"Only smoking is proper barbecuing." Discuss

[keith157]

Davy by all means question thats the point of the discussion and the advantage of living in a "democracy". I took my description from a discussion on TV years ago from a "Pilger report" when an old "pitmaster" was, I believe the current phrase is, "dissing" a self styled "pitmaster" as he only cooked on his grills in his backyard and the guy was adamant that to be a pitmaster you had to master a pit (not a grill/smoker) and be able to cook for a large group.
That's the description I hold to, BUT and this is after all the point you may have a totally different definition
If you do then it's the rightful product of an active mind with reasoned thought behind it. (not a micky take I assure you, I've worked with too many people with no self inspiration and expression not to br grateful for reasoned debate )

[Pecker]

I've never been to one of these competitions.

I can imagine that each pit is run by a team, and the pitmaster is the person in charge. Someone turns up and wants to talk to the person in charge, they ask for the pit master.

Is that how it's used?

Or does someone say to someone running a pit "You may be barbecuing, but that bloke over there in the next pit - he's a pit master".

The only thing I know is that it probably has nothing to do with coal mining.

Steve W

[keith157]

It's an American term and outside of this and other likeminded forums would probably never be heard. i've only been to half a dozen or so events as a visitor/eater and can't remember anyone referring to themselves or anyone else as a pitmaster.
What they call each other whilst imbibing in the social atmosphere is for their ears only

[Pecker]

A quick question on the smoke.

Low & slow is pretty obvious, but does it have to include smoke?

I wonder, smokers like the WSM appear to be quite excellent at holding a constant, low temperature for a long time. Has anyone ever tried cooking on one without smoke?

The reason I ask - I like a bit of smokey flavour with some foods, but with others it's a no-no. And even with foods where I sometimes like smoke, other times I don't. Salmon = nice. Smoked salmon = nice. Smoked salmon forever with no un-smoked salmon ever again? Don't like the sound of that at all.

And I usually don't like smoked chicken. Occasionally, depending on the sauce/marinade, just a tiny bit is okay.

Just wondered how people worked with this.

Steve W

[RobinC]

I occasionaly cook on the WSM without smoke. Process is the same as normal just leave out the wood chunks.

The only thing I would say is that my WSMs actually smell smokey anyway from repeated cooks. So even without the wood chunks there is probably a faint hint of smoke to anything cooked on them these days.

[The Social Smokers]

Personally, I love the smoke flavour. That's why I bought a smoker, to smoke!Smoked chicken is fine, you just have to be careful what wood you use and how much. Subtle fruit woods are best for poultry i find.

[Pecker]

Thanks, you two. Good knowledge.

I love a smokey flaour too, just in the right place.

Cooking in my oven indoors I find, if I'm adding any sort of marinade or rub, I can get a pretty good smokey flavour using a good quality smoked paprika. I cooked pork yesterday, and I think there was more smoke from the paprika than from the wood chips I used.

As I say, I'm very cautious with smoking chicken; it has to have the quality of a very mild ingredient.

Unfortunately, it's often impossible to not overpower everything else due to the smoke's penetration; smoke appears to go right through a chicken's flesh far more easily than it does with other meat. If you put a barbecue sauce, or a rub or marinade on the outside of the chicken, the flavour stays there, or only penetrates the very outside of the chicken. But I tend to find that the smoke penetrates all of the chicken flesh. This means that any chicken you eat without the skin or outside layer just tastes of smoke, rather than the rub/marinade/sauce.

So, skin aside, you just get plain smoked chicken, which I don't find to be all that pleasant. Neither do most people, it would appear - just look at the balance of smoked to chicken to other flavours on the shelves in the supermarket. Most people have had smoked chicken and smokey bacon. They continue buying smokey bacon (delicious), but 95% of the population avoid smoked chicken like the plague. It's pretty similar with cheese (smoked cheese must account for less than 1% of overall cheese sales), and to a lesser extent with fish (a few smoked fish products, but far fewer than non-smoked).

That's not without reason: chicken (and most other foods) and smoke are simply not complimentary flavours to most taste buds. It always puzzles me that there would appear to be a huge coincidence happening. People who like to cook outdoors and buy a barbecue, what do you know, they nearly all like all of their food smoked.

Sorry, I've gone off on one again, haven't I.

Steve W

[keith157]

That's where brining and injecting come in. I've injected tarragon butter into chicken both on and off the bq with and without smoke and the flavour is evident. A marinade will only penetrate so far which is why I will use a complimentary brine which by osmosis will add flavour and moisture to the bird. I'm still new to all this smoking business but have used bbq's for low and slow for years. I don't like a heavy smoked flavour and I can tell the difference between woods (I think ).

[Pecker]

That's where brining and injecting come in. I've injected tarragon butter into chicken both on and off the bq with and without smoke and the flavour is evident. A marinade will only penetrate so far which is why I will use a complimentary brine which by osmosis will add flavour and moisture to the bird. I'm still new to all this smoking business but have used bbq's for low and slow for years. I don't like a heavy smoked flavour and I can tell the difference between woods (I think ).

Many thanks - I'll have to give that a go.

Steve W

[The Social Smokers]

Smoked cheese is amazing!