Are you planning to smoke and grill some meat at your next BBQ party? If so, grilling and smoking meats should be fun and stress-free. They’re among the great ways to elevate your bonding with friends and family together.
However, grilling and smoking may be daunting for beginners. Although, the best way to learn grilling and smoking is to do it repeatedly. Only then will you be able to address the mistakes and learn from them.
In addition, you don’t have to start from the beginning to know these mistakes on your own. It would be best to know them before you even start grilling and smoking. This will help you become a pitmaster as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if you find grilling and smoking too much of a work, you may order at some restaurants that offer quality grilled and smoked meats, such as Dickey’s BBQ near Houston. But if you want to learn more, here are some mistakes you need to know, which may help you produce the best brisket and ribs in town:
Mistakes To Avoid When Grilling And Smoking
1. Choosing The Wrong Meat
Before anything else, you have to consider the type of meat you’ll be using when grilling and smoking. Unfortunately, most people choose the cheapest cut they can find in the market.
If you want yours to be more flavorful and juicier, you need to pick the right cut of meat. In addition, choosing the right meat doesn’t have to be expensive. You can still choose the best within your budget. Here are some things would need to follow:
- Ribs: Look for ribs with a good amount of meat around the bones and avoid buying frozen types as much as possible.
- Brisket: Look for the brisket with a good marbling over the entire meat cut.
- Pork Butt: Look for a pork butt that is lean with a bit streak of fat at the opposite end of the bone.
These are the things you need for the perfect cut of meat. If you’re not familiar with these, you may ask your local butcher to do it for you.
2. Utilizing The Wrong Tools
Tongs are one of the best tools for grilling and smoking. However, most people use them in any grilled and smoked meat possible, and it might be for the wrong reasons.
For example, people use tongs when flipping grilled burgers instead of spatulas. By using tongs, you’re inadvertently squeezing the juices out of the meat. Hence, this might result in a dry burger. Moreover, there are tons of tools you can use in grilling, and using the wrong tools may destroy the meat and ruin your BBQ party. So, make sure that you’re using the right tools for your next BBQ adventure.
3. Using Wet Wood Chips
Using wet wood chips is a big mistake when grilling as they will not be able to release all the aroma needed to be absorbed by the meat. In addition, they’ll slow down the cooking process because they can decrease the temperature. Hence, it will take a longer period for the meat to cook thoroughly.
However, it doesn’t mean to dispose of wet wood chips. You may still keep them and let them dry completely. Another tip, to have full control of the temperature of the grill is to use an instant-read thermometer.
4. Opening The Lid Too Often
Grilling is somehow similar to baking when it comes to closing the lid. When you open the grill too much, you let the trapped heat escape and interrupt the flow of oxygen inside. If this happens, you need extra time to maintain the temperature inside. Thus, it results in a longer cooking period.
Hence, it’s important not to peek too often. You may only look inside after the allotted time to check if the meat is cooked properly. So, the best way is to leave it alone and let the grill and smoker do their magic.
5. Not Allowing The Meat To Rest Properly
You may have heard your favorite chefs saying to rest the meat before doing anything on it. Well, it turns out that they’re right. Letting the meat rest is one of the most important factors people usually ignore, especially when they are too excited to taste the fruit of their labor. You would want to know that resting keeps all the juices inside and make sure that the meat is completely tender.
To maximize all the benefits of grilling and smoking, you need to rest the meat for at least 10 to 15 minutes covered with foil. This will not let the heat escape quickly while allowing the meat to rest appropriately.
Final Words
Grilling and smoking are undoubtedly one of the best ways to showcase and unleash your inner chef talent around your family and friends. If you want to make it successful, you need to remember all the five basic mistakes discussed above and keep them at heart.
However, mistakes may still occur no matter how good you are at grilling and smoking. But you don’t have to be afraid of them. Instead, use them to your advantage to become a better griller and smoker next time.
