The Perfect BBQ

This summer our family made friends with a butchers son.  Other than Rich always offering to cook brats every time we  get together, which is a huge bonus, he has taught us how to properly grill our meat revolutionizing my BBQing skills.  From what I can see most people cook their meal on a grill that is way too hot, cooking the meat too fast, and burning the outside.  Not so Rich, his Weber grill contains a small pile of charcoal, which are not used for cooking until they are a gray white color.  When he puts his meat on the grill, he does not place it directly over the coals like a normal untrained cook.  He places them on the outer edge of the grate and puts the cover on to slow cook the brats.  Where most people cook there meat in 10 to 15 minutes, Rich takes over an hour to an hour and a half.  Slow cooking is the name of the game, but is worth it when biting into his BBQ goodness.

Being a cook myself, I decided to take Riches skills and add a bit of Dorothy.  Now I use about a third of the charcoal when I BBQ.  I am patient and allow ALL of the coals to turn white.  Previously, I would rush the meal making it taste like lighter fluid.  Now I cover the grate with thick alumni foil and place my meat on the it before it goes on the grill.  I remove the foil before the end of cooking to give my meal a BBQ appearance.  Before placing the grate on the grill I chuck in a handfull of smoke chips over the coals and place the grate on top closing the grill.  (Note: I put the meat on the grate before it is on the grill because the smoke in my eyes really hurts,  I want to cover the grill as soon as the grate is in place.)  It is important to make sure that the vents are not open all the way, too hot of a fire will burn up the charcoal too fast and burn your dinner.