I have been reading reviews about BBQ places here in San Diego. I am amazed at some of the comments by folks. Most of them are intelligent and right on the point. Their reviews are fair and unbiased, but others are just down right stupid and wrong. Things that ticked me off are reviews like “The food is great, but I didn’t like the look of the owner” Seriously? How is that a food review?
I thought I would start a series of blogs about BBQ and BBQing. In this series I will attempt to dispel myths and legend and try to offer my “not so humble” opinion on BBQ.
Who am I and why should anyone listen to me? Well, that’s a very good question… I am someone that spent close to 30 years trying to figure out how to cook BBQ. I do not claim to be an expert, but I definitely know what NOT to do. I strongly believe the following quote by Henry Ford:
— Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently
I have created amazing disasters trying to produce edible BBQ. Some of it, went straight from the grill to the trash. In 2007, I discovered a BBQ class in San Diego being taught by Pitmaster Konrad Haskins. The class was an all day class taught at the Embassy Suites in La Jolla. Konrad has taught tons of people how to do BBQ correctly. He has even taught some famous people you might know from TLC’s Pitmaster series: Harry Soo of Slap Yo’ Daddy BBQ. I would highly recommend take either Konrad’s or Harry’s class. This is money WELL worth it. I am hoping to travel to Texas to take another of his classes this year.
We had 12 student in our class, many of us had the same experience as me. All bad 😉 I leaned some very key lessons that I hope to share over this series. Before I begin, I think it is very important that you understand some ideas.
- You can’t learn to cook BBQ from a book. You need to get your hands dirty and fail a few times. You should NOT expect that you will make great BBQ without trying and failing (or succeeding).
- BBQ is a style of cooking, not a type of food. BBQ is cooking food over low (indirect) heat for a long period of time.
- The average person considers BBQ when cooking over direct heat. This is actually known as grilling. The confusion comes from our age-old tradition of calling our backyard gatherings a BBQ. Most of these gatherings include hamburgers, hot-dogs and grilled chicken. This is a term of an event rather than a style of cooking.
- If you start with an inferior product you will get an inferior result. Buy the best quality meat you can find and afford. I will be covering this topic in a blog all its own.
- You can BBQ in just about anything. You don’t need expensive equipment to produce good BBQ. although once you start, you will crave it. I have eaten good BBQ cooked inside a 55 oil drum.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions, almost everyone out there loves to share their knowledge and techniques. Yes, there are a few arrogant people out there. I just nod my head and smile.
- Less is more!
- BBQ is done when it’s done. What took six hours one day, might take eight the next time.
Over the next few months, I hope to cover my opinions (that’s why you are reading MY blog right?) about BBQ and what I think is important. My posts will include how-tos, techniques I have been taught, suggestions and most importantly restaurant reviews.
Please remember, I am starting down this path because I am amazed by the reviews I am reading. Many reviews are out of context, incomplete, or in several cases posts by competitors to slander their competition. This is one of the danger of the Internet. Anyone can post comments without any consequences and MANY people will believe them without fact checking. My goal is to educate people on BBQ and help them understand what makes good or bad BBQ. While most of what I will post is my opinion, I will try to educate with facts and figures about cooking BBQ and try to demystify some of the propaganda we have been inundated throughout our lives.
If anyone would like me to review a specific location or topic, please leave me a comment or send me an update. I will do my best to try and accommodate your suggestion.
