Why Do We Love Barbecue? Slate discussion

[Gifted Gourmet]

Slate Magazine article

Sara Dickerman:

I'm a wood and charcoal girl ... For me, grilling or barbecuing is never a question of ease, though: I do it for the flavor, the smell, and, yes, the compliments. How do you feel about charcoal vs. gas? Is your decision a practical or a moral one?

Chris Schlesinger:

I acknowledge that gas grilling is easier, quicker, and safer, but for me, one fundamental reason I love grilling is the excitement that's born from the risk involved: With charcoal grilling, there's a big chance you'll ruin your dinner. I love the challenge of starting the perfect fire, and cooking over live coals is unpredictable and thrilling.

Steven Raichlen:

When you grill over wood, you generate not only heat, but flavor. And each type of wood is unique: Mesquite has a strong, almost bitter flavor, best-suited to beef; hickory has a sweet, smoky flavor good for pork

This three-way discussion by such seasoned individuals makes for some extremely lively reading .. too much to go into here without your first reading the comments of these knowledgeable food people ...

Once you have the chance to read the piece from Slate, what conclusions do you think make the most sense for you personally on the subject of barbecuing?

Was anyone completely off-base in the discussion?

Most worthy points made? By whom?

Love to hear your opinions ... I, personally, remain impressed with Raichlen.

[BigboyDan]

Grillin' ain't barbecuin', sweetie. And if anyone thinks that grillin' or barbecuin' can be done with gas... * shudder *

[Jaymes]

Very interesting article. I particularly liked the bits about which fuels (charcoal, gas, different types of wood) impart what flavors to the items being cooked. But really almost no mention about sauce. Guess that, once again, these folks (as I) think BBQ'ing is "all about the meat."

Edited June 15, 2006 by Jaymes (log)

[Grub]

Schlesinger said, "With charcoal grilling, there's a big chance you'll ruin your dinner." That makes no sense at all -- even if this was true, why would anyone ever be a fan of a cooking method that involves a big chance of failure? So that remark was certainly off-base...

Personally, I like charcoal. Gas is certainly convenient, but I think the extra work involved in starting a charcoal grill can easily be accomodated into the routine of preparing other parts of the meal. Besides, it's almost like a little ritual. I like it. A friend of mine (who is a considerably more talented cook than myself) uses gas, and have turned out many a great meal on it, so I'm certainly not knocking it. What I DO knock though, is lighter-fluids and pre-soaked brickettes. Gah.

Raichlen's talk of wood grilling is really interesting to me. I always thought you had to wait until the flames died down, and cook in the charred coal remains of the campfire -- otherwise that hotdog or bread-on-a-stick would turn into a soot-covered, foul smelling mess...

[project]

Why BBQ?

<br><br>

Here's an answer:

The book

<blockquote>

Gray Kunz and

Peter Kaminsky,

<i>The Elements of Taste,</i>

ISBN 0-316-60874-2,

Little, Brown and Company,

Boston,

2001.

</blockquote>

explains that, quite generally, the most important "elements"

are

(1)

salt,

(2)

(black) pepper,

(3)

sugar,

(4)

acid (e.g., vinegar),

(5)

hot pepper,

(6)

browning,

(7)

smoke,

(8)

mushrooms,

(9)

wine,

and a few more.

<br><br>

<i>BBQ</i>-- e.g., Memphis chopped pork shoulder BBQ -- hits

hard as a sledgehammer on each of the first seven of these.

<br><br>

In addition there is fat to help carry the flavors.

<br><br>

And there is a <b>lot</b> of tender juicy meat.

<br><br>

Any questions left?

[Gifted Gourmet]

more discussion from Dickerman, Raichlen, and Schlesinger

Today's continuing barbecue discussion focuses upon Dry Rubs vs. Marinades:

Dickerman:

For really fine dry-aged beef, there's probably no finer dry rub than salt and freshly ground pepper. I also use combos, but unless I'm following a recipe for a particular style, I tend to keep the number of flavors to two or three, plus salt. (Then again, I did use a tasty, weird combo of ancho chile powder, cumin, cinnamon, coffee, and a pinch of cocoa for a flank steak a couple of weeks ago.) More often my rubs are something like fennel, orange zest, and red pepper for chicken or fish; saffron and coriander (seed and fresh) for a Sicilian twist on swordfish; and sumac, fresh thyme leaves, and garlic for lamb. I have generally distrusted dried herbs, but I've recently become quite taken with lemon myrtle from Australia,

[Jaymes]

Yes, so many options to flavor the meat with rubs and marinades before and during the cooking. Interesting.

I'd also be interested in knowing their opinion of heavy sauces (in particular those heavy, sweet, tomato-based sauces) in which some people insist on drowning the final product -- heavy sauces that overpower and completely mask all of that smoky, nuanced flavor that they worked so hard to infuse into the meat.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Jaymes (log)

[Chris Amirault]

Schlesinger said, "With charcoal grilling, there's a big chance you'll ruin your dinner." That makes no sense at all -- even if this was true, why would anyone ever be a fan of a cooking method that involves a big chance of failure? So that remark was certainly off-base...

←

Not for everyone. Surely you've heard that some cooks like to be challenged by a dish, ingredient, or method? Makes perfect sense to me: I'd rather eat raw flesh than cook over gas.

As for risky behavior that threatens to ruin food, check out the dry curing done over on the Cooking from Charcuterie topic.

[Daniel]

Schlesinger said, "With charcoal grilling, there's a big chance you'll ruin your dinner." That makes no sense at all -- even if this was true, why would anyone ever be a fan of a cooking method that involves a big chance of failure? So that remark was certainly off-base...

←

Not for everyone. Surely you've heard that some cooks like to be challenged by a dish, ingredient, or method? Makes perfect sense to me: I'd rather eat raw flesh than cook over gas.

As for risky behavior that threatens to ruin food, check out the dry curing done over on the Cooking from Charcuterie topic.

←

Chris,

I have been following that thread.. I can barely take looking at that moldy sausage you have as your Avatar.. Especially in todays condition..

Edited June 15, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[sadistick]

I believe that grilling/bbq'in has a large social appeal, which is why we enjoy it so much. Plus theres something extra special/memorable about cooking/eating food outdoors with friends/family.