Your BBQ, a Great Place to Smoke Meat
By Michael Safdiah

If, long ago, someone hadn’t found a way to preserve food from spoiling, few of us would be here now. Back then, no one had any idea about microbes, those wonderful critters that make beer, wine and bread possible but also spoil the food we eat. Salting and pickling were some early attempts: we made hams, dried meat, confit and salt cod. Sugar—in jams and preserves—was also used with success.

Some clever genius then came along and discovered smoking. That’s when the fun began. Smoke both preserves and enhances the flavor of food. Smoking equipment ranged from entire buildings to backyard barrels, but the principle was always the same: smoke the surface of the food, leave it long enough to kill off the bugs, and let it cook. I first tasted smoked whitefish at a Jewish-style “appetizer” store when my mother brought me to New York as a child. I was hooked on the delicate flavor. When I was told I could do it myself, I was intimidated, but with the help of my friend Doug, the mystery vanished with our first batch of smoked pulled pork. I wrote about it last year. It was easy. Like all cooking, patience and paying attention are the main ingredients.

A costly smoker might obtain better results, but with a small amount of ingenuity, my old-fashioned Weber (live coals) or my double burner (propane), both can do the job. Let me tell you how I do it. First you need to have a grill you can cover to keep the smoke inside. The fire has to be extremely low. This is not a quick cooking method—it takes a long time to tenderize and add rich flavors. Your patience is essential.

Set the coals or fire on one side of the unit, and the food on the offset (opposite), so the fire is not underneath the food. Pam-spray or oil your grill. Next, place a water pan to provide moisture, under or near the food, but not over the fire. You don’t want your BBQ to dry out. Smoke will flavor the meat, so you will need to buy some wood chips: mesquite is best, but hickory is okay; it’s your choice, but they need to be soaked for a few hours in order to make smoke. They need to be between one and two inches thick, and you need about five per smoking.

My favorite meats to smoke are pork ribs, spare ribs, baby backs and chicken. I did turkey once, and even salmon filets. I like thighs better than the breasts; they develop better flavor, are juicier and withstand longer cooking. I’ve tasted a smoked Kentucky turkey breast, and a Texas beef brisket. Both were heaven. Spread the rub all over both sides, rubbing in well. I’ll soon discuss dry rubs: the magic of grilling and smoking. Allow it to rest an hour and a half. Set up your fire; when it gets low enough, place your meat on the rack up high and away from the fire, and cover the grill. When you detect the meat is half cooked through, add the wet wood chips to the fire, placed in a disposable aluminum pie dish or foil. The dish is reusable. Let the smoke do its thing, and check periodically until the meat is just cooked. Don’t overcook the meat; it’s better when it’s moist. Some recipes use liquid smoke or smoke powders. They work, but nothing beats the real thing.

As for dry rubs, they are a way of seasoning and salting meat. The name comes from what you do with it: rub, not pat it on. Around a zillion recipes for rubs exist, mostly with varying proportions of salt, sugar, chili, pepper, paprika, mustard, brown sugar, cumin, garlic powder, herbs—you get the idea. Soy sauce, hot chilies and ginger are other regulars in the Asian mix. In the US, we tend to overwhelm ours with strong flavors, as though the delicate taste of pork needs disguising. When I did them South-of-France style, my friends preferred them to Southern style; we’ll see how long that lasts.

I beg you to try this: Rub some salt and pepper onto the ribs, both sides. Then, a lot of crushed fresh garlic was smeared on. Finally, rosemary, some Adobo and herbs de Provence are rubbed in, and let it all rest for an hour at room temperature. Cook and smoke as described above, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice. Serve.

Herbs de Provence: You can easily buy a blend, or mix your own. Mix 3 tablespoons each: dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, savory, 2 teaspoons basil, sage, and if you like, a half teaspoon of chopped red pepper flakes. Place it in a tightly closed jar in a dark place. The herbs should be crumbled when being rubbed onto the meat.

Another rub I use often for ribs, which I’ve concocted from many others:

4 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons coarse salt, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, 2 tablespoons ground pepper, 3 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons oregano, 2 tablespoons thyme, 2 tablespoons hickory seasoning, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1/2 tablespoon ground clove, 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon ground cardamom. Mix well; store in a sealed jar in a cool dry place, rub very well into the meat. Allow to stand at least an hour. Grill at low heat—the sugar will burn otherwise. Sauce is optional: Masterpiece BBQ Sauce plus soy sauce and sesame oil.

Okay, it’s again time for rhubarb, and the crop looks good and red. You can’t use the top leaves (they’re toxic), but the rest of the stalk is great when you simmer with sugar and some water. I put up several quarts every spring. Stored in the freezer, it flavors ice cream sundaes, pork chops, grilled beef, and makes mouth-watering pies with apples and strawberries, there are even rhubarb daiquiris.

Wash the stalks and cut into slices. In a large, wide pan, place some sugar (about a cup), enough water to just dissolve it, and add the cut-up rhubarb, also heavily sprinkled with sugar, turning until the white part of the rhubarb turns translucent pink. A little cinnamon helps. Take care, don’t overcook; you want to retain the shape of the pieces. As always, you can write to me with questions or comments: mymymichl@aol.com.

I want to hear what you want me to write about. Please email me at mymymichl@aol.com. Thanks so much for joining me. Love, Michael