Charcoal Grilling

The first thing that I am going to tell you to do is GET RID OF THE LIGHTER FLUID, unless you like the taste of burnt fuel on your meat. Buy a chimney starter at the grocery store for around $10 and ditch the lighter fluid. If you must use lighter fluid I will describe how to correctly use it later in this article (Yes there is a correct way). The Items you need are as follows:

1. A Chimney Starter
2. 2 Full Sheets of Newspaper
3. A Fire Source (Match or Lighter)
4. Charcoal

First, take the grate off of the grill and open any vent holes on the grill for air circulation. The more air you can produce over the coals the hotter and faster they will burn. This is a very important lesson when making any fire, you need oxygen to make it burn hot. A sealed grill will do nothing more than extinguish the fire. Now that you have established good circulation in the grill, turn over the chimney starter and stuff the newspaper into the bottom. Set the starter in the bottom of the grill and fill it up with coals. Apply fire to the newspaper in the bottom of the starter and let it burn. You will see smoke coming out of the top of the chimney, that means that it is working. Fresh air drafts up from the bottom of the starter and supplies oxygen to the coals as they start to burn. The paper ignites the bottom coals, and as they burn, they light the coals above them. Within about 15 to 20 minutes you will see that your Chimney Starter in full of red hot coals. When the top coals are red hot you are ready to pour the coals out onto the grill. There are different ways to set up your grill depending on the type grilling you are trying to do.

Memphis Style Barbecue Sauce

Memphis style Barbecue sauce has a nice sweet taste, and is my personal favorite. This recipe is a basic list of what makes up this type of sweet barbecue sauce. Don't be scared to add your own flavor by mixing around the ingredients and adding your own kicker.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 cups tomato ketchup
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. onion powder
2 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
2 Tbs. canola oil

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together (Except for the Canola Oil)
Bring to a boil
Turn down the heat to a simmer
Simmer for 30 minutes under low heat while slowly mixing in the canola oil
Cool down

Tips

This type of barbecue sauce is great on pulled pork and ribs. I love to mix it in with my pulled pork and top the sandwich with some home made cold slaw.

Using a Chimney Starter

All About Barbecue Sauce

Would you soak raw hamburger meat in Ketchup and then cook it? (Hmmm...I might have to try that) Many people think that in order to call something barbecue it has to be covered in barbecue sauce while it is being cooked. Nothing can be farther from the truth. In fact, most grill masters will tell you they do not apply barbecue sauce to their meat until after it leaves the cooker, or at least right before taking it out. Barbecue sauce is very high in sugar content. Sugar burns very easily when heat is applied. Putting sauce on your meat should only be done at the very end of cooking, if even at all. I personally never apply sauce to the meat until after it leaves the grill, when the meat is in it's settling phase. After you remove meat from the grill you should put it in a container and cover it with foil. This lets the meat settle in its own juices. This is also a great time to apply barbecue sauce. It will soak into the meat, and create the flavor you are looking for. Using this method, you can also use different types of sauce on the same piece of meat. For example, you could split a rack of ribs by putting spicy sauce on one half and sweet on the other.
For some types of barbecue recipes, sauce is applied to the meat during cooking. If you do this you must watch the meat very carefully, so you just caramelize the sugar in the sauce into the meat and not burn it on. This should only be done in the last few minutes of cooking. And the meat should be turned frequently.
The use of marinades and rubs is the way to properly prepare and baste meat for the grill. There is an entire section on this site dedicated to that. So now on to barbecue sauce.
Barbecue sauce gives the meat its final character, and allows you create whatever final taste you are looking for. Not all sauces are created the same, and depending on the area of the country you come from I'm sure you will have your preference. Below are a list of the most popular types of barbecue sauces and their basic recipes. When making your own sauce, try slight variations to get whatever flavor you are looking for.

Memphis
Kansas City
St. Louis
North Carolina
South Carolina
Alabama
Georgia
Arkansas
Texas
Hoisen
Tandorri

Country Fried Cinnamon Apples

This is a great recipe my family has been using for at least 50 years. It is very easy and goes great with pork chops. I usually use 1 apple for each person that I am serving. I like to use Fuji apples, but any variety of red apple will do. You can also cook these up ahead of time and cover them while you are preparing other food. I make the apples, cover them, then move on to grill up pork chops.

Ingredients:
1 apple for each person being served
1/2 cup of sugar per apple
1 teaspoon of cinnamon per apple
1/4 stick of real butter

Directions:
Slice the apples into small quarter size pieces. I core the apples then cut up the slices. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Place the apples into the skillet and mix in the sugar and cinnamon. Cook the apples over medium heat, mixing frequently. As you continue to cook, the liquid in the apples will be released into the pan and caramelize with the sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook until the liquid has thickened and the apples are nice and soft. You can serve immediately, or cover and let to thicken.

Tip:
Serve the apples hot over vanilla ice cream as a dessert.

Memphis Style Pulled Pork

The key to this recipe is not only the grilling method for the pork, but also a good barbecue sauce to mix in with your meat. I love Memphis style barbecue sauce, and anytime I use it with this recipe, it is a big hit. I will usually cook about 15 pounds for a party of around 50 adults. This makes more than enough with some left over. I also use around 1/2 gallon of sauce for this much meat. If you want to order a good sauce, Big Bubba's Bad BBQ makes the best Memphis style sauce if have tasted. You can order their sauce online at http://www.bigbubbasbadbbq.com/store-sauces.php . Now on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Pork Shoulder Blade Roast (Boston Butt) 5-8 Pounds
Pork Rub
Memphis Style Barbecue Sauce (Large Bottle)
Apple Cider (4 Cups)
Cold Slaw
Small Buns

Preparing the meat:

Start with a Pork Shoulder Blade Roast, also known as a Boston butt in some parts of the country. If you have a Sam's Club in your area, they usually carry cuts up to 8 pounds. Dry the roast with a paper towel to get all the moisture off. Next, Pat the entire roast with a good pork rub. You can make your own rub, or use a store bought rub such as McCormick's Grill Mates Pork Rub. I use this rub on my pork, it gives a good flavor and is not too spicy. Though some of us like spicy foods, me included, remember if you are cooking for a big group, not everyone likes spicy food. This is all you have to do to prepare this meat. If you want to do a marinade, try marinading the meat for a few hours in apple cider.


Cooking The Meat:

This size of meat should always be cooked using Indirect Grilling or Rotisserie Grilling. It will take around 1 hour of cooking per pound of meat. If you want to speed up the cooking, get 2 smaller roasts rather than 1 large one. You want to place a drip pan under the grate were the meat will be to catch the drippings. Get the the coals nice and hot and spread them out around the drip pan. Place the roast on the grate fat side up. The roast should be above the drip pan with indirect heat around it. You will not turn the meat at all during this cooking. Every hour pour a cup of apple cider over the meat to baste it and keep it juicy. Also add coals to your fire to keep it hot, about 15 to 20 per side. You want to maintain a good medium heat, around 300-350. Keeping the grill lid closed, and the vent open. This will give it a nice slow cook.

Use a good meat thermometer to test when your meat is done. Cook the roast to 195 degrees. Measure the temperature in the thickest part of the meat. At this temperature it will be easy to pull the pork. If you take the meat off any sooner than this, it will be done, but very difficult to pull.

Once it has reached temperature place the roast in a large pan and lightly cover it with tin foil. You will need to let the meat set covered for at least a half an hour. This will let the meat settle and cool off. Pulling meat at 195 degrees can burn your fingers. Next I like to start by getting another dish to put the pulled pork into. Break the roast into large pieces first, to help them cool off. Now, start pulling the meat into long strips and place it into the bowl. It is alright to leave some of the skin in the dish, but make sure to discard any of the burnt outer layer. Also, discard any of the fat that is remaining. There should not be that much fat if you cooked the meat to 195, most of it will have cooked off into the meat adding to its flavor. Some people chop the meat rather than pulling it, but I pull the whole thing by hand.

Mixing in The Sauce:

After you have your bowl of meat, start to pour in your barbecue sauce and mix it in with your hands. The amount you use is up to you. I like my pulled pork soaked in sauce. I usually cook the pork a day ahead of time, if I am going to serve it at a party. I will mix in just enough sauce to give it flavor. I then cover and refrigerate the meat. The next day I put it in a crock pot and add lots more sauce. This keeps it warm and juicy during the party. To top it off I always serve my pulled pork topped with cold slaw and extra sauce pilled right on top.

Tip:

Serve your pulled pork with dinner roll type buns. They are smaller, and allow for more sandwiches. They also leave more room on peoples plates for all the other great things you have made. Don't worry, any one that is really hungry can take 2 or 3.