BARBECUE IS CLEANING UP IT'S ACT!
Boy, did I stir something up when I wrote (in The Food Channel Trendwire dated June 20) about big changes ahead for barbecue!
But let me make this even plainer?the biggest change of all is happening right now, as thousands of us abandon our dirty old briquette kettles for shiny new stainless steel models, most of which are powered by propane gas.
The barbecue purists can squawk all they like that gas-fueled BBQ can never achieve the same depth of flavor the old grills crank out. I counter that this tradeoff is highly favorable, pitting quick lighting and easier cleaning, for example, against what in truth is a pretty small sacrifice in flavor.
This truth is driving a fast-growing number of barbecue fanciers to jettison their smelly blue-collar BBQ roots for something more refined. The fact is that with first-rate, reasonably priced barbecue available from true professionals nearly everywhere in this country, BBQ buffs have much less need to (try to) duplicate it at home.
Instead, many of us are starting to aim higher. In addition to grilling the usual hamburgers, steaks, sausages and chicken breasts, we are expanding our repertoires to include more fish, vegetables and ethnically inspired dishes.
To put it bluntly, I’m convinced that barbecue is definitely making the move from a craft (with all the acrid smoke and messiness that involves) to an art.
As if the examples I’ve cited don’t offer enough indications that we’re moving in that direction, I recently picked up my hometown Sunday newspaper (The Kansas City Star) to find this headline on the cover of its House & Home section: “Kitchen Alfresco?Outdoor Cooking Moves Beyond the Kettle Grill.”
The story’s premise is that more and more homeowners are building food preparation areas outside that offer many of the same amenities as their indoor kitchens. A 2004 study by the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA) showed that 30% of U.S. grillers intend to upgrade their outdoor cooking area.
Part of this trend will definitely be a continuing movement away from the use of charcoal as the cooking medium. For the record, HPBA figures show that shipments of charcoal grills declined from approximately 7.9 million units in 1985 to 5.4 million in 2004, while gas-fired units moved upward from 3.2 million in 1985 to 8.7 million in 2004 (and electric-powered grills went from 78,000 in 1984 to 293,700 last year).
Despite our long-term romance with barbecue cooking, I think many consumers find the smell of spent charcoal in a grill almost as nauseating as the odor of stale cigarette butts in an ashtray?and they will be happy to escape it.
Comments
On Dec 4 at 08:21 PM said:
There is NOTHING that can replace Charcoal!! Taste is everything.
On Dec 4 at 08:22 PM said:
I could do without the charcoal frankly...I just want the flamekist that I get from my grill. And yes, I would spend the extra money on something that I would proudly display to my friends.
On Dec 4 at 08:22 PM said:
Hectic schedules make gas the obvious choice. Charcoal taste is only a few blocks away via a drive through. Sorry, charcoal at home is on the way out, for busy households at least.
On Dec 4 at 08:22 PM said:
Can't you get that Charcoal flavor with a rub, sauce, or smoked in with special woods?
On Dec 4 at 08:22 PM said:
Seems fundamental in a cooking forum to make the distinction between "grilling" and "barbeque."
Grilling is NOT barbeque. Grilling is about putting stuff on a grill and heating it through.
Barbeque is about preparation with dry rubs, sauces, marinades, etc. and slow cooking with indirect heat in a "Texas Smoker" -- for hours and hours.
Barbeque can be done with gas. The gas flame heats a smoke box filled with wood chips, and the chips produce the smoke essential to barbeque.
But it's "more honest" to build a wood fire with the fuel you're using to produce the smoke.
-- Nothing wrong with grilling, even on a gas grill. But it's not "barbeque."
On Dec 4 at 08:23 PM said:
I agree with the fact that barbeque is an art but thats as far as my agreement goes. In fact it's more than an art it is a passion, it shows a respect for traditition, it upholds its own code of values and it posses an integrity that cannot be dismissed with push button ignitions. "Small sacrifice in flavor"? First you slap us accross the face with a glove (time to dust off my anti french sentiments again) and the you blaspheme the only TRUE reason to BBQ in the first place FLAVOR!!! I have no idea what makes the author qualified to even pick up, an item sharper than a crayon but this kind of assumption is naive. I'm of the thinking that one of the last bastions standing after the politically correct smoke does clear, will be a man and his wood/charcoal fired barbeque pit.
On Dec 4 at 08:23 PM said:
WOW...I love the passion that we've hit upon with the BBQ topic. It's obviously bigger than we anticipated. My next question should be...what area of the country can claim the best BBQ flavor?
On Dec 4 at 08:23 PM said:
Bar-B-Que is indirect heat with the favor from the smoke. Grilling is the flavor from the fire burning the dripping meat fat juice, cooking fast, sealing in the meat juice and it's done in a couple of minutes. The flavor does not come from the charcoal smoke, but the juice smoke. Bar-b-que is favor from the smoke, and many multiple hours of slow cooking to get it tender and smoky.You just can;t bar-b-que with gas.
On Dec 4 at 08:23 PM said:
Gas will NEVER-EVER REPLACE CHARCOAL! how many BBQ competitions do you see won by gas cookers?Thats right-NONE! GAS IS FOR WHIMPS!
On Dec 4 at 08:23 PM said:
I agree.When you are too lazy then use gas but DO NOT call it BBQ. Such insolunce. I will give up my charcoal when they pry my dead fingers from the bag.
On Dec 4 at 08:24 PM said:
sealing meat is a myth. deal with it.
On Dec 4 at 08:24 PM said:
Using a gas or electric cooker instead of charcoal is a timely advantage. But that is the only advantage. I had to look twice when I read people will be happy to escape the nauseating odor a charcoal grill produces. I truly feel sorry for folks who never tasted good bbq and can not appreciate the natural smoke or charcoal smell. I truly pity them.
On Dec 4 at 08:24 PM said:
I need 2 recipes--1) potates & shrimp soup 2) the bake potates wedges with cornbread dressing on them.
How do I get this inside on the foodchannel.com?
Thanks
Harry Jenkins
harryjen@earthlink.net
On Dec 12 at 06:54 PM Robin scheines said:
The best thing to remember with charcoal is.. You are not in a big hurry. I enjoy getting the fire going as it gives me a chance to sip a few cold ones before the cooking begins. It is just more fun for me than pushing a button. as for clean up, I clean the grate after cooking, while there is still some fire left, then the next day I dump out the cooled ashes. Then next time you BBQ you have a clean grill to work with. Just sanitize the grate over the next hot coals and wipe with a wad of paper towels. Then oil the grate if desired before grilling again.
On Jan 11 at 10:11 AM kirby faucett said:
i would like to know how to grill steaks with drying them out
On May 20 at 08:21 PM Dan Perry said:
would like to know when a program about BBQ and the "Rock and Bowl" in New Orlenas will be on TV
On May 23 at 05:47 AM Carol said:
On the food channel, it said to look at foodchannel.com/greatgrilling & when I did, I got the can not display sheet. Where is the great grilling that was advertised? I just bought a new gas grill & need some recipes. thanks.
On Jun 7 at 09:59 AM j said:
Barbecue is a slow cook, smoking method of preparing meats etc. Those who use electric smokers and pellet smokers are cheaters. being a purist i burn coal and wood. I wish you food network and food "experts" would get it right. Grilling is cooking food over a direct heat source. BBQ is slow cooked using heat, smoke, rubs, mops and sauce to achieve perfection adn carnivore nirvana.
On Jun 2 at 01:02 PM raquel said:
How do you clean a hard cooked greasy grill without using toxic chemicals. This would make life so much easier and healthier!
Raquel
On Dec 4 at 08:21 PM said:
Give up Charcoal?? Never!! It is the reason for BBQ.