Anyone see the show Last night?

[RebelSS]

Alton Brown's show on BBQing Ribs.....lots of good info, surprising things I didn't know, and some things I'm not too sure about...

Never smoke with mesquite wood..it has some very hazardous substances in it and will destroy certain flavor enhancing molecules of the meat...

Using a pan of water in the grill will not make the meat moist; it absorbs heat and maintains a more even temp, but has nothing to do with the moistness of the meat..

Judging meat by the smoke ring is no longer allowed in professional BBQ cook-offs, as it can now be enhanced/created by various liquid and dry products, and it is not an indicator of proper smoking.......

Too high a heat will chemically change the actual molecular make-up of the wood used for smoking and will actually detract and break down the flavor molecules of the meat...

If you have heavy smoke rolling out of the grill, your wood chips are too hot and producing hydrocarbons that are carcinogens....

The meat (Pork ribs) should be cooked and let rest to an internal temp of 190, no, that's not over cooked. (Heartily disagree with this one!)

That's what I got out of it to the best of my memory....I think I'll just keep doing what I am and ignore most of this advice...

[reinhard1]

think i will do the same Rebel. he makes some good points especialy about the use of too much smoke. everything in moderation they say but i do over do it at times. i dont buy the moisture part of his thinking. water creates moisture even as it it goes up in steam so to speak. i believe a water pan does help. otherwise that beer can chicken is useless. i think it helps. he's a star and i'm just a grill nut who knows. good luck.

[jeffreyd]

how about apples and oranges in the water? or seasoning? my dad always put them in the pan of water saying it added a better flavor, to everything. I grill but not as much as i use to simply because of the hydrocarbons and we really dont know how it will affect us in the long term from grilling. any how, tomorrow are filets of beef on the grill with veggies.

[RebelSS]

To me there's always been moist heat and dry heat....never thought about putting anything in the water, that sound's like a good idea!

[jeffreyd]

just like beer can chicken, i always put celery, carrot, seasoning, in the can. it adds a rich flavor to the chicken.

[reinhard1]

i also have not used anything but beer, thanks for the tip. good luck.

[thirdeye]

I've always liked ol' Altons take on some things, although I'll admit some times he can go way over my head. Heheheeee

My take on these points is in RED

Alton Brown's show on BBQing Ribs.....lots of good info, surprising things I didn't know, and some things I'm not too sure about...

Never smoke with mesquite wood..it has some very hazardous substances in it and will destroy certain flavor enhancing molecules of the meat...

It's definately the strongest smoke wood out there. I don't use mesquite flavor wood, but I use a lot of mesquite lump charcoal.

Using a pan of water in the grill will not make the meat moist; it absorbs heat and maintains a more even temp, but has nothing to do with the moistness of the meat..

Well, most folks with bullet smokers will preheat the water before adding it, which eliminates it stealing heat from the cooker. But mostly it does help even out the temp in the cooker. I still believe it bumps the humidity inside a steel cooker.

Judging meat by the smoke ring is no longer allowed in professional BBQ cook-offs, as it can now be enhanced/created by various liquid and dry products, and it is not an indicator of proper smoking.......

Yeah, the smoke ring is not supposed to be considered when judging, it's hard for some judges to overlook it though. I like the looks of a strong ring, so I doctor all of my briskets to make sure it pops.

Too high a heat will chemically change the actual molecular make-up of the wood used for smoking and will actually detract and break down the flavor molecules of the meat...

Hmmmmm....

If you have heavy smoke rolling out of the grill, your wood chips are too hot and producing hydrocarbons that are carcinogens....

The heavy white smoke can also be caused from the VOC's burning off the charcoal. I give my fire about an hour to settle down to a gentle gray or blue smoke before adding food.

The meat (Pork ribs) should be cooked and let rest to an internal temp of 190, no, that's not over cooked. (Heartily disagree with this one!)

That sound about right, although ribs are tough to take a temp on. When you think about it..... a shoulder is cooked to 195° - 205° when you want pulled pork. This would be too tender for me on ribs, but if you like fall-off-the-bone ribs I bet the temp is above 195°.

[reinhard1]

one thing that stands out from Altons show is that he "explains" the proccess more than most people on the cooking shows in an entertaining way. i have also always put warm water in the pan myself. never thought anything about it, just that it makes sense and to speed up the moisture proccess. never thought about how the water pan affects the temp. just that i knew it does help keeping the meat more moist. i dont think there is any question about that. good luck.