POTS AND PANS CITY BLOG

Author Adam Perry Lang graduated with distinction from the Culinary Institute of America and then went on to cook at Daniel, Le Cirque, and Restaurant Guy Savoy. He is the owner of Daisy May’s BBQ USA in New York City, and is partnering with Jamie Oliver on an international restaurant project.

Perry Lang is very serious about BBQ. He has won honors and first place awards at major barbecue championships. His new book Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking is a very serious BBQ book.

There are chapters on pork, beef, lamb, and chicken. Most of the recipes also include several brief preparation recipes, as each meat is paired with specific herb bundles, seasonings, glazes, etc. to achieve a specific effect. The book also includes sections on grill types, characteristics of different woods used in smoking, recipes for sauces, brines and marinades. Serious Barbeque covers the slower cooking style of the South as well as high-heat styles of BBQ.

This is probably one of the best BBQ books out there, and if you are serious about your barbecue, you are not likely to be disappointed.

While some people really seem to have a knack for barbequing – always grilling up a perfect meal – for the rest of us, it is something that must be learned, not something that just comes naturally. Believe it or not, there is technique involved. It’s not just a matter of following your cooking instincts.

One of the main secrets of knowing exactly how to make a beautiful, tasty meal every time is knowing how and when to use high heat or very hot coals. Though you may have heard the term “seal in the juices” when it came to barbequing, you may even have tried some techniques every now and then, but unless you’re doing it properly, you won’t be getting it right. For the best results, many barbeque chefs cook vegetables and medium-rare steaks by first using a high heat in order to sear the outside of the food and seal both the juices and the flavors inside.

Though this technique is good for foods that you don’t want to cook thoroughly, it shouldn’t be overused. If you’re cooking a meat such as hamburgers or pork ribs, they must be cooked all the way through in order to avoid bacterial contamination. Therefore, searing them to seal in the juices doesn’t do anything but give you dry, or charred food.

This can be explained by understanding the way that meat cooks on a barbeque. As it is heated, the cells and the fibers of the meat will tighten, squeezing out much of the juices. Therefore, if you’re only cooking a meat partially, searing it will help to seal in the juices by quickly cooking the outer layers of the food. However, if you should leave the food on this high heat, the inner layers will cook too quickly, vaporizing all of your precious and tasty juices. Try the technique a few times until you get it right. Pay attention to what you’re doing, so that when you do accomplish the right technique, you know how to repeat it.

When you are using high heat, the rule of thumb is to cook on each side for a maximum of five minutes (a total of ten minutes). After ten minutes, anything that you’re cooking should be moved aside to a medium heat so that it can finish cooking at that lower temperature.

There are many ways to recognize how hot your fire really is, to make sure that it’s always perfect for any kind of food that you’re cooking on your barbeque. One of the most common tests is simply to hold your hand a couple of inches away from the grill. If you’re only able to keep it there for about a second, your grill is at a high heat (that is, over 600ºF). If you’re able to hold your hand there fore a few seconds, it’s at a medium heat (around 400ºF). At a lower heat, you’ll be able to hold your hand there for over five seconds.

Remember, when it comes to high heat, practice makes perfect, and the perfect is well worth the practice!

Everyone please have a safe and happy 4th of July!

The Memphis Style pork rib is one of the most popular and mouth watering styles of rib preparation. One of the reasons for the popularity with the Memphis Style rib is its unique blend of barbeque tradition and flavorful seasonings.

The only sauce applied to Memphis Style ribs is mop sauce used for basting during the cooking process. Barbeque sauce is never used during the cooking process but rather served on the side with the ribs at the table. Because a barbeque sauce is not used, the mop sauce is an important component in keeping the meat moist. A Memphis Style barbeque sauce will be a tomato and vinegar based sauce that may also contain mustard. With this style, the quality of the meat is much more important then any sauce. The idea is to feature the meat rather then covering it up with a sauce. While some people can’t wait to dip the ribs in their favorite barbeque sauce, others enjoy the pure flavor of just the meat and rub seasoning.

Memphis style ribs are traditionally smoked and not grilled, baked or broiled. White oak and hickory are the traditional woods used however many other woods are now used. Other woods used include apple and cherry.

While the quality of the meat is extra important in the Memphis Style, choosing which cut to use is up to the individual and the occasion. The most popular pork rib is the St. Louis Style Rib which comes from the pig’s rib section. The back rib, also known as the Baby Back Rib comes from the loin portion or back and is also quite popular. The St. Louis Style Rib is typically easier to work with and has more meat making it a favorite for the hardy eater.

However you decide to cook them, low heat and slow cooking will give you the best rib.

For the mop sauce

• 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
• 2 cups apple cider
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3/4 cup BBQ Rub, recipe follows

For the rub

• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon celery salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparing the ribs – Wash the ribs and blot dry with a paper towel. Place the ribs meat-side up. Cut the line of fat on the base of the ribs to remove the cartilaginous rib tips. Flip the meat over and cut off the flap of meat on the inside of the ribs. This is not essentially but will help prevent them from burning. Remove the membrane on the back of each rack of ribs. You can use your fingers to pull it off but sometimes it’s easier to use a paper towel or a dishtowel to get a secure grip.

Combine the ingredients for the rub and mix well. Liberally rub the ribs on both sides with the mixture. Wrap each rib in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and let marinate for at least 4 hours, but over night is best.

Preparing the smoker – Presoak your wood chips in water for roughly an hour. Place a drip pan in the center of your smoker with plenty of water. A charcoal chimney is best to get your coals started. Once you have hot coals spread them out and put a health amount of your chips down.

Smoking the ribs – Place aluminum foil on the rack before placing the ribs down and another loose piece on top of the ribs. Place the ribs on the smoker over the drip pan and cover the smoker. Start basting with the mop sauce after 30 minutes, basting every 20-30 minutes. You will need to replenish the coals and wood chips form time to time as needed. The ribs are done when the meat is very tender and it has shrunk back from the ends of the bones. At temperatures ranging from 200-250 your ribs should take roughly 4-5 hours however every smoker is different.

Cut each slab between the rib bones and serve with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.

Kansas City’s first recorded barbequer was Henry Perry back in 1908. Perry become very well known for his succulent ribs and would serve them to customers who would come from miles away. Perry converted an old trolley barn into a restaurant and would serve his ribs on newspaper for 25 cents a slab. “Old Man Perry’s” restaurant was located at 19th & Highland and was later sold to George Gates and Charlie Bryant. It become known as Arthur Bryant’s and is still today regarded as one of America’s greatest rib joints. Today Kansas City boast over 90 rib restaurants.

Traditionally, barbequed ribs in Kansas City are dry rub-spiced, smoked with hickory and coated with a KC style sauce. For Kansas City sauce means a thick, rich and tangy tomato based sauce with molasses and sometimes a hint of vinegar. The meat is seared, slow cooked and mop basted with sauce until the meat is tender and a nice crust has formed on the outside. Roll up your sleeves and get ready for sauce that you enjoy getting under your fingernails.

As with any rib, first start by removing the membrane on the back of the rib. This can prove to be difficult with wet finger. Dry hands and a paper towel work well for this. The paper towel will allow you to get a better grip on the membrane. Evenly coat the ribs with the dry rub, wrap with plastic wrap and then foil. Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, but overnight is best. 30 minutes before you are ready to cook the ribs, remove them from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Continually mop the ribs with sauce until finished cooking.

Kansas City Style Dry Rub:

1 C sugar

1/2 C paprika

1/4 C kosher salt

1/4 C celery salt

3 tablespoons onion powder

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons black pepper

2 teaspoons dried mustard powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Classic Kansas City Style Sauce:

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 C ketchup

3/4 C dark unsulphered molasses

1/2 C white wine vinegar

Barbeques are an American tradition, and for many of us, summertime and The 4th of July bring to mind visions of barbeque parties in the back yard with friends and families.

There are a number of different methods to prepare and season the meat prior to grilling.
Some cooks prefer to soak the meat first in special marinades and some prefer rubbing the seasoning whether wet or dry prior to cooking. The preparation and ingredients for marinating may be regional; and we now have foreign inspired marinades (Korean, for example) thrown into the mix. The preferred wood that is used can also differ. However, no barbecue will taste as good without the perfect barbecue sauce.

Barbecue sauces can generally be categorized by what they are based on. Common examples are tomato, vinegar and mustard based sauces. To give the barbecue its distinctive taste and prevent the meat from burning easily, barbecue sauces are applied to the meat while being cooked, with the exception of tomato based barbecue sauces as tomato based sauces burn easier than the other types.

Barbecue sauce preparation can either be sweet, sour, tangy, spicy, hot, thick or thin. The varieties are almost endless which makes barbecues popular because anyone can make his own special preparation depending on taste and anyone can create his own way of serving the barbecue.

Recipes for barbecues sauces can sometimes even be a family secret to be guarded and passed down. On the other hand, good barbecue sauces can also be purchased at almost any store. But the only perfect barbecue sauce is the one that you can create for yourself.

The basics of Barbecue sauces…

Tomato based barbecue sauce is the most widely used and probably the most popular. Its popularity however may be due to the simplicity of preparation and besides; tomatoes are ingredients that are easily found. The point to remember in preparing tomato-based barbecue sauces is to cook the tomatoes very well in order for the flavor to blend with the other ingredients.

Tomato based barbecue sauces are acidic. Because of this, they have the property to breakdown all the flavor of other ingredients and blending them with their own. But because of its propensity to burn, limit the usage of tomato based barbecue sauce while cooking. To make it even more flavorful, prepare tomato barbecue sauces a day in advance.

Mustard based sauces are preferred in North Carolina. Mustard based barbecue sauces are great for grilling pork.

Vinegar is agreat meat tenderizer. It is also more acidic than tomatoes. Because of its acidic content, vinegar based sauces have a tendency to penetrate deep into the meat. To make this barbecue sauce more flavorful, experiment mixing it with chili, cider vinegar or red pepper, sugar, salt and all the other ingredients that you want it to have.

Coming up with your own “secret sauce” can be fun and rewarding, but if experimenting with food is not your forte, there are also many great sauces available at the store.

When it comes to barbequing, there are two primary styles that most people use.

The first method, especially popular in backyard barbeques, is the style where the food is cooked directly over the source of heat. This way, the food is quickly cooked on a hot grill suspended directly over the charcoals, the wood, or the gas burners. Usually the lid is kept open. Most types of food, including the most tender cuts, hamburgers, steaks, kabobs of all kinds, chicken, and even vegetables are quickly seared and cooked to perfection using this technique. If sauces are desired, they can be added before hand, during the cooking process, or even after the food comes off the grill. These choices will all create different and enjoyable tastes and flavors.

The second barbeque cooking technique uses heat indirectly. This is more appropriate when you’re cooking much larger or whole cuts of meat, such as especially thick steaks, roasts, a whole hog, or a pork shoulder. When you’re cooking using this method, the food is cooked away from the actual source of heat. This usually requires a water pan of some kind in order to maintain the moisture level of the food. The temperatures generally stay around 250ºF. During this cooking method, the lid of the barbeque remains closed most of the time, and the length of the cooking is much longer than in the first method. When you’re using an indirect barbeque cooker, there is usually an additional fire box that allows you to combine charcoal and wooden logs for burning. This allows the heat and the smoke to rise through the cooking chamber where the meat is, so that it is heated perfectly. The rule of thumb of this technique is a low temperature for a long time.

No matter which method you use, it’s important not to cook your meat too quickly. If the internal temperature of your meat rises too quickly as you cook it, the water and the fat within it will be expelled before the collagen is able to melt. This means that your cut will be dry and tough. However, you cannot cook too slowly or you will risk a bacterial contamination. Though there is a fine line for barbequing properly, it’s important to find that line and stick to it.

If you’re already dealing with a cut of meat that is tough, such as a brisket or a pork roast, consider cooking slowly as the collagen adds flavor to the meat. If you buy a less tough, more expensive cut, you can cook at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time. This is why ribs and steaks take such a short time to cook, while pork shoulders or beef brisket can run up to 20 hours.