Barbecue Cooking - Old And Fun Way To Cook Meat

Barbecue is mans oldest method of cooking food. It began with some pre-historic men and women who wandered up on the remains of some animals which was a victim of wildfire. It was better than raw meat. That is how cooking in a barbecue evolved.

Today, the art of barbecuing has evolved into three basic methods. The most popular method of cooking food in a barbecue is grilling. In the next method, the food is dry cooked by the heat of the smoke. The last method involves cooking food in a fire of coal, wood, propane gas or any other similar gas, usually with the sauce applied.

Barbecue is usually cooked in an outdoor environment. Without using any of barbecue appliances, barbecue can be prepared by making a pit in the ground to contain the fire and using a grate, grill or a platform of sticks that holds the meat or other food that is being prepared. A suitable cover will be enough to contain the smoke and heat. This is a slow method of cooking, but it retains the natural, flavorful juice that keeps the meat moist and tender.

Barbecuing can be done at a higher temperature also. But be sure not to burn the outside of the meat. Meat of any sort gets really tough when it is overcooked. When smoking meat for an hour or so at high temperature, wrap the meat tightly in a foil, to reduce the cooking time. Whatever the temperature used, a basting sauce also known as mop sauce or finishing sauce, should be applied to the meat in the last fifteen to thirty minutes of cooking.

The mop sauce is applied to the meat with a brush or small rag mop at intervals during the cooking process. A good indicator to apply mop is when the meat begins to appear dry on the surface. Mop sauce with non-tomato and non-sugar should be used because tomato and sugar will make the meat bitter.

Barbecuing any meat is at the discretion of the individual cook. The place where one lives has a lot to do with the meat in favor. In Texas, the meat of choice is brisket. It is boneless and usually very fatty which imparts that delicious flavor.

Basic mop sauce for barbecue is very easy to prepare. One pint of water, half lime juice, salt and butter will make up a mop sauce. Keeping this as base, one can prepare ones own mop sauce by adding onion, garlic and other favorite spices of their choice.

Apart from preparing non-vegetarian food, vegetarian foods can also be prepared. Vegetarians can also enjoy barbecues. Vegetarians can cook some of the shop-bought veggie burgers or sausages.

Barbecue cooking can be healthier and safer when the meat is seared or slow-cooked at a low temperature. If the temperature is very high, carcinogens are more likely to be formed in the meats. Consuming this will lead to cancer.

When smoke hits the bare meat, proteins are transformed into benzopyrenes, which are carcinogens. If the meat is well coated with barbecue sauce before barbecuing, it will protect the outer layer of meat from changing in character. So learn barbecue cooking the right way and stay healthy.

Article Source: http://www.majorarticle.com

Former International Hotel General Manager and culinary expert, Peter Finch, hosts a site dedicated to one of his favorite forms of cookery - barbecues. To find information on barbecues or barbecue recipes visit us now. www.bestbarbecues.co.uk is a goldmine for information on barbecues.

Related Topics

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated