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from the if-god-isn't-real-how-come-meat-can-be-cooked? dept.
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
[...] You've just encountered the bane of aspiring pit masters everywhere: the Stall (also known as the Zone or the Plateau), a common phenomenon in low-temperature cooking. What, precisely, causes the stall is a perennial topic of debate among BBQ enthusiasts. Is it a protein called collagen in the meat, which combines with water to convert to gelatin at the 160°F point? Or is it due to the fat rendering, turning lipids to liquid?
Several years ago, Greg Blonder, a Boston College professor, did the experiments and came up with a definitive answer: evaporative cooling. The meat sweats as it cooks, releasing the moisture within, and that moisture evaporates and cools the meat, effectively canceling out the heat from the BBQ. These days, Blonder is the resident science advisor and myth buster at the popular BBQ and grilling site called Amazing Ribs. "I spend a lot of my time settling bar fights, basically," he joked.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/09/let-science-be-your-guide-for-the-perfect-labor-day-bbq/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @11:14AM (8 children)
Is there a cut of beef comparable to pork butt/shoulder in price? I can get pork butt for $1.20-$1.50/lb.
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Sunday September 09 2018, @11:37AM (6 children)
No. Generally beef is going to be pricier, as it is a larger animal that requires more feed per pound of meat produced, etc. to raise.
The comparable cuts of beef to pork butt are mostly chuck (from the same part of the animal). Chuck roasts are frequently sale items where I've lived, and I've seen them for quite cheap (though not as cheap as pork on sale).
The other really cheap cuts of beef tend to be from the round (back of animal), but they will produce a rather dry pulled beef as there's usually nowhere as much fat. But if you like a lot of sauce, you might be able to make it work.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday September 09 2018, @11:54AM (5 children)
The only reason to put sauce on BBQ is if it's shitty BBQ. The only exception to this is the Bacon Explosion [bbqaddicts.com]. Putting sauce on BBQ prepared by someone who prides themselves on their BBQ skillz is a good way to make an enemy for life.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Sunday September 09 2018, @12:26PM
I can go either way with pulled pork. Sauce or no sauce. And I've done some interesting stuff with the sauce, like using apple butter, or runny orange "marmalade" + red pepper flakes.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @01:28PM
Bullshit.
Now, if you are referring to the often incredibly shitty "BBQ sauces" at a grocery store then I'll agree, but a well balanced sauce can match perfectly with the smoke, meat, and fat flavors. A bit of acid to "cut" heavily marbled or cuts with big chunks of fat, a little bit of sweetness, some different bitterness (besides the delicious acrid "burnt" flavors), astringency/sharpness from raw garlic (if that's your thing), some smoke flavor, and some spiciness to taste for flavor and effect.
I often go with a heavily modified East Texas style sauce, but it depends on the cut and what is on the side.
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Sunday September 09 2018, @03:42PM (2 children)
So I guess you disagree with the huge number of well-known and respected BBQ joints in the South that provide sauces and even mix in sauce before serving??
There are lots of different styles of BBQ. If a relatively small piece of meat is slow-smoked and/or has a nice rub on the outside, I agree that it's often best without sauce if done well.
But if you're pit-roasting a whole hog or large slabs of one, a lot of the interior meat will get no flavor from.any exterior rub or much smoke. It might still taste good, but it will be rather "plain." (Unless you brine the thing for days in advance, the far interior won't even be seasoned by salt.)
I still like such pork plain if I can mix in a few burnt ends for some Mailard reaction flavor and different texture. But if you're just pulling from the interior, I will usually use a little bit of sauce just to give it something.
As with almost everything, stating broad general principles without accounting for differences in individual taste is just being an ass. Then again, you're very skilled at being an ass.
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Sunday September 09 2018, @03:43PM
(Maillard.. damn autocorrect.)
(Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Sunday September 09 2018, @04:13PM
Once I learned to make BBQ much better than theirs, absolutely.
It's nice to have one's skills appreciated.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 10 2018, @02:43AM
Mmm cheap pork.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_vqIGTKuQE [youtube.com]