The BASICS of BBQ and GRILLING REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT

Why Me? In a TEOTWAWKI situation, no one is going to need a Tax Attorney/CPA And, I like to eat and eat well. So, I have been learning how to cook Had a grilling class from one of Tulsa s 5-Star Chefs, Michael Fusco Had a BBQ class from Steven Raichlen, author of The BBQ Bible Had private lessons from a BBQ Circuit competitor Lots of experience Annual Independence Day celebration, our team will cook 100 hamburgers in 1 hour. Annual Thanksgiving Day celebration, I will smoke 60 pounds of turkey Invited to cook for other special events REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 2

What is BBQ? What is GRILLING? BBQ VERB To Cook NOUN - a meal or gathering at which meat, fish, or other food is cooked out of doors on a rack over an open fire or on a portable grill LOW and SLOW GRILL VERB To Cook NOUN - a metal framework used for cooking food over an open fire FAST and HOT BBQ was probably invented soon after fire was discovered. It is theorized that a piece of raw meat fell into a the fire and it took a while before the meat was rescued the world has never been the same since. REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 3

HEAT A heat source is responsible for the initial ignition of fire, and heat is also needed to maintain the fire and permit it to spread. Heat allows fire to spread by removing the moisture from nearby fuel, warming surrounding air, and preheating the fuel in its path, enabling it to travel with greater ease. REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 5

OXYGEN Air contains about 21% oxygen, and most fires require at least 16% oxygen content to burn. Oxygen supports the chemical processes that occur during a fire. When fuel burns, it reacts with oxygen from the surrounding air releasing heat and generating combustion products (i.e. gases, smoke, embers). This process is known as oxidation. REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 6

FUEL Fuel is any kind of combustible material, and is characterized by its moisture content (how wet the fuel is), size and shape, quantity, and the arrangement in which it is spread over the landscape. The moisture content determines how easily that fuel will burn. Briquettes Kingsford, Sam s Club Lump Charcoal Royal Oak, Hasty-Bake Green Wood Smokey, lots of soot Seasoned Wood Burns faster Wood Chunks & Chips For SMOKE FLAVOR Other Bio Fuel Cow Patties, Buffalo Chips REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 7

FUEL Kingsford Briquettes E.G. Kingsford Relative of Henry Ford Henry Ford suggested they recycle the sawdust and wood shavings left over from the manufacturing process of the Ford Model T s The ingredients of Kingsford Briquettes include wood char, mineral char, mineral carbon, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate and sawdust Kingsford has a reputation of consistent, predictable quality relied upon by many Internet recipes REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 8

The Fire Triangle for BBQ Smokers Fire box is off to one side Smoke and heat is drawn across the cooking chamber Smoke and heat exits through flue/chimney Thickness / gauge of metal determines heat retention of smoker Wind whipping down the plains will cause thinner metal to lose heat faster requiring use of more fuel REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 9

The Fire Triangle for Grills Food is placed above heat source Careful arrangement of fuel allows creation of a DIRECT zone and an INDIRECT zone Can create same effect with gas grills by selectively turning on the gas burners The DIRECT zone allows cooking at a hotter temperature The INDIRECT zone allows cooking at a lower temperature REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 10

Getting Started 2 Basic Questions How THICK? How Smokey? THIN sliders, ¼-pound hamburger patty, fajita steak or thin pork chops COOK over a HOT, DIRECT heat IN-BETWEEN or MIXED chicken breasts (thick on one side and thin on the other) COOK thicker side closer to hotter area of fire THICK ½-pound hamburger patty, thick steak or pork chop (1-inch or more) COOK over a HOT, DIRECT fire for sear, then move to cooler INDIRECT heat Charles Vergos Rendezvous in Memphis, TN GRILLS 4 tons of ribs per week REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 11

Getting Started 2 Basic Questions How THICK? How Smokey? EXTRA-THICK brisket, bologna, ribs COOK over a LOW, SLOW heat between 180 F to 250 F This allows all of meat to cook without burning Tough cuts of meat are tenderized Smoke ring is usually achieved within first 30 to 60 minutes of cooking process can finish cooking in an oven REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 12

Steve Raichlen s 3 Rules 1. Keep it Clean nobody wants to get sick! Wash your hands after touching raw meat. Scrape the grill before placing the food on the grill. 2. Keep it Hot nobody wants it raw! Windy conditions or poor ventilation can cause your fire to burn cooler or go out completely. 3. Keep it Lubricated this prevents the food from sticking to the grate. REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 13

Easy Recipe #1 Hamburgers, Steak, Chicken & Pork Chops Hamburger (usually allocate ¼ pound to ½ pound per person, Steak, Chicken & Pork Chops Oil (olive oil for flavor, grape seed oil for high temperature, vegetable or corn oil for convenience) Pour oil onto the meat, and liberally sprinkle with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Repeat on other side of the meat. The oil helps keep the seasoning from falling off After meat has cooked half-way, flip and finish cooking on other side. Remember: thinner meat will cook faster. Can actually watch the side of the meat and see it cook from the bottom up REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 14

Easy Recipe #2 Flank Steak or Chicken Breast Marinate flank steak or chicken breast for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Bottle of lime juice and ½ a jar of mince garlic Place meat on the grill and cook until done. Remember: this is a thinner cut of meat, so it will cook faster. Slice flank steak across the grain into thin fajita strips of meat. Serve with corn tortillas Prepare to be amazed! And, let someone else wash the dishes! REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 15

Daring Recipe #1 The Jucy Lucy Place your cheese of choice between two hamburger patties. A folded-up slice of American Cheese works well. Blue Cheese crumbles are also very tasty. Make sure that the cheese is completely sealed between the meat. Otherwise, the cheese will leak out while cooking. Use oil & Montreal Steak Seasoning on the outside of the hamburger. Cook patty. WARNING! If done right, when you take your first bite, the VERY HOT CHEESE can squirt out and potentially burn your mouth. REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 16

Daring Recipe #2 Camping Out Hobo s Place a ½ pound hamburger patty in the middle of aluminum foil Top with potatoes (or frozen hash browns), carrots, onions and green beans. Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc. Roll-up foil, and twist close make sure no leaks! Cook until done (depends if patties were frozen) 30 to 60 minutes. Open package and sprinkle on cheese. Close back up and reheat long enough for cheese to melt http://www.food.com/recipe/hobos-252722 REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 17

Alton Brown s Mini Man Burgers aka Sliders, Belly Bombs, Gut Grenades Roll-out 1 pound of meat (hamburger, sausage, etc.) onto a cookie sheet. Thin to win! Cut into 8 squares. Lubricate with oil and season accordingly. Place on griddle and watch them cook fast! If thin enough, you may not even need to flip the meat patties. Serve on a roll, biscuit or toast and enjoy! Cook up a slider buffet of several combinations of meat or seasonings. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/altonbrown/mini-man-burgers-recipe.html REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 18

Favorite Equipment Lodge Sportsman s Grill (Cast-Iron Hibachi) Cast-iron retains the heat GREAT! Handle allows grill to be carried Grate can be turned upside to adjust heat Favorite charcoal grill for small groups Made in the USA Available at Wal-Mart or Bass Pro REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 20

Favorite Equipment Weber Performer Platinum (Charcoal) Uses 1-pound propane bottle to start fire Storage area for charcoal Side table Weber Customer Service is GREAT! Great idea for newlyweds! REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 21

Favorite Equipment Smokenator Turns a 22-inch Weber Grill into a Smoker Replace charcoal once every 6-hours Can smoke a large turkey in your grill http://www.smokenator.com/ REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 22

Favorite Equipment Weber Q 3200 (Gas) 2-burner gas grill Uses regular 20-pound LP tanks Tall enough to cook beer-can chicken Can be disassembled and used for tailgating This is our weekly workhorse and the grill closest to our back door Has an inside burner and an outside burner takes some thought when using direct and indirect cooking zones REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 24

Favorite Equipment Big Green Egg XL Thick ceramic walls hold in heat great smoker uses very little fuel Can cook a tremendous amount of meat! Have cooked 60 lbs. of turkey or 6 briskets at one time. Also works well as a grill Many accessories increases versatility REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 25

Favorite Equipment Plastic Cafeteria Trays Use to prepare food. Turn 2 nd tray upside down and use as lid. Can stack several sets of trays on top of each other when cooking lots of food Have different colors for different kinds of meat or food i.e. Red = RAW; Blue = Cooked; Green = Vegi s; Orange & Black = OSU! Can also use for picnics or eating in front of the TV! REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 26

Favorite Equipment ThermoWorks Thermometer Quick-read thermometer gives temperature in under 5 seconds Helps determine if food is cooked properly Great when first starting out and learning how to judge temperature Battery lasts a long time and automatically shuts itself off REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 27

Favorite Equipment Stainless Steel Steam Trays Reusable Easy to clean Easy to store Convenient sizes Can prep food ahead of time Can cook in them (Thanksgiving Dressing) Lids help keep food warm and free of debris After use a few times, cheaper than disposable aluminum trays REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 28

Recommended Reading The Barbecue Bible by Steve Raichlen (Or any of his other books) Big Green Egg Cookbook by Sara Levy The Cooks Illustrated Guide to Grilling and Barbecue by Cooks Illustrated Magazine Editor Hamburgers & Fries by John T. Edge Weber s Way to Grill: The Step-by-Step Guide to Expert Grilling by Jamie Purviance (Or any of his other books) REECE B. MORREL JR COPYRIGHT 2014 29