From Knight-Ridder, at
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...8877155.htm?1c

1. Are barbecuing and grilling the same style of cooking?

Grilling is cooking directly over the heat source, flames
or coals, for short periods of time at high temperatures,
up to 900 degrees in some commercial kitchens.
Barbecuing is cooking with an indirect heat source at
temperatures in the 180- to 225-degree range for hours.

Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

Dana

Dana Myers wrote:

Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of temps for
'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.
Dave

Dave Bugg wrote:

Dana Myers wrote:


Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of temps for
'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.

Yup, that's roughly the range I was thinking of.
If I had a little more time on my hands I suppose
I could look at the list of sources given for the
article and see where they got the low temp range.
In any case, I suppose I ought to send the food
editor a friendly note...

Dana

Dave Bugg wrote:
Dana Myers wrote:

Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of
temps for 'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.

The first time I was gonna cook a brisket I was lookin' for recipes and alot
of 'em called for cookin' the thing at temps around 180. I remember because
I got on here to ask all you fellas and was told to stuff those recipes and
cook it higher than that. I swear it was on the BBQ Porch website that I saw
those recipes.

I don't know if I could even maintain a temp that low on the WSM, but then
again, I've never tried.

--
Fosco Gamgee Whitfurrows
and his 6" boner

F.G. Whitfurrows wrote:

Dave Bugg wrote:

Dana Myers wrote:


Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of
temps for 'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.


The first time I was gonna cook a brisket I was lookin' for recipes and alot
of 'em called for cookin' the thing at temps around 180. I remember because
I got on here to ask all you fellas and was told to stuff those recipes and
cook it higher than that. I swear it was on the BBQ Porch website that I saw
those recipes.


I remember seeing low temps too for brisket and thinking too long to
spend cooking. Sure glad it is not an absolute cause at that, man a
brisket could take 30 hours

I don't know if I could even maintain a temp that low on the WSM, but then
again, I've never tried.


And you don't need to either.

Happy Q'en,
BBQ

"F.G. Whitfurrows" wrote:
Dave Bugg wrote:
Dana Myers wrote:

Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.

I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of
temps for 'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.

The first time I was gonna cook a brisket I was lookin' for recipes and
alot of 'em called for cookin' the thing at temps around 180.[]

Hard ta get a brisket ta 195 with a 180 fire.

--
Intuitive insights from Nick, Retired in the San Fernando Valley

http://operationiraqichildren.org/

Dana Myers wrote:

From Knight-Ridder, at
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...8877155.htm?1c

1. Are barbecuing and grilling the same style of cooking?

Grilling is cooking directly over the heat source, flames
or coals, for short periods of time at high temperatures,
up to 900 degrees in some commercial kitchens.
Barbecuing is cooking with an indirect heat source at
temperatures in the 180- to 225-degree range for hours.


That is still too simplistic.

A good example is a pig on a spit. It is bbq yet you have a direct heat
and higher temps. If someone argues that it is not bbq, then they need
to do a little research on the source of the word 'barbecue'. Likewise a
pit introduces direct heat and pit bbq is some of the best.


My definitions:
---------------------------------------------------------------

Barbecuing:
cooking meat using primitive methods with the primary intents of
encrusting the exterior with a smoke flavor and tenderizing via collagen
breakdown into gelatin


Grilling:
cooking method where the heat transfer is conduction, usually from a
metallic grate, and radiant energy from a direct heat source. Flavor
components are introduced via the Maillard reaction at the grate.


Smoking:
infusing flavor into food via the introduction of smoke particulate

---------------------------------------------------------------

Ambient temperature isn't *the* key factor when barbecuing because it is
just variable dependent on the thickness of the meat and the meat's
ability to come to termperature. As long as the meat temperature is high
enough for conversion of collagen to gelatin and held low enough to
prevent the water in the meat from vaprizing, you can still have
barbecue. Chicken can be barbecued at temperatures of 350 for instance
only because the interior of the meat is able to come to temperature
before the exterior loses all of its moisture. I do contend that
barbecue chicken and barbecue seafood can be grilled due to the ability
to be barbecue even though cooked on the grill. It just can't be done at
the higher temperatures or else it will dry out before meeting the
criteria I defined above as being barbecue.


Smoking can occur at low,medium and high temperatures. However the
higher temperatures tend to decrease the smoke/smoke ring due to the
lack of time for the nitrating process to occur. This can be enhanced by
brining with a salt nitrate mixture like Morton's quick tender. Just
don't do it too long or else you end up with a 'hammy' result.




-CAL

bbq wrote:



F.G. Whitfurrows wrote:

Dave Bugg wrote:

Dana Myers wrote:


Q can run a little higher in temperature than this
suggests, but at least the distinction is correct.


I agree. 180F is getting into the cold smoking range. I think of
temps for 'Q as being somewhere between 220 - 280.



The first time I was gonna cook a brisket I was lookin' for recipes
and alot
of 'em called for cookin' the thing at temps around 180. I remember
because
I got on here to ask all you fellas and was told to stuff those
recipes and
cook it higher than that. I swear it was on the BBQ Porch website that
I saw
those recipes.


I remember seeing low temps too for brisket and thinking too long to
spend cooking. Sure glad it is not an absolute cause at that, man a
brisket could take 30 hours

I don't know if I could even maintain a temp that low on the WSM, but
then
again, I've never tried.


And you don't need to either.

Happy Q'en,
BBQ


Being that the briskets I like best come out with an internal temp
between 190 and 200, it would take a *very* long time to finish them
with the smoker at 180.

cl wrote:

Dana Myers wrote:

From Knight-Ridder, at
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/...8877155.htm?1c


1. Are barbecuing and grilling the same style of cooking?

Grilling is cooking directly over the heat source, flames
or coals, for short periods of time at high temperatures,
up to 900 degrees in some commercial kitchens.
Barbecuing is cooking with an indirect heat source at
temperatures in the 180- to 225-degree range for hours.

That is still too simplistic.

It was a one-paragraph summary in a Q&A article focused
on grilling, not barbecue. So, sure, it's not a snap
tutorial on Q; it's just demystifying the confusion
over what is barbecue and what is grilling.

Dana