The Three Laws of Good Barbecue

The First Law of Good Barbecue: Cook it slow.

The cuts of meat most often used such as beef brisket, beef short ribs, pork spare ribs, pork shoulder roasts aka. Boston Butt, and even baby back ribs are full of connective tissues that allow these critters to stand, sit, breathe and move. They also provide wonderful essences to the flavor of the meat that we all enjoy. Unfortunately, they are quite tough and difficult to eat unless you possess the jaws of a Rotweiler.

Cooking these meats in a low temperature environment (180-250) for long periods of time allows these tissues to break down, release their essential flavors to the meat, and render them a wonderful compliment to the dining experience. We all love the flavor and texture of true pit smoked Barbecue which often cooks the meats for 8-12 hours in a 180 environment.

We can follow this law with several of the techniques and recipes provided below.

The Second Law of Good Barbecue: Keep it Moist.

The cooking process that is slow tends to dry out the meats. Using a water smoker, frequent basting with juices or mops, parboiling, and sealing in foils are all ways to retain and add to the moisture in the meats. As Dr. Dan presents his gems of wisdom from his explorations, this theme will emerge time after time.

The Third Law of Good Barbecue: Treat the Meat with Respect.

We need to honor ourselves by providing only the best to nourish ourselves. It makes no sense to go to great lengths to obtain quality meats, cook them slowly with good moisture retention and not use the best of ingredients to bring out the best of these Bovine and Porcine offerings. This also applies to the ‘Fowl Meats’ that many enjoy.

Thus, we own an unending gratitude for the extensive work done by Dr. Dan to provide us with the results of his experimentation in the Epicurean Sciences. Rather than putting up with mediocre sauces that insult the very meats they claim to enhance, we can, with the swift movement of the index finger make available to each of us the magical elixir that conforms to this Third Law perfectly.