Barbecuer Beware: Are You Making this Classic Meat Mistake?

There is plenty of room for error when cooking or smoking meat. That’s why “perfect BBQ” is such a rare thing to find. No matter how much experience you have, it’s always possible to let the smoker heat up a little too much, choose the wrong kind of wood, lose track of time, or a host of other potential flubs. As long as it doesn’t render the entire cut inedible, that’s honestly part of the fun, right?

But there is one classic mistake that pitmasters have been making from the start that will almost always jeopardize the quality of the end product, and it’s simple to resolve as long as you know what to look for.

The pitmaster’s classic mistake: impatience

Without a doubt, trying to rush the process is the single biggest avoidable error professional and amateur pitmasters make. The result could be anything from a poorly-cooked piece of meat or meat with an inferior texture and flavor that a sauce or rub isn’t going to fix.

It’s understandable, because you start smelling that barbecue aroma within several minutes of laying it in the smoker. But, depending on what you’re cooking, it could be hours before you’re going to be able to dig in and enjoy it. And, with several shortcuts to choose from, it could be tempting to try to speed up the process.

If you’re hoping for that elusive “perfect BBQ” experience, it absolutely requires patience. Here are some tips to help make sure your meat cooks long enough, and to help you endure the wait!

1. Allow enough time from the beginning. If you expect to have brisket for dinner and you throw it in the smoker at 2:00 pm, you’re in for disappointment. Be sure to plan ahead and time out the process from start to finish.

2. Low and slow is (usually) the way to go. While some pros with a lot of experience under their belt are successfully bending this rule here and there, for most of us, the old “low and slow” rule , low temperature, slow cooking time - is much more consistent.

3. Do your best not to check on or disturb the meat. The simple act of peeking at the meat as it cooks can cause it to lose heat and moisture, both of which are vital to a quality finished product.

4. Don’t fall back on foil. Some people wrap their meats in aluminum foil, and one of the reasons they do this is because it speeds up cooking time a little bit. However, for an even better result, many barbecue enthusiasts have found wrapping meat in butcher paper is the best option. Stick to pink butcher paper for any wrapping you need to do to lock in flavor and moisture and give it the extra time it needs to cook right.

Remember, the “perfect BBQ” experience is well worth the wait! For more great barbecue tips, check out our interviews with four BBQ experts about their tools of choice.