HOW TO SPOT A GOOD BARBECUE

ACCORDING TO HOLY SMOKES CO-OWNER JUANO GUTIERREZ

WATCH THE BARK. The bark is how the “skin” of the meat is charred after being cooked and smoked. The untrained eye may think that blackened meat is too burned, but it’s actually how it oxidizes thanks to all the spices added on to it. If your BBQ is a little black but doesn’t really smell burnt, it just has a good bark.

SMOKE RINGS AREN’T EVERYTHING. The smoke ring is how the meat looks cross-sectioned; people want the outer layer of the meat to be pinker than the middle, creating sort of a ring. Juano says that myth has been debunked, and you don’t need to see a smoke ring to know you’re eating good barbecue.