others are made to be bigger but are still light enough to be easily carried. Since portable BBQ grills are not that big, they work perfectly for small gatherings.Charcoal Grills
These types of grills are still available nowadays and they are considered as the best one by a lot of outdoor cooking enthusiasts. They take pride in their knowledge of the exact number briquettes needed to cook a certain type of food as well as based on the amount to be cooked in order to produce the perfect temperature. Barbecuing is an art and these people are known as experts.Gas Grills
These have become really famous within the last 10 to 20 years, which is really not that surprising since with these you do not have to worry about buying and disposing charcoal. In addition, you get instant heat, which if regularly maintained can be evenly disbursed. These types of grills can be quite deluxe and they come in different sizes.Electric Grills
These are not that common and are not designed for everybody which is why they are said to be designed to a devoted market. Most of electric grills are small and specifically designed for tabletops. However, you can purchase full-sized grills as well if you want to. These perfectly suit people who don't grill a lot but really enjoy doing occasional summer BBQs. In addition, electric grills work great for those living in apartments because they can use these for grilling in their balconies. With these types of grills, you do not have to worry about briquettes or gas since all you need to do is to plug them in.Now that you already have a good idea of the different types of grills available in the market as well as the functions and advantages that they can offer, you can now choose wisely which among these things will work best for you and your family.

One of the great things about going to a barbecue is that there is nearly always a wide choice of food on offer. No matter whether you're a meat eater, a fish-eater, or a vegetarian, there's usually something being barbecued that will take your fancy. And if there isn't, you should have a word with the chef!Meanwhile, if you are the chef, you'll need to think about what to cook. Burgers and sausages are barbecue favourites, but sometimes pushing the boat out just that little bit further will put a wider smile on the face of your diners.To help you get the most from your barbecue, here are some fantastic recipes to get the party started.Lamb Kebabs
These kebabs are very easy to make and are delicious. Serve with Pitta bread and side salads and you're guests will be queuing up for seconds before they've even polished off their firsts!Ingredients:
450g lamb mince, juice of half a lemon, 1 tablespoon of oil, fresh coriander leaves, 4 garlic cloves, 4 green chillies, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons grated gingerTo cook:
Mix the lamb and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice in a bowl. Mix together the oil, garlic, chillies, cumin, coriander, ginger, pepper, rest of the lemon juice, turmeric and salt into a paste. Stir the paste into the mince. Use your hands to create sausage shapes from the mixture. Put the meat onto skewers. Brush the meat with oil and they're ready to go on the barbecue for around 5 minutes on each side.Tofu Skewers with Satay Sauce
Vegetarians, vegans and carnivores alike will enjoy this recipe. And food preparation doesn't get much easier than this.Ingredients:
Tofu, ½ cup of coconut milk, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of red curry paste (check it's the vegetarian version if you're serving this to veggies), I tablespoon Hoisin sauceTo cook:
Cut the tofu into 1 - 1 ½ inch cubes. Add the coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, and Hoisin sauce to a pan and mix together gently over a low heat. Put the tofu onto skewers and then lie them in a bowl and pour over the mixture, leaving it to marinade for an hour. The marinade will thicken and once put on the barbecue, the tofu skewers should take about 6 minutes on each side to cook.Chicken and Barbecue Sauce
Barbecue chicken is always popular. Add to it a simple, tasty barbecue sauce and you've got yourself a real winner - and it won't take a lot of effort to prepare.Ingredients:
1 cup of tomato ketchup, 3 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and a dash of Tabasco. Chicken pieces.To cook:
Mix the ingredients for the sauce together. Place the chicken on the barbecue and 10 minutes before you take the chicken off, coat it with the sauce. Simple and delicious.Barbecued Prawns
Meat tends to monopolise the grill at any barbecue, but it really shouldn't. There are plenty of mouth-watering barbecue seafood recipes, but here is one of our favourites.Ingredients:
1kg of large unpeeled prawns, ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, the juice of ½ lemon, 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 basil leaves chopped finely, ½ teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of black pepperTo cook:
Put the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Put the prawns on the barbecue and cook for one minute. Turn them over and cook for another minute. Take the prawns of the barbecue and shell them before dipping them in the oil. Eat!You can shell the prawns before putting them on the barbecue but leaving them in the shell keeps the moisture and flavour in.Beef Fillet
Barbecue beef is delicious and never more so than when it's served up with a mustard sauce. The kids may not thank you, but the adults will adore you! And you can always leave the mustard sauce off to satisfy those younger members of your barbecue party.Ingredients:
Beef fillets, 3 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar,1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice, 1 tablespoon tarragon, pinch black pepper.To cook:
Mix the mustard, vinegar, olive oil, pineapple juice, tarragon and pepper. Place the mixture in a saucepan and heat gently. Thump the fillets with a kitchen mallet (or rolling pin if you don't have one) and season with salt and pepper. Put the fillets on the grill and cook for around 5 minutes on each side. Once done, take off the grill and plate up, pouring over about 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the mustard sauce.

Barbecues are a great way to entertain friends and family. You're not stuck in the kitchen away from all the fun, it doesn't matter if people turn up early or late, and if the weather's fine the eating and drinking can go on as long as you like. But what do you do if you are catering for someone with a food allergy?Some allergies are more extreme than others - nut allergies can cause extremely severe, life threatening reactions, while other people's allergies may manifest as a slight rash or headache.So how do you approach this? First, of course, you need to know about any food allergies. Anyone who suffers from a severe allergy will probably let you know so that any cross-contamination can be avoided - in fact if their allergy is serious, they may well avoid eating at your barbecue and bring their own food. It's worth asking for some recipe ideas too, as they will be expert at substituting ingredients in their favourite dishes, and know which brands are safe for them to eat.Planning ahead is the key if you're catering for anyone with food allergies - if you're cooking for children, remember that they hate to be different, so be discreet about any variations in the menu - and if they have to bring their own food, encourage them to bring enough to share, so that they don't feel too conspicuous with their 'special' food.Most guests with food allergies will ask about included ingredients if they are unsure what is in a barbecue sauce, for instance. Have packs and bottles on hand so that they can check labels, or make sure you can remember what ingredients you have used in homemade dishes.If a guest has a severe allergy to nuts, the safest approach is not to have nuts anywhere near any of the food you are preparing. Check the labels of all pre-prepared food to ensure it is nut free. To be extra safe set up a small portable or disposable grill and use it to cook their food to avoid any possible contamination.For other allergies there are always alternatives. If someone is allergic to cows' milk, you can use soya or rice milk or yogurt for dressings or marinades.If a visitor is allergic to gluten you will need to buy gluten-free bread or cakes or use gluten-free flour to make your own.Egg allergies mean homemade burgers will need to be formed without using eggs to bind them and you won't be able to use mayonnaise in pasta, potato or coleslaw salad. Consider using tomato- based dressings for pasta, crème fraiche for potato salad and yogurt for your coleslaw. Also check the packages of prepared products for ingredients. Pasta is usually made with egg so you'll have to look for an egg-free variety in the supermarket or health food shop. Wheat-free pasta is also available for anyone who cannot tolerate wheat.Dealing with food allergies is simple if you use a bit of common sense and most people are very aware of products they should avoid, and they will often bring their own choice of foods anyway. I had a vegan friend who would take her own rice milk and spread whenever she visited friends as she didn't expect everyone to go out and buy special products just for her.Pizzas are an unusual option for the barbecue, but are simple to make - and you can make a pizza base yourself, so that you know it has not been in contact with nuts. You can use gluten-free flour, if necessary and then choose appropriate toppings, so that those who cannot tolerate dairy products, or mushrooms, perhaps, can make up their own pizzas to suit themselves. Cook the pizza base directly on the grill until it is stiff, take off the grill, add your toppings and then pop the pizza back on the grill until the cheese (if used) is melting. Whizz up your own tomato sauce in a food processor with tinned or fresh tomatoes, garlic and herbs, so that you can tell your guests exactly what is in it.Anyone who is allergic to tomatoes will often find themselves out of luck at a barbecue, where there are baked barbecue beans and barbecue sauces made with tomato ketchup on everything. Dry rubs are a great alternative that give meat such as ribs flavour - and there's nothing to stop other guests adding their own barbecue sauce afterwards. Brown sugar, chilli, garlic and onion powder plus salt and pepper, can be mixed together and rubbed over the ribs before cooking.If mayonnaise-based potato salads are not an option, make a dressing of Dijon mustard, pepper, salt, dill, balsamic vinegar and olive oil to add to your cooked potatoes. Steamed asparagus and cubed chicken can also be mixed in.A few more alternatives for foods that may cause allergies:Butter: replace with vegetable oil or non-hydrogenated margarine.Mayonnaise: Alternative ingredients to add moisture to burgers include hummus or mashed avocado.Nuts: If you want to add texture to a salad for instance, try using small crunchy croutons instead.

We all love a chicken burger recipe and there are many recipes for BBQ chicken, but often the sauce is more of a problem. A burger has to be done properly. I'm wondering what the statistics are? How many people would prefer the good old beef burger, but everyone has his or her own preference.Working in the chef industry I have been instructed to make many different sauce recipes and told how to make them for all sorts of occasions and decorate the plate beautifully, drizzling the remainder of the sauce around the plate.When we think of a BBQ sauce recipes for chicken we are thinking of the flavors and how they go with the chicken fillet. We are not especially thinking how beautiful and pretty the decorations on our plate look. A chicken burger can be very plain without the sauce so in this case some might say the secret is definitely in the sauceWhen I mention oyster sauce not a lot of people know about this, which I find a little strange. You can find oyster sauce at any chinese store, but you should find it at the supermarket. However you can't use oyster sauce alone on your chicken burger. Oyster sauce has a very sharp taste, but mixed with some honey it will calm it down and you will experience a delicious BBQ sauce.Once you have that base you can experiment a little yourself, adding some chili or garlic to spice it up. It's also great with tomato sauce. Tomato, honey and oyster sauce should be equal in quantity and then you will be on your way to one of the best bbq sauce recipes.BBQ Sauce recipes

If you're thinking of buying yourself a new barbecue, and money is no object, then you'll be happy to hear your options are endless. Conventional barbecues now come in charcoal, gas and electric varieties, all with their own unique benefits. However, if you want to be a little more adventurous, you could get yourself a shiny new smoker instead. Smokers cook food slowly, using hot smoke rather than intense heat from a direct source. On top of that, there are a few different types of smoker, each working in a slightly different way.Confused? Don't be - the guide below will give you an idea of what's on offer, so you can make the right choice for your needs.Charcoal barbecues
Often the cheapest form of barbecue, a charcoal grill is also good for flavour, as it naturally gives food a smoky taste. Nowadays charcoal barbecues come in all shapes and sizes, and some are even disposable, which is perfect for festivals or summer days in the local park. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to be aware of if you're thinking about buying a charcoal model. Firstly, they're not very versatile, and creating different heating zones can be tricky, depending on the shape of the base. Secondly, you'll need to buy and dispose of charcoal and firelighters every time you use it, which can be a pain.Gas barbecues
These tend to be more expensive than charcoal models, usually costing hundreds of pounds. However, there's a good reason for this - gas barbecues often come with warming racks, work surfaces, and other bonus features. They are also very good for cooking food evenly, and models with multiple burners allow you to create different heating zones. You get a variety of cooking options, with some catering for stir frying, rotisserie cooking, and smoke boxes. On the downside, gas cylinders are quite expensive, and they're also very heavy. Plus, a gas barbecue needs to be carefully cleaned, as a lot can go wrong if you don't look after it properly.Electric barbecues
A more recent appearance on the market, electric barbecues are brilliant for small patios and balconies. They're far less of a fire hazard than gas or charcoal models, and are the perfect option if you want to cook in an area with open flame restrictions. However, they don't offer as many cooking options as a gas grill, and don't give food the great smoky taste you get with a charcoal model. Plus, you can never take them too far from the nearest plug, unless you have an extension cable.Verdict
Conventional barbecues are brilliant for cooking food quickly, which makes them perfect for a garden party that needs a constant supply of burgers and bangers. More expensive models also allow you to cook in a variety of different ways, and you can even use a small smoke box with many models too.Offset smokers
The most common form of barbecue smoker, an offset smoker features two chambers - a fire box, which creates smoke, and an adjoining chamber where the food is cooked. Food is cooked slowly over a longer period, and you have to keep an eye on the temperature, which is controlled by regulator vents on the fire box and smoke stack.Upright Drum Smokers
Otherwise known as an 'Ugly Drum Smoker', a UDS is simply a steel drum with multiple cooking grates inside, with smoke travelling upwards from charcoal and wood which burns at the bottom. These are a little more unwieldy to operate than an offset smoker, but they are very fuel efficient.Vertical water smokers
These bullet-shaped smokers work in a similar manner to a UDS, the difference being they have the addition of a water tray in between the heat source and the cooking grates. The water tray adds humidity, which helps keep food moist and helps maintain a stable temperature. The tray also catches fat and juice which drips off the meat, preventing any flare ups, although some purists say that vaporised fat adds flavour to food.Gas smokers
A taller version of a UDS, a gas smoker heats the smoke-emitting wood chips with a gas flame, rather than charcoal. They also use less wood and are temperature stable, although gas fuel is usually more expensive.Verdict
Smokers are great for creating unique, sumptuous flavours, which vary depending on the type of wood chips used to create the smoke. They are also excellent at producing tender, juicy food that falls off the bone, making a smoker perfect for cooking ribs, steaks, whole fish, and even certain vegetables. However, the indirect slow-cooking method means that you won't be turning out a fresh round of food every fifteen minutes.Ultimately, although many people will always prefer one or the other, it's impossible to say whether a smoker is better than a conventional barbecue. In fact, they're both good at very different things. A regular barbecue is great for feeding lots of people very quickly, and when you're just cooking sausages, burgers and chicken drumsticks, you don't really need anything else. On top of that, expensive models also allow you to cook in a variety of different ways. On the other hand, smokers produce flavours unlike anything else, and give you the most tender, juicy meat and fish you're ever likely to taste. At the end of the day, if you can't decide between them - buy one of each!

Picking out the best BBQ sauce recipe is like trying to decide which of your children you love the most. It's just not that cut and dried.If you are looking for the best BBQ sauce, you will find it wherever you go. In other words, if you go to Memphis and ask what is the best BBQ sauce, most of the people there will tell you a Memphis style sauce. It's like Clint Black's song says, "wherever you go, there you are". Without getting into all the history and background, let's just say that BBQ sauce varies by region of the country. If anything is agreed upon in the world of BBQ, it's that BBQ sauce is different depending on where you go.So, you now have to decide for yourself which recipe is the best. Because... no one else knows. Most people have their own choice of what's the best BBQ sauce, but nobody can agree. There are too many of them out there to pick from. Even areas in regions of the sub-regions have their own variations of the same style (what a mouthful).Who cares which sauce is the best? You do... right? (Say right.) OK, then....the best BBQ sauce recipe is the one that is your favorite. The best way to find that out is to make it yourself. So, let's get started. BBQ sauces have combinations of sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy ingredients. The primary ingredients for most styles of sauce are tomato (sauce, paste, or ketchup), vinegar, spices and sweetness, or combinations of these.The Memphis style of BBQ sauce is a good place to start, since it has a moderate balance of sweet, sour, spicy, and tang. Here is a basic...Memphis style BBQ sauce4 Tbs butter1/4 c chopped onion1 c tomato sauce1 c vinegar1/4 c Worcestershire sauce1 Tbs brown sugar1 tsp salt1/2 tsp black pepper1/8 tsp cayenne pepperDash Tabasco sauceSauté the onion in butter, then add the remaining ingredients. Heat the mixture until it thickens (15 to 20 minutes).Any of the ingredients can be changed, added or deleted. A BBQ sauce can be as simple as tomato sauce and Worcestershire, or even vinegar and pepper flakes. But you can also make it as complex as you like, too. You could even use salsa as a base ingredient.Notice, in the above recipe, that tomato sauce and vinegar are of equal amounts. These are the two prime ingredients that will determine a basic style. As the ratio of these ingredients change, so does the location of where it is made.Kansas City style sauce is thick, sticky and sweet. To change the above recipe to a KC style, try reducing the vinegar to 1/4 cup and replace the Worcestershire with dark molasses. Add a few select seasonings like paprika, chili powder, and allspice (maybe a touch of cinnamon).To go the other direction from Memphis, change the tomato sauce to 1/2 cup of ketchup and add some garlic, cloves and 1 cup of water. Increase the brown sugar to 1/2 cup. This will result in a thinner BBQ sauce similar to that used in North Carolina. A Texas style sauce would mean to decrease the vinegar to 1/2 cup and add 1 1/2 cups of water. Add some additional celery, garlic, paprika, and (of course) chili powder.This may sound like a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun, too. It's really, though, the best way for you to answer that question, "what is the best BBQ sauce recipe?". And you don't have to start with this recipe, either. There are many, many, many of them available in cookbooks and online. Find one that is close to what you want (thick, thin, sweet, spice, etc.), get yourself another drink, and go to town.There may be no such thing as the best, but this is a way you can find your favorite. And by the way, you will know it when you find it.

Have you ever needed to cook for a large amount of people on a budget? Did you need a large capacity cooker that could also be mobile? Do not panic, because if you have access to hardware store, a truck, trailer or van, and a patch of dirt, you are in luck.To start you will need several items readily available at most hardware stores.
28 - 8" x 8" x 16" concrete blocks $35.00
1 - sheet of 24" x 48" expanded metal $40.00
2 - sheets of roofing tin 1- 24" x 48 " 1 - 24" x 24" $20.00
1 - pair of thick insulated leather work gloves $5.00
Total cost approximately $100.00First, you are going to need a bare patch of ground away from dry wooded areas. Next, you will level out an area about 36 inches by 64 inches. Lay your concrete blocks in two parallel rows of three arranged end to end with approximately 20 inches between the two rows. Then lay two concrete blocks end to end to seal up one wide end of your pit. Your end blocks can be laid so as to leave a gap in between them to allow airflow. I prefer to lay one of the foundation blocks on the bottom row on its side which allows built-in vents. Airflow will help your pit get up to your desired temp, but you will burn through your fuel faster. It is better to build in vents in the beginning as the blocks will get very hot during your cooking process. You can always place another block in front of the vents. One end will remain open. Then add another similar layer of blocks on top of the one you just laid. The upper rows do not need vents. You want to keep as much heat contained in the upper portion of your cooker, as you can. Now lay your expanded metal grates on top of that. There should be an overlap on the long sides that touch the blocks. Now add your final layer of blocks on top of your first two block layers and the expanded metal. You should have a 24 inch high pit with one end open at this point. You should have 4 blocks remaining at this point. You should now fire your pit.Build your wood fire or coal fire in the middle of your cooker. Once you have a good bed of coals, add your meat and cover with the large roofing tin. Place one concrete block on top of the roofing tin to hold it down if the wind blows. Spread your coals out in your pit so you have a nice even fire. A metal rake or a flat shovel works well for this. Place your smaller sheet over the open end of the pit and stack a block in front of that to seal in your pit. The tin over the open end of the pit is a good idea in case you need to add wood or coal during the cooking process. Just remember your gloves; it is going to be hot. It can be difficult to manage a pit if you're inexperienced. So, to help manage your pit's temperature, you will need a thermometer. Try a standard meat thermometer or if you want to splurge on a handy item, try a wireless thermometer. This allows you to keep an eye on your pits temperature if you multitasking. Manage those coals and add more fuel to the fire as you need it. Before you know it you will have fed an army for a fraction of the price, and you can break down the pit after it has cooled off to move it.http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100135713975231&set=a.10100135713965251.2422383.33016095&type=1&l=bc904eb20c

Did you ever have BBQ items at any party? Did you like the menu at one of your friend's or relative's house? You have heard a lot but you are worried about bbq recipes before buying one for yourself. If you are in any of the above situations, the article here has brought answer to your queries.Unforgettable BBQ partyMajority of people after having BBQ snacks, lunch or dinner remember the taste for years. A single visit or party can leave unforgettable imprints on the screen of mind. You taste sauce, snacks as starters, soup, main course or dessert; you will be amazed at the taste and flavor of everything you eat. This specially cooked food has its own secrets behind to leave its guests spell bound.BBQ sauces- special itemEvery chef is very particular about BBQ sauces. They have earned enough name and fame that all their products or items are worth praising. Sauces complete the dish. You have meat or any other starter without sauce and you will feel it to be incomplete. Moreover, you can have large variety of sauces. The most traditional either uses mustard, tomato or vinegar sauce. They come in all thickness.You must have seen chili paste in separate container at these barbeque party arrangements. You can add it to base of sauce to make it fit as per your taste. Moreover, you must have seen variation of sauces all over the meat. This is called mopping sauces. In this process, the sauce is regularly sloped all over the meat at the time of cooking.The great about these sauces is that they can be used before, during and after the cooking process. But the sauces that contain sugar should not be used during the cooking as they may spoil the taste of the meat. For people, yearning to prepare these bbq sauces can prepare them easily at their own home by learning few recipes at having gas bbq at their home.BBQ non-vegetarian starters- the choice of millionsIf you would have attended any authentic barbeque party, you would have surely been amazed at the taste f Texas briskit with trimmings. You can never forget baked beans, bread, salad, macaroni, cheese and all those items, which were served along with it.The other item that generally impresses its visitor is Hawaiian grilled chicken. You just need 1/2 cup soy sauce, crushed chili peppers, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of minced ginger and 1 tsp minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar. Combine all these ingredients and cook it at simmer. Cool it and marinate it over chicken. Grill the chicken over the barbeque grill and serve it with pineapple.Not only this, but there are many veg and non-veg starters and dishes that will impress its guests. So, have a barbeque, learn the recipes and enjoy the party at your home.

A BBQ grill is a really cool piece of equipment to have at home if you love cooking outdoors for your family and friends during special occasions. If you want to keep your grill in good shape for a long time, you need to maintain it by following certain measures. By doing this, you can make sure that the quality of the food that you cook on it will always be good. In addition, through proper maintenance, you can have a great grilling experience every time you use your grill. In here, we'll be discussing some good tips as well as some helpful tools that will enable you to easily keep your BBQ grill in pristine condition.Clean And Maintain Your BBQ Grill GratesBackyard grill grates should be cleaned using a wire grill brush immediately after you use them because if you don't do so, it will be a lot harder for you to clean them. This is because food left on the grates quickly hardens. Aside from this, hardened foods also promote the development of rust if they are left for a long time on the grill grates. Brushing the grill while it's still warm and before the food starts to harden will make the task of cleaning it a lot easier. When your racks cool down, soak them in a bucket filled with warm water and a quarter cup of baking soda and dishwashing liquid. Allow them to soak for at least an hour. If there are still particles left on your grates after you soak them, use a steel wool pad and scrub to scrub them off.Using a piece of aluminum foil also works well in removing grime and buildups. All you need to do is ball up the aluminum foil and gently rub it over the wire racks. When your grates are already clean, lightly spray some cooking oil on them and rub them using a clean dry cloth. This will protect them from rust. You can also spray cooking oil on your grill racks before you start grilling. This will help prevent foods from sticking onto them and building up afterwards. You can also clean and polish your grill's knobs and handles by scrubbing them lightly with baking soda. You can also use dry baking soda if you want to polish and shine your grill. Just sprinkle it on a soft damp cloth and scrub it gently on the exterior parts that are made from chrome or stainless steel.Protect Your Backyard GrillOne of the best ways to provide good protection for your backyard grill is by buying a high quality grill cover that has the ability to withstand the different elements. Buying one is a good thing to do especially if you're going to leave your grill outside the house. A grill cover will keep dirt, dust, and insects from getting inside your backyard grill. Moreover, it will also protect it from rust development. Make sure that your grill cover covers the whole top of your grill. It should also be waterproof and has to fit tightly with adjustable straps that help keep it in place.

Brazilian BBQ is something that must be tried if you're a person who loves trying meals of different cultures. The Brazilian barbeque began countless years ago in the Rio Grande do Sul region of Brazil. The Gauchos, also known as cowboys, created the Churrasco, which is another name for Brazilian BBQ. Initially, they used sirloin mounted on skewers for the barbecue, but soon after they occasionally used pork, lamb, poultry, and a variety of cuts of beef mixed in. You will find 5 things you didn't know about Brazilian barbeque.Secret #1: Don't Eat Anything Else The Day of the BarbecueBrazilian barbeques start about lunch time and go throughout the day. Because of this you shouldn't eat anything prior. They go for so long because the barbecue is all about slow cooking and slow eating. The Gauchos allowed the outer layers of the meats cook, and once they had been cooked enough, they'd slice the portion off with their knives and eat it. They would then wait while the next layers of meats gradually cooked. The process was repeated until there was no meat left.Secret #2: Large fires had to be constructedBecause a traditional Brazilian barbeque is a big deal, large fires had to be built to cook the large amounts of meat. The fire had to become huge to sufficiently cook the meals.Secret #3: Use skewers in the groundThe Gauchos would push the tips of the skewers in the ground with a slight tilt in the direction of the fire. After that, the meats were placed on the skewers. Finding the perfect tilt is crucial to cooking the beef just right.Secret #4: The fattiest part of meat is positioned at the top of the skewer.The Gauchos positioned the fattiest parts of the meat toward towards the top of the skewer, so that the dripping fat would drip down towards the lower parts of meat and season them while it cooked. This really is very important to the flavor of the Brazilian BBQ.Secret #5: The beef is not soaked in sauce.This is probably a surprise. In a traditional Brazilian barbeque, the beef isn't soaked in any sauce. All other meats, however, are soaked in marinades over night. The beef is seasoned with mashed garlic and coated with sea salt. In order to keep the beef moist, it is basted with a combination of water and sea salt.In conclusion, now that you know the five secrets of Brazilian BBQ, you're probably ready to have your own. You'll be able to feel like you've gone back some hundred years in time to the Rio Grande do Sul area in Brazil. Perhaps, you may even wish to dress up as a cowboy when you eat to get the full effect of the barbecue.

The spring and summer months are a great time to pull the old grill out of the garage, dust it off and start planning some delicious barbecue dishes.Most of us know how to make basic grilled foods like burgers, hot dogs, steaks and sausages. These are generally cooked by the most basic form of grill cooking, direct heat cooking. Direct heat grilling means that the food is directly over your heat source (hot coals or gas burners) and cooks from this direct heat. Direct heat is perfect for smaller food items that you want to quickly sear the outside, producing that beautiful browned caramelization on the surface, while sealing in the juicy freshness of the inside. It is the ideal cooking style for steak which is nice and browned on the outside yet pink and juicy on the inside.However, what many grilling neophytes don't know is that direct heat is not the only way to cook on a barbecue! Another important style of cooking is indirect heat grilling. Indirect heat relies on a heat source which is not directly next to or beneath the grilling food, but is rather separated by some distance. With the lid closed on your barbecue, this gentler form of heat cooks the food by convection of ambient heat in the hot air and smoke within your grill, rather than by direct radiant heat from the coals. This is similar to the way food cooks in your oven when roasting, except without the wood smoke!So why should you learn how to cook with indirect heat? What is it good for? Well, if you tried to grill a whole chicken with direct heat over very hot coals, the surface skin and fat would be burnt to a crispy, black char long before the interior was fully cooked. Also, by the time the middle was cooked, the flesh would be dried out. You would loose the surface flavors and juicy interior of a well roasted chicken. So the solution? You guessed it, indirect heat. Indirect heat allows your larger cuts of meat to cook slowly, developing the outer brown color more slowly while allowing the interior to cook to perfect doneness. A perfect rack of ribs requires the meat to cook slowly until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bone. A chicken should cook completely while the exterior does not char. All this and more can be accomplished with indirect heat.So how do you do it? Lets find out!
For starters, you will need a couple of things to help make your indirect grilling perfect (you can do without them, but they are helpful:

A shallow metal pan or dish half-filled with tap water
A meat thermometer
A grill thermometer (if your grill doesn't have one built-in)


Start your charcoal or gas burners as you normally would.

If you are using charcoal, when your charcoal is all hot and ready (when the briquets have a layer of grey ash over them), separate the coals onto the two sides of your grill. You will have two piles of coals on either side of your grill with a large empty space in the middle. Weber and other companies make indirect grilling coal holders just for this purpose which are basically metal baskets that hold charcoal on either side of your grill. However, you can do without any special equipment.

If you are using a gas grill, you can use indirect heat by turning off one of your burners to have a less hot spot on your grill. Ideally, if you have three burners, you would turn off the middle one, leaving the two side ones on. If you only have two burners, turn on on and leave the other off.

Place the metal pan with water in it in the middle of your charcoal grate, between the two piles of charcoal (on on the turned off burner if you have a gas grill). This will catch drippings from your roasting meat and will also help keep the interior of your grill humidified so that your meat doesn't dry out.

Put your grill grate on.

Close the lid of your grill and let the heat accumulate. Use your grill thermometer to check the temperature inside your close grill to make sure there is adequate heat. If it is not warming up, either add more coals and wait for them to start burning or turn up your burners if you have a gas grill

Open your grill and place your prepared food (whole chicken, ribs, roast, etc.) in the "indirect heat zone" of your grill. This is the open area, under which there are no coals or gas burners burning.

Close the lid and let your food roast.

Check back periodically and flip your meat over or rotate it occasionally. Also check that there is still adequate heat in your barbecue. Baste your meat regularly when the surface dries out to keep it moist, about every 15 minutes.

If the surface of your meat looks like it is browning too fast in any one area, be sure to turn or flip it so that all sides get equal heat and exposure. If it still seems like the surface is cooking too fast, your heat may be too high or the roast is getting too much direct heat from one of the heat sources. Attempt to move the charcoal away further or move the roast to a more isolated spot on the grill.

Always remember to keep the cover of your grill closed between checking on your food. You want to keep all that good heat inside to help roast your meat!

When your roast is looking like it may be done, begin testing for doneness. The most accurate way to do this is with a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat (on a chicken this is the deepest part of the inner thigh meat or deep in the breast). Do not put your thermometer up against bone as this can artificially increase the temperature reading. Most thermometers have readings for doneness for beef, pork, and chicken. If yours does not, general rules to go by for chicken is 165 degrees, pork 160 - 170 degrees, beef/lamb/veal 145 for medium rare, 160 for medium and 170 for well done. If you do not have a meat thermometer, you can prick the meat deeply with a skewer or fork. If pork and chicken are done adequately, the fluid that runs out should be clear, not red or pink. If all else fails, cut a small slice into a deep part of meat to check the color.

When your food has reached its ideal level of interior doneness, remove from the grill and place on a large platter or plate.

Cover with tin foil and let your roast sit for 5 to 10 minutes at least so that the interior juices and heat redistributes.

Carve and serve!
A few other tips to make your indirect heat grilled foods shine!
Marinating - Because grilling is a dry heat that can have the tendency to dry out meats that are cooked for a long time, marinating your food before cooking is a great way to both add savory flavors as well as increase the juiciness. There are many recipes for delicious marinades for poultry, pork and beef and even many bottled marinades available in supermarkets. Another option similar to marinating is brining which really seals in and concentrates flavors.

Basting - I strongly recommend basting your meat as it cooks over indirect heat. When the surface dries out, every 15 minutes or so during the cooking time, baste it generously with a basting brush. The basting mixture can be similar to the marinating mixture or alternatively it can introduce new flavors. For example, barbecue sauce is not good to marinate with, it will just burn on the meat if it cooks too long. However, introduced later in the cooking process to baste the meat a few times before it is done creates a great, savory coating of flavor. Other great options for marinating include lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, either together or alone. Again, there are many recipes with recommendations for basting mixtures for your slow roasted grilled foods. For safety, if you baste with your marinade, remember that your marinade came in contact with your raw meat. Therefore, avoid adding this mixture in the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking so you don't introduce any uncooked meat to the surface of your roast! Its best to use a fresh basting mixture if possible.

Well that's it! A quick and complete primer to indirect grilling. I think you will find that it brings your barbecue cooking to a whole new level, making your roasts more tender and juicier.

While we all know you can throw a few snags on the barbie (as they'd say in Australia!) getting the most out of your barbecue can take a bit more effort. But once you know the various techniques, you'll get such a lot out of your barbecue that you'll be using it to cook all kinds of meals - even a roast dinner! We've compiled a guide to some of the techniques you can use with a barbecue to really make food with a difference.First, smoking. Barbecue smoking combines the two elements of long cooking and low heat to produce flavourful, moist food - forget those charred offerings! One of the benefits of this method of cooking is that you can use cheaper cuts of meat - rather as you would in a casserole - because the meat is tenderised by the long cooking process, and cheaper cuts of meat tend to be more tasty thanks to the higher fat content.There are a number of smoker barbecues on the market - some look rather like a rubbish bin on legs! Others look more like a normal barbecue with a domed lid. You can even try making your own using a (clean!) oil drum.Once you have got your smoker barbecue, the next step is to prepare your meat or fish. You can use rubs and marinades, just as you would with any barbecue food.You'll need to work out how long your food is going to cook for. As a rough guide for every pound of roast meat, you allow around an hour and a half or two hours. If you're cooking a whole rack of ribs it will take around six hours; so this is not a quick option, but once you've tried the melting meat that just falls apart when you eat it, we think you'll agree it's worth the time investment. For things like ribs, cook for around three hours, then wrap in foil for a couple of hours of cooking. This allows steam to move around the meat, which is what causes it to fall off the bone in that deliciously meting way. Unwrap the foil for the final hour of cooking.You can buy wood chips in a variety of 'flavours' for smoking, so this may depend on what you can buy locally. Experiment with different wood chips to see what flavours you prefer. Soak the wood chips for 30 minutes or more in water. While the chips are soaking, fire up your coals - they will need to burn until they appear covered in grey ash. Then you can add your chips and keep the smoker closed to allow a build-up of steam. Once you've got a good build-up of smoke you can add your meat or fish.You'll need to add more chips every couple of hours, but do check every hour in case they disappear more quickly. As you gain experience, you'll be able to judge this more easily. Finally, once your meat is ready, check the centre with a meat thermometer to ensure it is fully cooked.Our next technique is baking: Yes, it is possible to bake on a barbecue if you have the kind of barbecue that has a lid!You can also cook flat breads such as pittas, naans and even pizza on the grill itself. If you have a pizza stone, this will avoid your breads getting charred. If you're cooking pizzas, cook the base until it is just stiff, and then take off to add your toppings. Then you can pop them back on the grill until the cheese melts. Experiment with this until you get it right, as you don't want to start something new when you have 20 people coming round for a party!For baking loaves of bread, choose a recipe that is not delicate, something like a soda bread or bannock bread works really well. It helps to raise your grill so that there is not too much direct heat. A cast iron pan with some water in will help to recreate the steam that you would get in a conventional oven. If you have an oven or barbecue thermometer, you will be able to gauge the temperature accurately (make sure it is suitable for the purpose) but otherwise, just have fun with some trial and error.Braising is a wonderful way to cook on the barbecue, as it's something we often don't do in the summer as no one fancies a hot kitchen while the oven is on for hours. But take it outside and you can use the grill as your oven - and add a whole new level of flavour by grilling your meats first. This is how it works:You can rub your meat with some dry herbs and spices first before searing it on the grill. Then take a cooking pot with a cover (make sure it is suitable for using on a barbecue grill) add your meat, some vegetables and some cooking stock, and cook the meat on a cooler part of the barbecue until it is well cooked. If you want, you can remove the meat, and brown it on a hotter part of the grill for a really rich flavour.So next time you're planning a barbecue, think a little further than the usual burgers, sausages and chicken drumsticks for an al fresco meal to remember!

Fall, Football and BBQ at the tail gate or on the patio; how can it get better than this?Pork Shoulder is a great choice for a main fare feature at your next gathering and it has two great advantages. First, it is easy to prepare and second, you can feed a group for somewhere south of three dollars a pound. The pork shoulder is the front leg of the pig and comes in two different cuts. I like the butt cut, which is the top side of the leg and has less bone in it than what is called the picnic cut. The one we recently prepared was a six and a half pound roast, which served twelve people, with some left over.Most pork shoulder recipes call for using a smoker, which is the key to cooking a pork shoulder, mainly because it is an indirect heat source and allows for a long slow cooking process. Don't have a smoker? No problem, neither do we. Just remember that the process requires indirect heat. Here are the keys to grilling a pork shoulder, using a three burner gas grill.It starts with the rub. In a small bowl mix the following ingredients:¼ cup organic paprika
2 Tbs Salt
2 Tbs Pepper
2 Tbs organic cumin
2 Tbs organic garlic powder
2 Tbs. chile powder
3 Tbs brown sugarCoat the pork shoulder with the rub. Be liberal. A 6 - 8 lb. roast should use the entire rub mix. By the way, don't cut off any of the fat on the roast. The butt cut usually has one side with a layer of fat and you want it. Once you have the roast well coated with the rub, put it in the refrigerator and let it set. Overnight works best, but if time does not permit, at least give it a couple of hours.Using a three burner grill works great. You will need an aluminum pan, a raised rack and some foil. Follow these steps:
Turn the two outside burners on at low heat.
Place the pan, with the rack directly over it, on the middle burner. (No heat)
Put your pork shoulder on the rack, fat side up.
Close the lid.Don't open the lid for three hours. No peeking! At the end of three hours check the internal temperature of the roast. If it's in the 130 - 140 range you are right on track and your roast should look like it's done, but it's not. Next, cover the roast with a tent of foil, reduce the heat to one burner and close the lib. In about 2 -3 more hours you should have a pork shoulder ready to serve at an internal temp of 185 degrees.Enjoy!

Personal goals and expectations will ultimately dictate your choice of the best BBQ smokers. Some think the more laborious the cooking in a UDS (upright drum smoker) or vertical water smoker, the more authentic the flavor. Others find the more traditional the cooking in an offset barrel smoker or a basic smoke box, the more homemade the quality. The option of gas or electric, charcoal or firewood smoker result in varying b-b-q tastes.First time and less committed barbeque cooks should start with the low to mid-priced as well as used smokers. The best BBQ smokers are designed to streamline the task, from full electronic controls to the Lazy-Q, built-in thermometer and bottom heat shield, cost-saving combination smokers and grills or outdoor ovens. Bar-B-Chef, Big Drum Smoker, Bradley, Brinkman, Camp Chef, Char-Broil, Char-Griller, Masterbuilt, Old Smokey and Weber's Smokey Mountain are popular choices.Barbeque aficionados, restaurants and chefs should zero in on high end smokers like from Big Green Egg, Cookshack, J.R. Enterprises, Lang, Klose, Pitts & Spitts, Super Cajun, The Good One, and Traeger Pellet. Full-on competition smokers, 4 to 6 grill rack refrigerator types, highly precise temperature controls, industrial strength smoking chambers built to last all emphasize quality.Whether it's an ancient Japanese designed ceramic smoker and thermostat switches between hot and cold smoking or handmade and custom cook-off smokers from innovative Texan David Klose, the best BBQ smokers will fire up your passion for barbecuing. They can be outfitted in concession stands and trailers perfect as mobile carts for catering and streetside bbq diners.

When we were first married, we lived out in the country and had a basic charcoal barbecue grill. But when we moved and returned to school, we were living in town, and disposing of the ash became more of an issue. Our grill was getting a bit old anyhow, so we decided to take a look at gas BBQ grills. It was spring time, so there were a lot of BBQ's available. Being students, our budget was important to consider, so we ended up purchasing a basic gas BBQ grill from a large, discount store. It was a large, double sided grill (we had four kids) and cost just under $300.Of all the gas BBQ grills that we looked at, we were quite happy with our purchase. We primarily used just one side unless we had company. We used it regularly, but not all the time, and we were quite pleased with how it worked. Here are some of the benefits that I really enjoy in a gas barbecue grill.

They are easy to light. You do not have to stack up a bunch of coals, squirt on the lighter and light it up. Once lit, you do not have to constantly monitor it until the coals turn white. You just have to turn on the gas, turn a knob and push a button. Very simple, even our responsible kids can easily light the grill.
Gas lasts a long time. We use our gas grill regularly during the summer, meaning about 2 time a week. Our cylinder will last 1 to 2 years. When it runs out, it is rather inconvenient, but it doesn't happen often. Whereas, with briquets, you have to purchase them multiple times during the summer, and you always have to make sure that you have some on hand if you have a big BBQ gathering coming up.
Gas BBQ grills cost effective, which is evidenced by the above fact that the gas lasts a long time. Filling a tank every year or two comes out to $20 - $35 a tank, depending upon where you fill or exchange it. This is just a guess, but it would probably cost 10 times that amount to buy the briquets to enjoy the same amount of cook outs.
You do not have to wait very long before you start grilling. Once you light up the grill, you can be cooking within a few minutes. This is much quicker than briquets, which usually takes anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes to turn white before they are hot enough to cook anything. Sometimes this can be really inconvenient.
It is easy to regulate to heat. With coals, the heat is regulated by the amount of coals that are used, and how close the rack is that holds the coals in relation to what you are grilling. These factors usually have to be determined before you start grilling because it is difficult to impossible to adjust once you get going. But, with gas BBQ grills, the flame height can easily be adjusted with the turn of a knob, a higher flame to make the grill hotter, or lower to reduce the heat. This also allows for more accurate grilling.
These are just some of the benefits of gas BBQ grills, I am sure that there are more. So, if you are in the market for a new grill, and are not sure what type you want, make sure to check out the many gas BBQ grills on the market today.

There is nothing as great as enjoying a great meal at your own home especially when you have the company of friends and relatives. It is even greater if you make the great meal yourself and you are enjoying it with the people you love. Many people shy away from cooking because they are not sure if they will ever make a great meal for others to enjoy, but with a great BBQ sauce recipe, you will never go wrong as far as cooking is concerned. It is the sauce which will add the great flavor that will make everyone like your cooking and even ask for more. Your family will never get enough of your meal once you know how to come up with a good home-made barbecue sauce to use with your home cooking.A good barbecue sauce recipe can be learned from friends, relatives or even colleagues in your workplace. As long as it worked great for them, chances of the recipe working wonders for you as well are equally high. People will always make you know if a certain BBQ sauce recipe is great by the way they use it with their foods, so you can go for a recipe which is preferred by many people in order to impress many people with your cooking. You need to like the recipe too, otherwise you will be giving people something you cannot have yourself which is not a good thing. The rule here is to enjoy your sauce for others to enjoy it as well.There are several internet sites as well, where you can get a good BBQ sauce recipe and try it in order to tell whether it is good or not. Ensure to try several recipes in order to only adopt the best for your family and friends. This way, they will enjoy the food you have prepared and you will feel good about it. A home-made BBQ sauce is the best because you are at liberty to prepare a great sauce on your home other than relying on the purchased sauce which you are not sure what it was made of. With a home-made sauce, you already know what you have put in it and therefore you will be sure of how great the sauce is.Therefore with a great barbecue sauce recipe, you will always enjoy what you have prepared at home. The sauce is not meant only for meat but for other foods as well. Initially, the sauce was mainly used with barbecues but these days, people have realized how great the flavor of the sauce is to other foods, which is why people use the sauce on practically all food types.

Nothing tenderizes and provides flavors to meat like a good marinade. Despite being a popular practice amongst BBQ enthusiasts, only a few truly understand the process and the important elements that contribute to achieve a tender and juicy piece of meat.Marination is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origins of the word allude to the use of brine (aqua marina) in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor by immersion in liquid. The liquid in question, the 'marinade', can be acidic with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine, or savory with soy sauce, brine or other prepared sauces. Along with these liquids, a marinade often contains oils, herbs and spices to further flavor the food items.In meats, the acid causes the tissue to break down, allowing more moisture to be absorbed and giving a juicier end product. However, too much acid can be detrimental to the end product. A good marinade will have a delicate balance of spices, acids, and oil. It is generally not recommended that raw marinated meats be frozen, as the marinade can break down the surface and make the outer layer turn mushy.One important point to note is that marinade that has come into contact with raw meat should be discarded after the marinating is done as it may contain harmful bacteria. If there is a desire to use a marinade as a sauce, a portion should be reserved in a separate container to be used as the sauce once the meat is cooked.One easy way to marinade meat is to pour the marinade in a 'zip top' freezer bag. Then, add the meat and seal the bag leaving as little air as possible in it. Lay the bag flat in your refrigerator or put it inside a large bowl to contain it. Marinating time should be overnight if possible but a minimum of 4 hours should result in the desired effect.Here are two great marinade recipes:#1: Great Chicken or Beef MarinadeIn a large bowl, mix ¼ cup of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons or honey, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 ½ teaspoons or garlic powder, 1 ½ teaspoons of ground ginger (or fresh is even better), ¾ cup of vegetable oil, 2 chopped green onions and 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Place your meat in the marinade and let refrigerate at least 4 hours before grilling.#2: Super Easy Teriyaki MarinadeThis easy recipe is a great way to add Asian flavours to your meat. It works well with chicken, pork and beef. In a medium bowl combine 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/3 cup of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic and ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Add meat to the marinade and refrigerate a least 4 hours before grilling.

Barbecue smokers can be used all year round to produce delicious flavored foods using the smoking process. Smoking and curing are ancient methods of food preservation used for protein rich foods, such as meat and fish, which would otherwise rapidly decompose. There are essentially two types of smoking, hot and cold, although it is possible to combine the two. Nowadays, it is really easy to smoke your own food at home, using barbecue smokers.Whilst our ancestors used smoking and curing as essential elements for their overall survival, in modern times, barbecue smoked food is considered something of a delicacy. This is in no small part due to the flavor that the smoking process imparts. Also, the range of smoked flavors that can be created, depending upon the selection and mixing of the smoking woods, is endless. This probably explains why home barbecue smokers are now fairly commonplace and rising in popularity.Nonetheless, selecting smoking wood for barbecue smokers can be rather daunting at first and it is not uncommon for many aspiring "wood smokers" to play safe and buy commercially flavored BBQ wood chunks or chips. As flavorsome as these products may first appear, it is unlikely that you will be able to recreate the authentic smoked taste that real wood chunks emit on the barbecue. Smokers are only as good as the raw materials that are used. So, if you are going to take the time and effort to smoke your own food then you should only use authentic woods in barbecue smokers and not some highly flavored substitute.There are numerous woods that can be used to smoke food produce. Each will add its own distinct flavor, and sometimes color, to the produce being smoked. Some of the most popular BBQ smoke woods include hickory, mesquite, oak, pecan, apple, alder and cherry. These are all widely available to purchase online. Fruit tree woods can also be used for barbecue smoking. However, not all hardwoods are suitable for all meats or fish and you need to ensure that you match the wood to the food that you plan to smoke in your barbecue smokers.Softwoods are never used for smoking primarily due to the resin in the woods. In any event, the smoking flavor that softwoods generate is typically bitter or tarry and rarely appetizing. Also, hardwoods are denser than softwoods which means that they burn longer and at higher temperatures. This makes them more suitable than softwoods for smoking. Woods to avoid include soft pine woods such as cedar, cypress, fir and spruce. Pressure treated woods should NEVER be used in barbecue smokers as they usually contain toxic chemicals such as arsenic. For this reason alone, you should always ensure that you purchase woods for barbecue smokers from a reputable source.Here are the top 7 BBQ woods that you can use on barbecue smokers this summer.Hickory WoodHickory is the most popular smoking wood in the United States. It can be likened to a heavy bacon flavor and is typically used for smoking ribs, pork, brisket, ham, and beef. It is one of the strongest flavored woods and resembles the sweet smoked taste that most of us would associate with everyday barbecue sauce. You can blend hickory with more subtle flavored woods such as apple wood to avoid overpowering your food.Mesquite WoodOne of the hottest and smokiest woods you can select for barbecue smokers, Mesquite is a strong, sweet flavored smoking wood. However, it is liable to generate a bitter taste, particularly if the wood is green and has not been suitably aged. When smoking with mesquite wood for the first time it may be advisable to blend with a milder flavored smoke wood. Suitable for most red meats, in particular large cuts of beef, but not lamb.Oak WoodWhite oak is a popular smoking wood that is widely used for commercial smoking. Long burning, white oak is a classic smoking wood that is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. It produces a heavy smoky flavor that is good with red meat, especially beef, brisket, pork, fish and heavy game. You can also use red oak in barbecue smokers, which is sweeter in flavor but a good choice when smoking ribsPecan WoodBurns at a lower temperature in barbecue smokers than other smoking woods and thus, is an ideal choice for slow cooking. Subtly sweet, pecan can be blended with mesquite and oak. Suitable for poultry, beef and pork.Apple WoodApple wood produces a mild, slightly fruity and sweet flavor. Good for blending with other woods as it emits less smoke. Typically used for smoking pork, ham and poultry. However, as the flavor is so delicate, it can also be used for smoking fish and seafood.Alder WoodBest used with fish, it is commonly the red alder which is used for smoking. Alder produces an extremely light, delicate flavour with a hint of sweetness when used in barbecue smokers. Can also be used to give a lightly smoked taste to poultry and pork.Cherry WoodSubtle, smooth, fruity, slightly sweet flavor that is good for smoking beef, poultry and pork. If you're smoking turkey then try blending cherry wood with oak wood. Also suitable for smoking vegetables.These are just some of the most popular BBQ woods that can be used in barbecue smokers. As you become more experienced, you can begin to experiment with other woods such as almond, ash, walnut and fruit tree wood varieties such as orange, grape pear and plum. Over a period of time, it is undoubtedly possible to create and refine your very own unique blend of woods for barbecue smokers.

Now that summer will soon be upon us, it's time to think about creative ways to prepare dinner. Summer time and grilling go hand in hand, but you don't always have to go straight for the red meat or chicken. If you want to lighten up and have your family's health in mind, try grilling up a few salmon BBQ recipes.One of the best things about salmon is that it doesn't take long to grill and the all-natural flavor of the fish is great foundation for almost any seasoning. You can go the traditional barbeque route and mix up your own tangy sauces using coming ingredients like ketchup, molasses, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar with spices like black pepper, kosher salt and oregano. Blend it all together with a whisk or in a blender. To prepare salmon using this method, just grill the fish for a few minutes without the sauce, and then put the salmon steaks in the blended mixture for a few minutes. After the salmon has marinated, toss the salmon steaks back on the grill for a second time so all the flavors combine.If you love spice, then you can turn the heat up on your salmon BBQ recipes by using special 'jerk' seasonings for an extra powerful kick. Look to ingredients like scotch bonnet peppers, sugar, red peppers and lemon flavors to give your sauce that special flavor. Of course, if you're pressed for time, then check out the international section of your grocery store for marinades and sauces to try with your grilled salmon.You don't have to use a traditional sauce for your barbeque cooking with salmon. Salmon BBQ recipes can have an Italian theme when you mix together onion, parsley, lemon pepper and Italian salad dressing for a quick and easy marinade. Let the fish marinate overnight so the flavors permeate the fish, and this dish will be a hit at any outdoor dinner party.One key to remember, no matter which salmon BBQ recipes you decide to cook, is to buy the freshest fish possible. Try a farmer's market or an organic grocery store for the best selection, and try to avoid fish that has been frozen. Check out the internet for local fresh fish markets or upscale grocery stores and schedule a buying trip. And remember, while steaks are best for salmon BBQ, you can also get fillets and grill or lightly sauté them to turn them into the perfect topping for a fresh and crisp salad. You can always stock up on salmon - it doesn't just have to be for dinner.

Summer is always a great time for family gatherings and eating out. And amongst many recreational activities outdoors, barbecuing has always been in the list of top ten activities in most American families' life. Charcoal grill smoking or gas grilling are the most popular options these days to sit down with your loved ones and enjoy those succinctly cooked BBQ steaks.With recent innovation in technology, we find ourselves with choices of infrared and even electric grills that can handle outdoor cooking. Yet, for those savvy barbecue lovers, charcoal smokers still remain as the most sought after techniques to achieve juicy smoked meat without losing flavors that is normally associated with hot gas or electric grilling.The Truth about Charcoal GrillsBut have you ever wondered how charcoal smoking might affect your health in the long term? This is perhaps a very basic and logical question to ask for most shoppers when first deciding on the type of BBQ grill to buy, yet only a few are aware of it.Many studies on carbon monoxide - the poisonous chemical released in the smoke when burning charcoal fuel, like wood, coals or briquettes, has mentioned many bad health effects of using charcoal for cooking food.A publication on CNN stated a case where CDC estimated the number of non-fire-related carbon monoxide poisonings had caused in between 15,000 to 40,000 emergency hospital visits each year across the United States.However, some barbecue addicts say that charcoal smoking is only truly bad for you health if it is overused or when meat is overcooked and get burned partly. Nonetheless, they all have to agree to some extend that some parts of the meat does actually get poisoned because of the smoke which is used to cook the meat itself.Another article about charcoal barbeque grills danger, also said that the long term risk is cancer. It was backed by an example of studies conducted by scientists from Rice University in 2003, which had proven that the percentage of people who died because of cancer was particular high in Houston - where the most popular family activity during summer seasons where charcoal smoking.What to Do if You Get Ill?If you already own one of the charcoal smoker grills, and wonder whether you should just abandon it for the sake of health, and opt in for electric or gas grilling instead, here are some signs of carbon sickness: its starts with light headache, if untreated, the pain will build up and cause nausea. After repeated exposure to toxic smoke, the sick person might even feel some confusion, dizziness and loss of good concentration. If you have ever felt sick that way while preparing those deliciously flavorful smoked dishes, it is highly recommended that you seek out medical help from doctors right away, and possibly stop charcoal grilling or smoking during treatment period.So the choice is really up to you, whether charcoal grilling is an 'yes' or 'no'. While everyone has to agree that grilling with charcoal can prove to be the most rewarding cooking and eating experience, its long term side effects on your health can not be neglected and ignored for granted, especially if you smoke barbecue meat and vegetables on regular basis.

Getting someone's BBQ sauce recipes away from them can be almost impossible, but that does not mean you can not take some well-known information and basic know-how to make your own fantastic BBQ sauce. Depending on where you live, certain types of sauces might be more prominent. Specifically, the bases for your regional BBQ may be certain items. For instance, the Carolinas have sauces that are based with vinegar and mustard, whereas Texas-style BBQ sauce starts with a tomato base.While you do not have to work with the ingredients that are mainly found in BBQ sauce recipes in your region, it is good to know so that you can pinpoint specific tastes you like and incorporate them into your own custom sauce.The sauces that can be found at any grocery store are often lack-luster and do not have the same punch that homemade recipes do. While it would be nice to say that it is because they are mass-produced, the real reason is that BBQ-making companies simply can not make delicious BBQ for every region. Not only that, but there are just some tastes that seem to be popular all over the country. However, don't let store-bought BBQ flavors entice or confuse you: real BBQ is made a certain way and if you want to make a sauce that is truly delicious, you are going to have to really delve into the world of barbeque.The most common bases for barbecue sauce recipes are vinegar, mustard, and tomato (or ketchup). It is fairly easy to determine which type is the kind you have grown to love over the years considering the extremely varied tastes between the three bases. Vinegar sauces are more sour, while those that are mustard-based are more tangy. Sauces that use tomato as a base are often thicker than the other two and can be a host to a wide variety of flavors.Besides the bases are, of course, the other seasonings. Common seasonings are: onion, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, bourbon, molasses, various tangy fruits, and more. Though do not go with what is most common, go with what you think is delicious. Depending on where you are from and the type of BBQ you grew up with, you could like certain flavors that are vastly different from what someone on the other side of the country would.That's the great thing about BBQ sauce: no two people's recipes are the same, and everyone who makes it puts their whole heart into making the sauce as delicious as possible. BBQ sauce recipes are definitely regional, but the joy that comes from chowing down on some quality BBQ is universal.

It's a beautiful summers evening with friends gathering around and the smell of a sizzling steak is enough to make your mouth water. Barbecuing has been a way of life for years across the world all over, there's celebrations daily where a favorite cut of meat is being grilled.Secret Mens Business An intriguing fact is that male visitors to a BBQ pay particular attention to the meat preparation and cooking methods of the host. Barbecuing is a ritual that has to be properly observed and there's rules which all men know and adhere too. The barbecuing of the meat is the real test of a guy's metal, if he does a poor job he will lose standing in his friends eyes. Barbecuing is a skill a guy has, and he gets respect from his friends for a job well done, it's very important!Barbecue EtiquetteIt's not writing or taught but male visitors to a barbecue have a full understanding of the boundaries they must never cross.
Never comment on the condition of the grill if not to a standard that's acceptable. If the grill has an appearance of one that's been worshiped, or has an elaborate setup from the norm then praise may be given.
Never comment on the condition, size or the lack of tools to do the job.
Never discuss the cuts to be barbequed, you are the guest so eat what's put in front of you.
Never share your ideas on flame settings, temperature settings must remain with the host.
Never use the two comments that are totally forbidden: It's cooked - It's not cooked enough. These comments can pollute the atmosphere and possibly make the host feel dejected.
Never share your dissatisfaction if the meat is not cooked to your liking. If asked how's your meat always respond with perfect.Men think their all experts and know how to deliver the perfect steak, never confront the host by questioning his skill at the grill.Barbeques Recipes for a Perfect GrillThe difference between a good experience and a bad one at a barbecue is the food. A good cook will be the center piece of any barbecue and is generally discussed while sitting at the table. You don't want to be the host where food is left on the plate and guest are finishing off the starters. One vital secret for a great grill is meat selection. An example is beef should have a deep red color, not pink or bright crimson. The beef should be shinny and look a little dry, you don't want meat that's wet or sweating and sticky to touch. When you press your thumb into the meat the dent should remain for some time then bounce back.Marbling will add to the tenderness of the meat a small rind of fat to add flavor. Marinades and Rub's are another weapon a "Top Shelf Griller" needs to have in his arsenal. Marinades will add flavor, moisture and more importantly tenderize the meat. It's also documented that marinades can reduce cancer causing carcinogens by 88%, this substance forms on meats cooked at high temperatures. As discussed above tried and proven recipes separate men from the boys when it comes to grilling.Don't be fooled but some of the recipes you may find on the net, anyone can write a recipe in 5min that may or may not work. Meat is expensive so the last thing you want to do is ruin it by trying an unproven recipe. Find recipes that are supported with evidence on how successful they are, you can't go wrong.Recipes that produce succulent and tasty cuts of meat will have your friends and family coming back for more. Do your homework so at your next BBQ you will receive the admiration a "Top Shelf Griller" demands.The Last Vital Ingredient "The Wife" - Lets face it, if it wasn't for the wife the barbecue would be a complete disaster. You must always acknowledge the wifes effort as the "Vital Ingredient" is what makes a good Barbecue great.

When exploring how to BBQ with perfection you will need to know the many essential flavors of various types of BBQ meats. I personally feel that simplicity is usually best. Too many contradicting flavors can take away from the flavor of the meat and will likely overwhelm your taste buds. With barbecue, the woods used during the cooking and the seasonings used for rubbing and marinating the meat should add flavor but not be over powering.Among the more frequently used BBQ woods you will find apple, cherry and maple barbecue smoking chips. I like to have a few varieties available. I also am always sure to have on hand what I feel are the essential BBQ seasoning, spices, and basting products. These items can be used in various combinations based on your personal preference. Making your own BBQ rubs, brine, and barbecue sauces for any of your favorite meats will be quite easy if you keep the following list on hand.Basting & Sauce Ingredients:Apple juice: This is Ideal for basting any BBQ meat and especially useful for ribs, pork butt, and chicken. Apple juice and apple cider can often be used in many brine recipes, bbq sauces, injections, or even in the water pan to keep the meat moist.Apple cider vinegar: This is a great ingredient for BBQ sauces and mops. You may also use it to thin store bought sauces and make a quick and simple mop or marinade. This is also a great product for dressing bbq pulled pork.Molasses: This is used primarily for making sauces. The bold flavor and dark color gives the sauce its thick texture an dark color. Molasses and apple cider vinegar are 2 key ingredients I use in my personal sauce recipes.Whiskey or Bourbon: Using these can bring great malt flavor and help to add balance to your mops or sauces. Try a bottle mixed with half Jack Daniel's and half apple juice for basting BBQ meats.Brown Sugar: This is another essential ingredient in my own barbecue sauce recipes. This is a great way to bring a subtle sweetness to pork butt, chicken, ribs, or pulled pork dishes. Brown sugar blends very well with hot or spicy flavors to give you just a touch of sweetness in your hot and spicy sauce.Seasonings and Spices:Onion powder: This is one of my personal preferences of ingredients for my BBQ rubs. The onion flavor works well with any BBQ meat.Cumin: This is among the most important ingredients for BBQ rubs and chili recipes. This ingredient will bring a slight smoky flavor and it is especially good for a pork BBQ.Paprika: The primary ingredient found in virtually all BBQ rubs as well as chili recipes. This adds a great color and flavor to any BBQ meat and the subtle flavor helps to balance the other ingredients.Chile Powder: This flavorful blend can be used on any BBQ meat. This is a great way to add some spice or heat to your BBQ meat.Garlic powder: One of the major ingredients in my personal recipes of BBQ rubs and sauces. This adds a subtle sweetness along with a touch of heat and brings balance to spicy flavors.Kosher salt: I personally don't care for a really salty taste. This salt helps to bring out the actual flavor of BBQ meats and has a much more subtle flavor than regular salt.Black pepper: A very important part of any seasoning blend to get that hot and spicy touch. The bold flavor and peppery fragrance makes any BBQ meat better.The truth about BBQ is that personal preference dictates the end result more than anything else. Practice with the flavors you enjoy and try different combinations of seasonings. You will find some you like and some you don't but, ultimately you will enjoy the journey to find your BBQ perfection. The last and most important tip here is "cook low and slow". This simply means use a temperature of 325 degrees or less (275 - 300 degrees is best) and cook for a longer period of time. Always make sure the temperature is constant and keep you water pan full so the meat doesn't dry out. You can even BBQ in your oven at home during the winter if you think it is too cold to fire up the grill. Making BBQ in the oven will follow these same guidelines but for wood or smoke flavor you want to use a liquid smoke product rather than wood chips.

Campbell's soups have been around for so long that it is not surprising to find thousands of recipes that call for them. When it come to BBQ'ing, there is no exception here. Many popular condensed soup flavors, can produce sauces and glazes that will impress you family and friends. Here are three great recipes that are guaranteed to be a success at your next BBQ event.BBQ sauce
This recipe makes approximately 1 ¾ cups of delicious BBQ sauce.In a one quart pan, combine one can of Campbell`s condensed tomato soup, 1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce, 3 tbsp. Vinegar, 2 tbsp of brown sugar and one chopped small onion. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. This sauce is fabulous to baste beef or chicken while grilling or broiling.Pan Seared Sticky chicken
In a small bowl, combine 1 pouch of Campbell's onion soup mix, ½ cup of apricot or peach preserves, ¼ cup of BBQ sauce (see recipe above) or ketchup, and ¼ cup of water. Mix to combine. Next, put about 2 tbsp oil in a pan or skillet and heat up over medium heat. Cut up approximately 3 pounds of chicken in small strips and cook until browned on all sides (do not cook all the way through yet). Pour off any fat from the pan and add the bowl mixture to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and tender. Stir occasionally.Oriental BBQ sauce
In a saucepan or skillet, add 1 can Campbell's tomato soup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 3 tbsp cider vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, ½ tsp of ground ginger and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Stir together and simmer for 10 minutes. This sauce is perfect for use during broiling or grilling chicken, seafood or vegetables and can also be used as a dipping sauce.Many other great recipes can be found online.

In the grilling season, burgers, hot dogs, steaks, pork chops and chicken rule many people's outdoor menus since they are easy to make and delicious. But when you plan a cookout and vegetarians are on your guest list, having only salads as their alternatives and loads of meat on the grill simply won't do, as it's inconsiderate and rude. So if you want to be a great host, the next time you're cooking out for both vegetarians and carnivores, you better do it right.If your party is not a bring-your-own-meat, or for some non-meat, option, then what you want to do is buy some veggie burgers and dogs, so that your vegetarian guests can enjoy the same types of grill out food as the rest. With a delicious relish, served on a grilled up whole grain bun and accompanied by a juicy tomato, crisp lettuce and some fragrant onion, a veggie burger is actually something you might want to try as it's delicious and healthy too.Aside from your store variety veggie burgers and dogs, consider preparing other grill delicacies for your vegetarian friends, remembering that not everybody is a burger lover. For inspiration look online for some meatless BBQ recipes, ask your friends what they usually do when they cook out at home, and think outside the meat box to see if you can come up with something new.One thing that can definitely rock not only vegetarian's but also carnivore's cookout is marinated, grilled Portobello mushroom served as part of a sandwich or on a bed of lettuce. You can use the same marinate you'll be making for your chicken, you can brush it with your famous barbecue sauce, or you can simply add some sea salt and fresh ground pepper on it, place it on the grill and serve warm.While making kebabs for your meat loving friends with marinated beef and big chunks of veggies, you can easily make a batch for your vegetarian guests. Depending on whether they eat seafood or not, you can replace beef chunks with shrimp or fish chunks, or you can add cubes of hard tofu onto skewers. You just might want to wrap meatless kebabs in tin foil after brushing them with BBQ sauce so the seafood or tofu won't crisp up too much.Inviting vegetarian friends to cookout try to be considerate of their eating habits and make sure to have vegetarian-friendly sides and toppings as well. A ham, cheese and macaroni salad might be among your favorite BBQ recipes, but it's no effort to make part of it meat free. Baked potatoes, corn on the cob or potato salads, as barbecue staples, can be enjoyed by your vegetarian friends as well, just make sure there are no bacon bits nearby. And while you're at it, try to keep one side of the grill meatless, so your guests don't have to wonder if the burger fat was dripping onto their veggie burgers.Overall, the best thing you can do when inviting your vegetarian friends to the cookout is to ask them what you can do to make it okay. They might give you some ideas for BBQ recipes they're fond of, they will help with the logistics and most likely they will offer to bring meat free food so you don't have to go to too much trouble for them. And if they make trouble before the barbecue even starts, complaining about you wanting to serve meat when they're there, maybe you want to reconsider your invitation, because you don't want to change their habits, so they shouldn't want to alter yours.

Grilling and Barbecuing, two of the most popular cooking methods in the U.S., especially in warmer weather. There are some who know the difference between grilling and barbecuing, and some who don't. Do you?To put it simply, Grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbecuing involves a slower cooking method, over a lower heat.Grilling is generally done over a gas flame, or hot coals. Tender cuts of meat are best for this cooking method. The quick cooking and the high heat seal in the juices, creating a juicy piece of meat, but leave the meat on too long, and it will dry out, as with any dry cooking method. Barbecue sauces can be used, but since the heat is so high, it should be added right at the end of the cooking time, especially for sweeter barbecue sauces, so that the sugar in the sauce doesn't burn. Vegetables and fruits can also be grilled, as they don't need a long cooking time. Peaches and pineapple are particularly good for grilling, the natural sugars in the fruit carmelize over the high heat. When you grill food, you need to pay attention to it, so it doesn't get overcooked. You need to stay by the grill the whole time.Barbecuing is typically done over charcoal or wood, although gas can be used. I've seen kalhua pig being cooked slowly on a gas grill, but usually, barbecuers will use either charcoal or wood. The meats usually used in barbecuing are tougher cuts of meat, such as the beef brisket, or pork ribs. These meats benefit from the long, slow cooking process, becoming so tender that they will just fall off the bone. Since the cooking process is slower, and the heat not as high as grilling, barbecue sauce can be brushed onto the meat throughought the cooking process, forming a delicious glaze on the outside of the meat. Apple juice is sometimes sprayed onto the meat to keep it moist and flavorful. Damp wood chips added to the fire add a delicious smoky flavor to the meat.Some meats, like chicken, will benefit from either cooking method. It's great either grilled quickly with a glaze or barbecue sauce applied towards the end of the cooking time, or slowly barbecued, absorbing the flavors of the smoke.