Common Barbecue Myths

[Juggy D Beerman]

Yo to All, I remember posting this topic over ten years ago when I was active on this forum. It started some discussion and cussing as well. Feeling ornery today, I thought I would stir things up again in a friendly fashion. I am asking you to post what you consider to be a common BBQ myth or misconception and then disprove why the "fact" is incorrect. I will start with one of mine.


BBQ Myth # 1: Meat quits taking on smoke when the internal meat temperature reaches 140F. This is not true as as long is the meat is not wrapped and exposed to smoke, the exterior of the meat will still take on smoke. This misconception is tied to the common and correct belief the formation of the smoke ring ceases when the meat's internal temperature reaches around 140F.

 

[cayenne]

165?

Yo to All, I remember posting this topic over ten years ago when I was active on this forum. It started some discussion and cussing as well. Feeling ornery today, I thought I would stir things up again in a friendly fashion. I am asking you to post what you consider to be a common BBQ myth or misconception and then disprove why the "fact" is incorrect. I will start with one of mine.


BBQ Myth # 1: Meat quits taking on smoke when the internal meat temperature reaches 140F. This is not true as as long is the meat is not wrapped and exposed to smoke, the exterior of the meat will still take on smoke. This misconception is tied to the common and correct belief the formation of the smoke ring ceases when the meat's internal temperature reaches around 140F.

I'm a bit of a noob, but I thought the temp where you get no more smoke was about 165F?

cayenne

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Cayenne, I was always taught by several reliable sources that as long as the meat was exposed to smoke, the meat was still absorbing it. Maybe not as much as when it was at a lower temperature, but it was absorbing smoke.

 

[kurtsara]

Paprika is pronounced, paprika, not paparika
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[bam]

Is That 140 With The Blue Thermo Pen The Fastest Or The Red One.

 

[ssv3]

The magic number of doneness is 203* internal on a brisket.

 

[sudsandswine]

Cayenne, I was always taught by several reliable sources that as long as the meat was exposed to smoke, the meat was still absorbing it. Maybe not as much as when it was at a lower temperature, but it was absorbing smoke.

Does meat even "absorb" smoke? Pretty sure it just lays down on the surface. Perhaps a more accurate framing of the discussion is "when does the "smoke ring" stop penetrating", which has very little to do with smoke "flavor" and more to do when the nitrogen dioxide stops reacting with the meat. Pellet smokers make nice smoke rings but there often times is not much smoke flavor. :becky: I contend smoke "flavor" is added right up until the end.....at least until the point of wrapping. Smoke "ring" probably stops well before that.

203*, I still hear that one to this day.

Another pet peeve is "orienting the fat cap a certain way so that it drips back through the meat". That's a sure way to get me to stop watching your YouTube video. :clap2:

 

[Inthewoods]

I always fell fer the 140* rule.
Had ta get corrected here on the forum.

-D

 

[Harbormaster]

BBQ Myth: Northerners (like me) can't cook good barbeque.

Proof: I cooked pulled pork for my son's wedding. Southerners (South Carolina folks) ate it, loved it, and told me it was fantastic.





:mrgreen:

 

[Nuco59]

3-2-1 is the only way to make ribs. How they keep spelling "ruin" wrong is beyond me.

soaking wood chunks is still regarded as a thing.

if it's not low and slow- it's not right

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Does meat even "absorb" smoke? Pretty sure it just lays down on the surface. Perhaps a more accurate framing of the discussion is "when does the "smoke ring" stop penetrating", which has very little to do with smoke "flavor" and more to do when the nitrogen dioxide stops reacting with the meat. Pellet smokers make nice smoke rings but there often times is not much smoke flavor. :becky: I contend smoke "flavor" is added right up until the end.....at least until the point of wrapping. Smoke "ring" probably stops well before that.

203*, I still hear that one to this day.

Another pet peeve is "orienting the fat cap a certain way so that it drips back through the meat". That's a sure way to get me to stop watching your YouTube video. :clap2:

Suds, the word "absorb" that I used is a poor descriptor and your wording is more accurate. And smoke rings do not have anything to do with the smokey taste as we both know a piece of meat can be created chemically with TQ and cooked in the oven with no smoke taste. A side note to your wrapping observation. I have always contended that once a piece of meat is wrapped and sealed in foil, you might as well move it into the oven and finish cooking it because it is going to get just as much smoke wrapped in the oven as you would in the smoker. Fat cap dripping through the meat is pure hoo hah too. I will speak more on that later.

 

[SmokinAussie]

American BBQ is the only kind of BBQ.

 

[Al Czervik]

Searing meat locks in the juices… I see professional chefs touting this myth on cooking shows and it makes me want to hurl.

Juiciness in meat comes from fat content, cooking the meat to the right internal temperature, and making sure seared meats like steaks rest after cooking.

 

[JAKs Q & brew]

Clicking tongs twice makes the food taste better

 

[Harbormaster]

Clicking tongs twice makes the food taste better

This is NOT a myth.
In fact, I'm pretty sure I read about it in the New Testament.

 

[4ever3]

Smoke makes a smoke ring and grill marks mean the meat is cooked to perfection!

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

All right, let's here the discussion on this one. Wrapping meat completely in bacon keeps the interior of the wrapped meat's interior more moist than the same cut cooked without wrapping it. Yea or Nay?

 

[SmokinAussie]

I don't give a sh!t Juggy. Just wrap it in bacon and we're good.

 

[16Adams]

If you're not using a shovel, it's not barbecue

 

[4ever3]

Bacon wrap only adds to presentation and a layer of flavor.

It’s not like it is a wall of fat holding in all moisture.