Tips to help you barbecue like a pro this Fourth of July
Fourth of July weekend would not be complete without firing up the grill. To help you grill like a pro, we turned to some folks who know a thing or two about grilling. Each one is a winner from the 2019 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. They are the best of the best in the world when it comes to mastering a grill. When armed with these essential tips, you too can grill like an award-winning pitmaster.
Preparation
Tuffy Stone is the pitmaster of the barbecue team Cool Smoke. In May, the team won the title of Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest Grand Champion, as well as winning the shoulder division.
Stone’s first tip sounds simple, but it can make a big difference.
“Clean your grill before cooking, as a dirty grill can impart off-putting flavors on your food,” he said.
Chris Lilly is the pitmaster for Big Bob Gibson BAR-B-Q and a spokesman for Kingsford Charcoal. A five-time past Grand Champion, this team was voted first place in this year’s Kingsford Tour of Champions people’s choice award. Lilly says advance prep is key. “Prep early,” he advised. “Trim and season your meat ahead of time, prior to firing the smoker. You don’t want to lose control of the fire while your attention is elsewhere.”
Having a plan is also important, according to Robert Perkins. His team, Southern Smoke, won the Patio Porkers division this year.
“I like to make sure I fully prepare for a cook,” he said. “Know what you have to have and when you will have to have it. Some things you can’t control (weather mainly), but the things I can control I want to have a plan.”
The fire
Stone said using a quality charcoal is of the utmost importance when grilling. “This will be very important to the flavor,” he said.
When building a charcoal fire, Lilly said the key to smoking is a low and steady temperature.
“For the beginner, it is especially important to use a fuel that is easily maintained during the long smoking cycle” Lilly said. “Charcoal briquette will give you a longer and more consistent heat than lump charcoal or an all-wood fire.”
Both Stone and Lilly recommend setting up a two-zone fire when grilling.
“By putting hot coals on one side of the bottom of the grill and no coals on the other, you create two cooking zones. One is the hot side and the other is the cool side,” Stone said. “With two zones, you can cook directly over the coals to sear or brown, and then move the meat to the cool side of the grill, where no coals are. By doing this, you can continue to cook the meat in a more gentle way to doneness and have to worry less about burning the meat.”
Lilly added that is also crucial to control the temperature of the fire.
“Regulating the temperature of your smoker is controlled by airflow,” he said. “Air intake through the dampers near the fire provides the oxygen needed to keep the fire burning. The air outflow through the top dampers or smokestack pulls air through the smoker. Open dampers result in higher temperatures. Crack the dampers to decrease airflow and lower temperatures.”
When it comes to smaller cuts of meat like ribs, Jay Durbin, pitmaster for rib category-winning team Nutt’s and Butts and owner of Tennessee MOJO barbecue rub company, offered his expert advice.
“Try not to over-smoke ribs,” he said. “Instead of hickory, I like to use a milder flavor wood like pecan. I also use a little cherry to add a little sweetness, and it also helps with the color. Practice good fire management and keep your smoke clean. Blue smoke is your friend.”
Cooking
Patience is key for grilling. “You can’t rush a good product,” Perkins said. “Take your time and let the meat do what it needs to do. It takes what it will take to do it right.”
Durbin chimed in with a similar sentiment: “Do not put all your focus on cook time. “
“With ribs, you hear a lot about the 3-2-1 method: Three hours in the smoke, two hours in wrap and one hour back in smoke. That produces a good rib but not the perfect rib,” he said.
His advice is to watch the color on the ribs and wrap when you have that perfect mahogany color.
“It may take three hours, but I’ve found that around 21⁄2 hours is my sweet spot,” Durbin said.
It’s also important to add your sauce at the end of the cooking process.
“If you are going to sauce your grilled meat, such as ribs or chicken, always sauce after you have cooked your meat to the desired doneness,” Stone said. “Many barbecue sauces contain sugar and can burn easily if they get too hot on the grill. So always sauce at the end and watch carefully to avoid burning.”
Durbin adds dry rub at the beginning and end of the cooking process for ribs.
“When you reach 200 degrees internal, use a probe to check for tenderness. You want it to slide in with little resistance — it’s usually around 203 to 207 degrees. Reapply rub then and put the ribs back in smoke for 10 minutes.”
The finishing touch
Allow meats and grilled foods to rest after cooking on the grill.
“This will help make for a better eating finished dish, helping to keep the juices inside the meat,” Stone said. And don’t forget to enjoy yourself. “Have fun with the cook and don’t overthink it,” Durbin said. “Barbecue is more about the time around the fire with friends and family — the stories you share and the memories made.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining Reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.