No more BBQ thread?

brukuns

Kelly Slater status
Mar 5, 2014
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Haven't found that old BBQ thread so I'm creating this one.

I moved to a new apartment and now I have a freaking grill on the balcony. cooking some BBQ every weekend sofar, stoked.

I always loved to BBQ (brazilian BBQ, of course), but now that I have a grill in my place I'm doing some more research in order to cook the perfect meat.

American cuts have been all the rage lately, but to be honest I've been missing the mark and I'm not sure what I might be doing wrong. For example, Both the T-bone and Prime Ribs I cooked endedup a bit too firm. I seared themwith lots of heat for less then 10 minutes each side and then placed them higher on the grill so they could finish cooking with a bit less heat. They were still too firm though. not sure if I just overcooked them or if I did something else wrong.

Then looking at some american BBQ sites I found some intriguing information and a major difference between american and Brazilian BBQs...

Americans salt their meat like 1 hour before cooking?! In Brazil we either salt the meat 5 minutes before putting it on the grill (so the salt doesn't suck away the juices) or we only salt it after searing it... more meat flavor, more juice.

But what I read kinda makes sense and makes me wonder if I should try it.

They say that, after you salt the meat, the salt will suck the juices out (which is what brazzos don't like)... however if you wait long enough, that juice will be sucked back into the meat bringing flavor and most importantly breaking apart some of the fibers.

Is this legit? Were brazzos and argentinians just no patient enough to wait for a full hour and learn that the juice will be sucked back (and even make the meat softer)??

Hopefully we can start an interesting discussion here.

PS: I'm struggling a bit with the "american" cuts, but I can cook a mean Picanha!!

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Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
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I think a 10 minute sear per side is too long.

But I also think butter on the meat as it cooks is wrong as is "salting" it an hour before.

Only real secret I have is to bring the meat up to room temp before cooking it.
 

sushipop

Michael Peterson status
Feb 7, 2008
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The Dagobah System
Couple quick things:
—10 min per side at high heat with and additional cook time at low temp is too long for “American” type steaks. If you want to take the “seared” approach, I would go 1-2 min per side at maximum heat and then go indirect or lower heat after that. The time at lower heat will depend on the thickness of the steak. A good idea while your getting used to things would be to use an electronic meat thermometer. Shoot for an internal temp of 120-125’ for medium rare.
—Bring your meat to room temperature before grilling and always let it rest after cooking before serving and slicing
—There are a lot of differing opinions on salt. What I do know is that water always follows salt, so in theory, the salt will pull water from the steak, but it should reabsorb into the meat after the salt dissolves into the water. Kind of like marinades penetrate the meat over a longer period of time.
—Meathead Goldwyn is a great resource for all things grilling and smoking. https://amazingribs.com/
 
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_____

Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
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For thick ones like that, salting ahead of time is dry brining and it works. You can do that the night before or several hours before. Salt molecules are tiny and besides water, about the only thing that's going to penetrate all the way through and season it. Pepper, herbs, marinades etc will barely get past the surface unless you inject it or similar. Look at youtube videos for "reverse sear" and using indirect heat to bring it to just below desired temp first, and then sear on uber high to get a char. Slapping that dead cow muscle on an super hot grill to "lock in the juices" is sort of a myth and dries it out faster because moisture loss happens faster (too firm as you said). If you want to get a perfect meat every time, get a sous vide wand and finish it on that grill.
 
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rowjimmytour

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Feb 7, 2009
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Smokin' is way to go since I got pro smoker grill last year for bday and suped it up after watching utube videos with brick layered bottom, 3 x thermostats, wheels, and exaust. Last month did 6 x baby back ribs oak smoke and warming rack did sausage last 2 hours with apple smoke. Best yet and full capacity for party:)
 

afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
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I only salt (heavily) if I'm pan frying them.

heavy salting on a grill doesn't have the same effect of creating a crust like it does in a pan
in my experience.

I don't BBQ steaks anymore for this reason...I get better results from a pan and finishing
in the oven (still in the pan)

the point above about letting meat come to room temp AND letting it rest after cooking
cannot be emphasized enough.
 
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afoaf

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also...that's rock salt...too big to do what it should be doing.

you should be using a finer kosher salt.

if you want, you can put a finishing salt on afterwards
 

brukuns

Kelly Slater status
Mar 5, 2014
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Thanks for the replies y'all.

- Bring the steak to room temps before grilling - ALWAYS

- Let it rest before cutting - ALWAYS

-Kosher salt - That's a USA thing. Nowhere to be found here. Maybe I can find an import somewhere, won't be cheap. I could probably break the rock salts a bit and make them thinner :(

- Reversed searing - Actually read about it today and willing to give it a shot.

trial and error... trial and error. Another BBQ this Sunday, I'll let you know how it goes.
 

gbg

Miki Dora status
Jan 22, 2006
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Thanks for the replies y'all.

- Bring the steak to room temps before grilling - ALWAYS

- Let it rest before cutting - ALWAYS

-Kosher salt - That's a USA thing. Nowhere to be found here. Maybe I can find an import somewhere, won't be cheap. I could probably break the rock salts a bit and make them thinner :(

- Reversed searing - Actually read about it today and willing to give it a shot.

trial and error... trial and error. Another BBQ this Sunday, I'll let you know how it goes.
No Jews in Brazil?
 
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One of the things salt does is it draws water from the inside of the meat to the surface so that the outside doesn't dry out as easily when cooked, and seasons and tenderizes the inside as some of the salt is drawn down into the meat as the water moves outward, as long as you don't overdo it. This is the gist of what I've gotten out of the aforementioned excellent articles by Meathead Goldwyn on Amazingribs.com like this one: https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-ingredients-glossaries/science-salt.

I'll agree that the reverse sear is the way to go %100. Either smoked or baked in the oven at a low temp and then finished on a hot skillet or grill. Delicious. Tough to pull off without a good thermometer though.
 

grapedrink

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May 21, 2011
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What you described works great for a larger, thicker slab of meat that you plan to slice, but even then 5 minutes per side is more than enough. As others have pointed out, you only need a few minutes per side for a sear of a regular sized steak. Then you can move it to the cooler side of the grill. Or just do ~6-8 minutes per side on the hot side of the grill, depending on the thickness and temp of the grill.

Plus the upper rack of the grill is still directly over the high heat, so it won’t be much cooler. Better to move your coals or wood to the left or right 1/3 of the grill so you have defined hot and cool zones.

I think the whole salting protocol is overcomplicating for cooking a simple steaks. I just do salt and pepper and throw it on.

As was also mentioned- let your meat rest for at least 5 minutes, and longer for larger cuts to let the juices settle back into the meat and avoid bleeding out.
 

Mr Doof

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heavy salting on a grill doesn't have the same effect of creating a crust like it does in a pan
in my experience.

I don't BBQ steaks anymore for this reason...I get better results from a pan and finishing
in the oven (still in the pan)
Ever try using cast iron pan on a kettle grill...then move to the side without charcoal and put the lid on?

Or pan fry in a Dutch oven? (heat up both top and bottom of Dutch oven, pan fry, then move off heat, flip and cover)

Had mixed results myself.
 

Mr Doof

Duke status
Jan 23, 2002
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Thanks for the replies y'all.

- Bring the steak to room temps before grilling - ALWAYS

- Let it rest before cutting - ALWAYS

-Kosher salt - That's a USA thing. Nowhere to be found here. Maybe I can find an import somewhere, won't be cheap. I could probably break the rock salts a bit and make them thinner :(

- Reversed searing - Actually read about it today and willing to give it a shot.

trial and error... trial and error. Another BBQ this Sunday, I'll let you know how it goes.

See if you can find that expensive French/Spanish sea salt that is flaked or very fine. Good Kosher salt substitute if you don't need the blessing.
 

sushipop

Michael Peterson status
Feb 7, 2008
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The Dagobah System
Ever try using cast iron pan on a kettle grill...then move to the side without charcoal and put the lid on?

Or pan fry in a Dutch oven? (heat up both top and bottom of Dutch oven, pan fry, then move off heat, flip and cover)

Had mixed results myself.
My dutch ovens are quite effective, mostly if I add a side of broccoli, brussel sprouts or something with dairy to my steak dinner.
 

rowjimmytour

Tom Curren status
Feb 7, 2009
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afoaf

Duke status
Jun 25, 2008
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See if you can find that expensive French/Spanish sea salt that is flaked or very fine. Good Kosher salt substitute if you don't need the blessing.
I received an enameled dutch oven for my birthday and it's totally
upped my pot roast and carnitas game.

using cast iron on a grill winds up seems same same as a pan on
the stovetop finished in the oven.
 

_____

Phil Edwards status
Sep 17, 2012
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I was really hoping this would turn into a BBQ vs grilling thread/fight with regional debates. I'm almost as disappointed as I am with the new emoticons.
 

grapedrink

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I was really hoping this would turn into a BBQ vs grilling thread/fight with regional debates. I'm almost as disappointed as I am with the new emoticons.
I’m not sure if any of the Texans made it through the software switch. IIRC there was some input from cackalackans as well. There was some good banter going on.
 

grapedrink

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I received an enameled dutch oven for my birthday and it's totally
upped my pot roast and carnitas game.

using cast iron on a grill winds up seems same same as a pan on
the stovetop finished in the oven.
What’s your Dutch oven carnitas recipe?