This generally begins with purchasing a commercial bag of processed charcoal briquettes. An alternative to charcoal briquettes is lump charcoal. Lump charcoal is wood that has been turned into charcoal but unlike briquets it has not been ground and shaped. Lump charcoal is a pure form of charcoal and is preferred by many purists who dislike artificial binders used to hold briquets in their shape.

A charcoal chimney starter is a traditional method for getting a consistent heat from the coals. Another method is to use an electric iron to heat the coals. Another common method is to soak the charcoal with aliphatic petroleum solvent (or use pretreated briquettes) and light them in a pyramid formation. Although this last method is one of the quickest and most portable, it can impart undesirable chemical flavors to the meat. Using denatured alcohol ("methyl hydrate", "methylated spirit") instead of commercial petroleum-based lighter fluids avoids this problem.

Once all coals are ashed-over (generally 15-25 minutes, depending on starting technique), they can be spread around the perimeter of the grill with the meat placed in the center for indirect cooking, or piled together for direct cooking. Water-soaked wood chips (such as mesquite, hickory, or fruit trees) can be added to the coals for flavor. As with wood barbecuing, the temperature of the grill is controlled by the amount and distribution of coal within the grill and through careful venting.

For long cooks (up to 18 hours), many cooks find success with the "Minion Method", usually performed in a smoker. The method involves putting a small number of hot coals on top of a full chamber of unlit briquettes. The burning coals will gradually light the unlit coals. By leaving the top air vent all the way open and adjusting the lower vents, a constant temperature of 225 can easily be achieved for up to 18 hours.

More info on Wood Burning Fireplaces - all about it

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Barbecue Gas Grill

Gas grills are easy to light. The heat is easy to control (via knob-controlled gas valves on the burners), so the outcome is very predictable. They result in a very consistent result, although some charcoal and wood purists argue it lacks the flavors available only from cooking with charcoal. Advocates of gas grills claim that gas cooking lets you "taste the meat, not the heat" because it is claimed that charcoal grills may deposit traces of coal tar on the food. Many grills are equipped with thermometers, further simplifying the barbecuing experience. However propane and natural gas produce a "wet" heat that can change the texture of foods cooked over such fuels.

Added wood smoke flavor can be imparted on gas grills using soaked wood chips placed in an inexpensive "smoker box" (a perforated metal box), or simply a perforated foil pouch, under the grilling grate and over the heat. It takes some experience in order to keep the chips smoking consistently without catching fire; some high-end gas grills include a built-in smoker box with a dedicated burner to simplify the task. Using such smokers on quick-grilled foods (steaks, chops, burgers) nearly duplicates the effects of wood and charcoal grills, and can actually make grilling some longer-cooked foods, such as ribs, easier, since the "wet" heat makes it easier to prevent the meat from drying out.

Gas grills are significantly more expensive due to their added complexity, and higher heat. They are also considered much cleaner as they do not result in ashes (which must be disposed of) and also in terms of air pollution. Proper maintenance may further help reduce pollution. The useful life of a gas grill may be extended by obtaining replacement gas grill parts when the original parts wear out.

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Barbecue Technics - Wood

The choice and combination of woods burned result in different flavors imparted to the meat. Woods commonly selected for their flavor include mesquite, hickory, maple, and oak. Woods to avoid include conifers. These contain tar, which imparts undesirable resinous and chemical flavors. If these woods are used, they should be burned in a catalytic grill, such as a rocket stove, so that the tar is completely burned before coming into contact with the food.

Different types of wood burn at different rates. The heat also varies by the amount of wood and controlling the rate of burn through careful venting. Wood and charcoal are sometimes combined to optimize smoke flavor and consistent burning.

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Barbecue Grill

The word barbecue is also used to refer to a casual event, usually outdoors or with an outdoor theme, serving food which has been barbecued on the premises. Grilled foods and side dishes may also be served; additionally, many diners enjoy an ice-cold beer in a bottle or can. For this reason many people mistake any outdoor cooking, including grilling, as barbecue, which is frowned upon by devotees. The device used for cooking barbecue can usually be used for both barbecuing and grilling and is often called a barbecue grill by those unaccustomed to slow barbecue, thereby adding to the confusion.

• In parts of the United States, outdoor social and family gatherings where food is grilled and served are often referred to as "cook-outs" or "grill-outs" instead of as "barbecues," especially in areas where slow barbecue is popular.

• In Indiana, Big Shoes style is widely regarded as supreme. The roots of the style come from the phrase "We BBQ everything but the baby, we boil him."

• In Australia, the barbecue is an important cultural expression of the outdoor lifestyle and social interaction. Australian actor Paul Hogan is famous for the phrase "I'll slip an extra shrimp on the barbie for you" in tourism advertising, though this has little to do with Australian terminology. Among other things, Australians will usually cook basic meats such as snags (sausages), chops and steaks, and it is often accompanied by beer, conversation and other activities, such as a social kick of the footy or a game of social cricket.

• In South Africa a barbeque is called a braai and is used almost daily throughout the year, wherever there's a party there's always a braai.

• Throught the United States and the world, there are annual BBQ Festivals which allow for sometimes fierce competitions between bbq teams. BBQ festivals are held in virtually every state in the union, usually beginning in April and going through September. Other bbq festivals do occur during winter months in warmer locations.

 

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What means "barbecue"?

The origin of both the barbecue cooking activity and term are somewhat obscure. The word itself varies in spelling; variations include barbeque, BBQ, and Bar-B-Q.

Most etymologists believe that the word barbeque ultimately derives from the language of the Taino people of the Caribbean "barabicu", which translates as "sacred fire pit". In one form, barabicoa or barbicoa indicates a wooden grill or a mesh of sticks; in another, barabicu, it is a sacred fire pit.

Traditional barbicoa implies digging a hole in the ground putting some meat (goat is the best, usually the whole animal) on it with a pot underneath (to catch the concentrated juices, it makes a hearty broth), cove all with maguey leaves then cover with coal and set on fire. A few hours later it is ready.

In the Southern United States, the word "barbecue" is used predominantly as a noun which specifically refers to roast pork (which is then chopped, pulled, or sliced, depending on region, and served with a tomato, vinegar or mustard-based sauce). A folk etymology states that the term BBQ resulted from when roadhouses and beer joints with pool tables advertised "Bar, Beer, and Cues." According to the tale, this phrase was shortened over time to BBCue, then BBQ.

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Barbeque

Barbecue (also barbeque, abbreviated BBQ or Bar-B-Que or diminuted chiefly in Australia to barbie) is a method and apparatus for cooking food, often meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal and may include application of a vinegar or tomato-based sauce to the meat. The term as a noun can refer to foods cooked by this method, to the cooker itself, or to a party that includes such food. The term is also used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecue is usually cooked in an outdoor environment heated by the smoke of wood or charcoal, or with propane and similar gases. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens specially designed for that purpose.

For those who distinguish between the terms, grilling is almost always a fast process over high heat and barbecue is almost always a slow process using indirect heat and/or hot smoke. For example, in a typical home grill, grilled foods are cooked on a grate directly over hot charcoal; while in barbecuing, the coals are dispersed to the sides or at significant distance from the grate. Alternately, an apparatus called a smoker with a separate fire box may be used. Hot smoke is drawn past the meat by convection for very slow cooking. This is essentially how barbecue is cooked in most genuine "barbecue" restaurants, but nevertheless many consider this to be a distinct cooking process called smoking.

The slower methods of cooking break down the collagen in meat and tenderize tougher cuts for easier eating.

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