Do You Mop?

[Susan in FL]

No, I'm doing well if I get to vacuum once a week.

Actually that is not the subject of this post. This article got me wondering if many of you mop when you're grilling, instead of basting with a sauce, or if you tend to grill a lot of things "as is," perhaps after marinating or just using olive oil and S&P. My husband is the main grill person, and usually he prefers not to apply a mop or a sauce as he grills, saying it causes flare-ups. I wanted to do a grill recipe for beef brisket recently, but it called for brushing on a mop throughout, and he thought it would burn. I'm thinking maybe the mops, being thinner, wouldn't fire up as easily. Any thoughts?

P.S. I ended up cooking the brisket, my first one, stove top... a recipe for "Jewish Style." It would have been hard to beat.

[andiesenji]

If you are referring to a thin basting liquid, yes I do, but only on meats I am cooking with indirect heat, not on meats directly over the fire. I occasionall mop cold-smoked meats also, if the surface appears to be drying too much, too quickly.

I start the meats with a dry rub and about half-way into the cooking I begin mopping every time I turn the meat.

One would get flare-ups if mopping over direct heat. I have seen it done but prefer to do it my way.

[mnebergall]

Any sort of sauce with sugar in it likely will burn if used while grilling. I only put the sauce on right before I'm ready to take the meat (typically chicken) off of the grill. When smoking, I don't use anything.

[GordonCooks]

I Sop during and Mop at the end.

[fifi]

When I am smoking, I typically use a dry rub only. Chicken is usually marinated. I have mopped some toward the end if I think the meat is looking a little dry. Since I got the Weber Smokey Mountain, I don't find myself doing that much since I have really good temperature control.

I don't grill often but I never add sauces or mops over direct heat. I just don't like the flavor that the drips an flair ups create. I marinate with something that doesn't have sugar. I will add sauce, if that is called for, right when I take the meat off.

[FoodZealot]

Personally, I don't think mops contribute very much, and I don't use them. Like basting, most are so thin that they just run off the surface, sometimes washing away the seasoning. If I were to use one, it would have to be pretty flavorful and just a touch more viscous to make up for that. Also, in most low temperature smoking environments, losing heat to constant mopping will add a lot of cooking time. I have another unsupported theory that over the many hours of smoking, a mop ends up wicking more moisture out of the meat than it adds to the environment, sort of like licking chapped lips.

I'd guess that flare ups are caused more by oils, fats or alcohol in a grilling situation (direct, high heat). As others have said, a mop either without those ingredients or in an indirect, smoking scenario probably won't be a problem.

[fifi]

Personally, I don't think mops contribute very much, and I don't use them.  Like basting, most are so thin that they just run off the surface, sometimes washing away the seasoning. If I were to use one, it would have to be pretty flavorful and just a touch more viscous to make up for that. Also, in most low temperature smoking environments, losing heat to constant mopping will add a lot of cooking time.  I have another unsupported theory that over the many hours of smoking, a mop ends up wicking more moisture out of the meat than it adds to the environment, sort of like licking chapped lips.

I'd guess that flare ups are caused more by oils, fats or alcohol in a grilling situation (direct, high heat).  As others have said, a mop either without those ingredients or in an indirect, smoking scenario probably won't be a problem.

All of those points are really interesting.

I agree on the washing-off-the-seasonings part. That is why I usually avoid it. If you have brined your chicken or pork, seasoned it well, and cook it at the right temperature for the right time, I can't see what a mop will add.

I hadn't really thought of opening a smoker to mop and that adding to the time. I wonder how much that is?

I have to confess that I have never even thought about the chapped lips theory. ( And another eGullet official term is born.) There might be some merit to that. I will have to think on it.

[mark922]

I mop ribs. But then, I grill them, I don't barbecue them. My family and I all like the sauce to get nicely carmelized on the ribs as they cook. This means basting with a thinned-out sauce for about the last 20-30 minutes.

[chefdg]

Mop if you are cooking over a low flame, or on a rack well above an open flame. The best mopped food I have eaten is marinated boneless/skinnless chicken thighs, tightly packed on skewers and cooked for 1 hr. over a medium flame (charcoal or wood). Mop the chick with a nice mango barbecue sauce.

[Susan in FL]

It surely looks like indirect heat is the way to grill if using a mop. Good points to consider in this thread, including the "chapped lips theory" ... thanks.

We do love grilled ribs, as Mark922 describes, and the chefdg chicken sounds yummy, too. They are on my mental list of menus.

[FoodZealot]

I hadn't really thought of opening a smoker to mop and that adding to the time. I wonder how much that is?

I have to confess that I have never even thought about the chapped lips theory. ( And another eGullet official term is born.) There might be some merit to that. I will have to think on it.

Sorry to respond so late, I had some trouble finding the thread again. For adding time, I don't think one or two mops is going to be significant over 5 hours of cooking, but if someone is mopping every 15-20 minutes over 5 hours, the temperature will be jumping around quite a bit, and more variables come into play, like what is the ambient temperature, how long is it uncovered, etc. Overall, it probably makes the doneness less predictable, which is more of a problem than being "undercooked."

I think the Chapped Lips Theory® [grin] has more of an effect on the exposed parts of a piece of meat where there's no fell, fat, or other membrane to protect it.