Barbecue Sauce, A How To Use Guide

While many people think they really know how to grill like the masters and how to properly use that barbecue sauce in their hand, the fact is that more often than not people do not grill properly. While it is true that the most common backyard grilling technique seems to attempt to follow the Kansas City style barbecue, people still misuse the sauce even in this simple grilling style. Worse than that, those who try and duplicate a more intense grilling style like a slow roasted Memphis grilling with a dry rub often are so far from the right technique that it cannot even be classified as the same thing.

The biggest mistake most rookies of grilling make is temperature. They not only are premature with their use of their barbecue sauce, but they either have too many coals in use, don't know how to cool them down, or simply do not notice that they are about to place their expensive steaks onto something that resembles the surface of the sun. Also, understanding basic concepts, like how long a hot dog will take on the grill versus a roast might be a good thing. Dropping a poor hot dog, or god forbid a nice bratwurst onto this solar fire is just a waste of good food as it shrivels and turns into something closer to jerky than dinner. Cooling off your coals by adding the lid and venting the airflow is a simple thing to do that will win you favor amongst those who will be eating your food later on.

The second mistake that many people do is adding that rich, sugary, Kansas City style barbecue sauce at the beginning of their grilling, or just too soon after placing the meat onto the grill. In this simple grilling method, the sauce should be put onto the meat only minutes before it is time to remove it from cooking. If you put it on too early, the sugar in the sauce burns to the meat and you get a blackened, burnt, shell over the top of a dried out piece of meat. It is ugly and not the most flavorful thing to eat either.

If you are going to slow cook anything on the grill, it is best to understand the concept of indirect heat. Putting the coals to the side of the grill, with a drip pan in the middle, and placing the cut of meat over the drip pan out of direct contact with the coals will let you close the lid and let the meat cook without burning the outer layers. Make sure you are not using too many coals as well, but adding them as you go will sustain heat without making it too hot.

All and all, if you stick to these techniques, as well as educate yourself on grilling styles and uses of specific barbecue sauces, you will be okay. Remember to avoid too much heat, putting the barbecue sauce on too early, and attempting a slow roast without knowing what to do will keep you from a grilling disaster.