Common Barbecue Myths

[Aegis]

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

*Donnie Baker Voice* It’s state law, look it up

 

[kurtsara]

But is it pap-rika or pa-prika?

To me the way it is spelled it is pap-rika but I hear it pronounced pap-a-rika

 

[Dweverett]

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?

My experience is exactly the opposite — I always end up overcooking whatever was wrapped in bacon in a futile effort to get the bacon as crisp as my wife likes it.

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Bill, One thing you can do to avoid the problem of overcooking the meat the bacon is wrapped around is this trick. Partially cook the bacon before you wrap it around the meat you are about to cook on the grill or smoker.

As for my opinion on wrapping bacon around a piece of meat keeping the interior more moist than if the bacon was not used, I do not see how this is possible. It does add flavor and makes for a nice presentation, but it does not prevent moisture loss to the meat's interior.

 

[Harbormaster]

Here is another Myth for you all. Adding flavored liquid in a water pan of a smoker will impart the flavor of the liquid onto the surface of the meat.


I have tried this using beer, wine, and apple juice (separately) in my WSM water pan and used no wood for smoke flavoring so I could taste the flavor of what ever liquid I used. I never could distinguish the taste of liquid on the meat's surface. Can anyone disprove my observation?

The intention of the water pan in a smoker such as the WSM was not to add flavor nor moisture to the cooking environment. The purpose of the water pan is to act as a heat sink or thermal regulator.

I have learned I get better BBQ without the water.

Using anything other than water is a waste of money.

So Juggy you are correct. Using beer, wine, apple juice in a water pan adding flavor to meat is a myth.

 

[JIMSMOKES]

Paprika is pronounced, paprika, not paparika
[

Depends on where ya from. LoL

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Clark, Would you mind repeating the first sentence of the last line of your post? I seldom hear someone say that to me..........

As to your statement about the waterpan in a WSM to serve as a heat sink or thermal regulator, you are correct in that assessment. I will still use the waterpan for long haul cooks when I am cooking at 250F or below. I have been cooking burgers and wings without using a pan at all and the temps are running about 325F. I have yet to a butt or a brisket without the pan, but that is on the list of things to do.

 

[Harbormaster]

Clark, Would you mind repeating the first sentence of the last line of your post? I seldom hear someone say that to me..........

How long have you been married?

 

[SmokinAussie]

Myth: MOINK balls should not have vegemite in them. :becky:

 

[ODU Dad]

The first one: a water smoker works by raising the humidity of the cooking chamber, making the meat moister. The truth is water is merely making it have a higher heat density. You could fill it with sand and it will work just as well.

Now for the "real" myth: it is perfectly reasonable to sit outside of Franklin BBQ one hour before it opens and remain in the hot Texas sun for another two hours in order to eat THE best brisket you have ever experienced. About the only thing you are going to get is the ability to take something off your bucket list. Not that it is overrated, just that it isn't 3 HOURS TO WAIT level of quality.

At least not for BBQ cooks.

 

[StraightUpBBQ]

Binders... Every video on social media spews out this nonsense about mustard binders... The most unnecessary step in every process video "Hit it what that mustard binder" uke:

 

[jrTheSmoker]

The intention of the water pan in a smoker such as the WSM was not to add flavor nor moisture to the cooking environment. The purpose of the water pan is to act as a heat sink or thermal regulator.

I have learned I get better BBQ without the water.

Using anything other than water is a waste of money.

So Juggy you are correct. Using beer, wine, apple juice in a water pan adding flavor to meat is a myth.

I will politely disagree with this one to some extent. When I cooked whole chickens on my kamado, as soon as I lit the coals, I would put a disposable pan filled with chicken broth, garlic herb seasonings, and fresh herbs as my primary water pan on top of my ceramic plates and directly under the food grate, and topped off with enough water for the 3-hour cook. The stock mix would boil by the time my temps were up and I put the food on, and it would continuously boil the entire cook while sitting on these plates, and release a huge fragrant bomb continuously throughout the cook. I sometimes was in a hurry or ran out of stock and/or herbs, and I could defiantly tell a difference between the two. It was subtle, but when eating, I would think it and my wife would say "I like the last one better, this is missing something."

Now I will say, since cooking on my large offset every week or 2 weeks since February, I started with the same approach in a 1/3 hotel pan placed just in front of the firebox in the main chamber. I've only done a half dozen or so cooks that were longer than 2 hours, where I put a water pan or my concoction above in the water pan. I feel like I do not taste that much of a difference on my large offset for the work compared to my kamado, so I do not use any cooks under 3 hours now. Maybe it has to do with the kamado cooking dynamics versus other high flow cookers like a large offset, but we could defiantly tell a difference on whole chickens in the kamado when I skipped the seasoning broth pan.

 

[Gore]

Clark, Would you mind repeating the first sentence of the last line of your post? I seldom hear someone say that to me..........

You do remember that this is a myth thread, right? :caked:

 

[Juggy D Beerman]

Gore, I thought I was right once. Then I found out I was wrong. Thanks for the laugh!


Okay, here is another myth: A beef prime rib roast is prime grade only. The prime rib roast is harvested from the 6th through 12th rib of beef and this roast can come from any USDA grade of cattle carcass whether it be prime, choice or select. This defining area was coined years before the USDA grading system came into existence.

 

[thirdeye]

Gore, I thought I was right once. Then I found out I was wrong. Thanks for the laugh!

Well I ain't often right but I've never been wrong
It seldom turns out the way it does in the song

Once in a while you get shown the light
In the strangest of places if you look at it right

 

[ODU Dad]

Gore, I thought I was right once. Then I found out I was wrong. Thanks for the laugh!


Okay, here is another myth: A beef prime rib roast is prime grade only. The prime rib roast is harvested from the 6th through 12th rib of beef and this roast can come from any USDA grade of cattle carcass whether it be prime, choice or select. This defining area was coined years before the USDA grading system came into existence.

And, if I am not mistaken by newer rules, "prime" is noted by a look at the carcass by the USDA inspector, but mainly where the butcher/processor cuts into the rib section. Not that this is highly likely, but you could have a damn fine looking carcass that is stamped "prime" and the rest of the parts are choice or select grade in taste and tenderness. No such thing as a "prime" brisket, only a brisket that comes off a "prime" graded steer.

 

[frayedend]

And, if I am not mistaken by newer rules, "prime" is noted by a look at the carcass by the USDA inspector, but mainly where the butcher/processor cuts into the rib section. Not that this is highly likely, but you could have a damn fine looking carcass that is stamped "prime" and the rest of the parts are choice or select grade in taste and tenderness. No such thing as a "prime" brisket, only a brisket that comes off a "prime" graded steer.

Both posts are true. Prime Rib can be Select Grade. Some prime graded meat may not be that good. I always look at the marbling closely, especially on steaks where you can really see the entire thing. I often get Choice Grade steaks that are just as good as Prime Grade. You can usually tell by the marbling. So when you see Ribeye Choice grade on sale for $10/lb, sort through the packages and find the best looking.

 

[thirdeye]

Both posts are true. Prime Rib can be Select Grade. Some prime graded meat may not be that good. I always look at the marbling closely, especially on steaks where you can really see the entire thing. I often get Choice Grade steaks that are just as good as Prime Grade. You can usually tell by the marbling. So when you see Ribeye Choice grade on sale for $10/lb, sort through the packages and find the best looking.

Bingo, there are degrees of marbling within the quality grade of beef. The CAB program for example, refers to the best marbling as 'top choice' or 'upper choice'.

https://meat.tamu.edu/files/2018/10/Understanding-USDA-beef-quality-grades.pdf