BBQ Terms and Definitions

[nascarchuck]

BBQ Terms and Definitions

Please feel free to add anything that I have left off. I will add it to the list and then delete your post in order to keep this thread to a minimum. Also let me know if there are any corrections that need to be made.


3-2-1 A method of smoking that uses 3 hrs smoke, 2 hrs foiled, 1 hr unwrapped. The foiling helps keep the meat moist and tender.

ABT Atomic Buffalo Turd - Jalapeno pepper that has been deseeded and deveined then most commonly stuffed with cheese and/or meat. You can actually stuff with anything that you wish.

BB Baby Back Ribs - Taken from the top of the rib cage between the spine and the spareribs. They are not as large as spare ribs.

BDS Big Drum Smoker. Smoker made from a 55 gallon barrel.

BCC Beer Can Chicken - Chicken cooked on rack that holds a whole chicken upright with a can of your favorite liquid inside of the chicken. The can of soda, juice, water or most commonly beer keeps the chicken moist.

Briquettes Charcoal that normally contains some additives. Burns longer and cooler than lump. Used for grilling and smoking.

Big Green Egg Popular brand of a ceramic smoker.

Brining Brine is water saturated with salt and the meat is marinated in the brine solution. Normally some spices are added to the brine. Through a chemical process, this allows the meat to remain moist during the cook.

Burnt Ends Flavorful pieces of meat cut from the ends of a smoked brisket and are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking.

Butt The upper portion of a pork shoulder. Normally 6-8 pounds and commonly used for pulled pork.

CAB Certified Angus Beef

CBJ Certified Barbeque Judge has completed courses on judging BBQ competitions.

Ceramic Cooker Very efficient type of grill/smoker. Retains heat very well and capable of very high temperatures.

CG CharGriller Brand of grill/smoker.

Chile Grill Normally a stainless steel rack with holes used to cook ABTs.

Chimney Starter Looks like a large coffee can with holes and a handle. Allows you to start charcoal without using fluid.

ECB El Cheapo Brinkman - a vertical drum style water/smoker/grill that was very low priced and formerly made by Brinkman. They are no longer in production.

Fatty Sausage chub that has been smoked. Sometimes it is stuffed with cheeses, veggies, etc...

Flat One of the two cuts of brisket. The flat has has minimal fat and is usually more expensive than the more flavorful point cut.

GOSM Great Outdoor Smokey Mountain

Grill Marks - Black impressions of the cooking grate that are burned into the meat.

ICBA - International Barbeque Cookers Association

Kansas City Style Ribs - Spareribs that are trimmed even more closely than the St. Louis style ribs, and have the hard bone removed.

KCBS Kansas City Barbeque Society

Lighter Fluid Alcohol based chemical used in starting charcoal. Normally gives a chemical taste in the food. Can be dangerous to use.

Low & Slow Slow smoking using low heat. Briskets, roasts, ribs, butts, etc are normally low and slow.

LSBS Lone Star BBQ Society

Lump 100% Natural pieces of wood that have been pre-burned to create charcoal. Lump is irregular in shape and burns hotter than briquettes. Used mostly for grilling.

Minion Method A method created by Jim Minion. Place several lit coals on top of a full chamber of unlit coals. The unlit coals gradually light throughout the cook from the lit coals resulting in a much longer cook time of up to 18 hours depending on conditions.

Mop Basting the meat while cooking.

Offset Smoker A very common type of smoker that has two chambers, a firebox and a cooking chamber.

Packer - A whole brisket that is untrimmed of fat. This keeps the brisket "self basting" during the cook so that it remains moist. Varies in weight from 8 to 20 pounds.

Pellet Smoker A smoker that uses wood pellets for fuel instead of charcoal or gas.

Point - One of two cuts of brisket. The point has more fat and flavor than the flat cut.

Rub Spices that are massaged into the meat prior to cooking for flavoring and to form a crust on the meat.

Searing A technique used in grilling that cooks the surface of the meat at a high temperature so that a caramelized crust forms. Searing is believed to lock in the natural juices of the meat.

Seasoning Grates - Coating the cooking grate with olive oil just before adding the meat.

Seasoning Grill/Smoker - Coating the entire interior surface of a grill or smoker with cooking oil or spray with Pam and then light a fire and burn for several hours at about 350*. This removes manufacturer coatings and impurities.

Seasoned Wood Wood that has been split and set aside for 6 months or longer to dry out and use for smoking.

Slather Normally mustard is used by rubbing a thin layer on the meat so that the rub sticks to the meat and doesnt fall off.

Smoking Wood Hardwoods that are normally mesquite or fruit woods such as apple, cherry, pear, etc and have been seasoned. Can be in logs, chunks or chips.

Spatchcock Chicken A chicken or game bird that is prepared by slicing out the backbone of the chicken and flattening it out prior to cooking over a grill.

Spare Ribs Spare ribs contain more bone than meat and fat which can make the ribs more tender than back ribs.

Spritz A thin liquid, normally a fruit juice, beer or even liquor in a spray bottle that is sprayed on the meat during cooking to aid in keeping the meat from drying out.

St. Louis Style Ribs Spareribs trimmed where the sternum bone, cartilage and rib tips have been removed.

Stick Burner - Smoker that uses whole wood logs for fuel instead of charcoal, gas or pellets

Texas Tent - (aka Texas Crutch) Placing a brisket in foil to help it remain moist during the smoke

TGCBCA Texas Gulf Coast BBQ Cookers Association

UDS Ugly Drum Smoker. An upright smoker made from a 55 gallon barrel.

Upright Smoker - A smoker that uses a vertical smoking chamber. Usually contains several trays that are stacked. Considered a more efficient smoker than a horizontal offset. Firebox is either under the cooking chamber or beside it.

Whole Brisket - Contains both the flat and the point cuts of the brisket.

WSM Webber Smokey Mountain. A Webber brand smoker that is popular in the smoking community.

Yardbird - Slang for a chicken