Posted on 07/29/2006 1:47:14 PM PDT by eeevil conservative
I've always had a rule of thumb, completely borne out by experience: only married people have gas grills.
You can make yourself a full rack or two if you get started early and use charcoal. Take about 16 inches of foil, and stuff it with mesquite chips, and wet them down a little. Ball up the foil, light the coals, while placing the ball of mesquite just off to the side of the coals.
Dressing the meat yourself is a matter of taste. Typically, the backyard griller can get away going "naked" (your discretion, not mine!), though I would suggest using a simple rub of sea salt (DO NOT USE IODIZED!) to help retain moisture.
When the steam of the chips/foil turns into smoke, start your racks on indirect heat. They like it this way - the longer the better. Once you attain a pink smoke ring (the flesh yields a little, but without flaking), you can sear each side of the rack for a few minutes per side.
Sauce it up (if you like), crack a nice hefeweizen, and enjoy. The slower you cook them, the more tender the flesh shall be - it's primarily a function of breaking down the muscular collagen in the meat that attaches it to the bone.
Lick that plate clean, while you're at it.
I didn't recognize your state flag. Maybe next week: the Enterprise doesn't come over the West Coast until then.
OH YUM!
Sounds FANTASTIC!
The only problem with the slow non-gas-grill approach is that most people associate "barbecue" with flipping burgers and 'dogs cooking outside. That is SO not the case, here.
Chicken is the hardest meat to do, because it dries out so easily, requiring constant indirect heat with a saltwater sauna, so to speak. With chicken, a supersaturated kosher/seasalt water basting every few minutes will usually suffice. Do that more often if you're going the boneless/skinless route.
But all barbecue is better done by the real professionals. Treat yourself.
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