I've so often read bantering back and forth between the purists and pragmatists....is it ok to parboil, is it ok to finish my brisket or pork butt off in the oven, can I wrap my brisket in foil in my pit, etc, etc. The purists slam the pragmatists with something like this: "Yeah, you can do that but if you want to really be an expert barbecuer then ignore the Texas crutch (aluminum foil)" In my humble opinion it's all mishmash and yada-yada. Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
> I've so often read bantering back and forth between the purists and > pragmatists....is it ok to parboil, is it ok to finish my brisket or pork > butt off in the oven, can I wrap my brisket in foil in my pit, etc, etc. > The purists slam the pragmatists with something like this: "Yeah, you can do > that but if you want to really be an expert barbecuer then ignore the Texas > crutch (aluminum foil)" In my humble opinion it's all mishmash and > yada-yada. Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture > you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for > my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the > best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook > to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
> Dalton
True, totally true. Worth far more than just 2 cents.
> Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture > you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for > my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the > best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook > to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
> Dalton
I somewhat agree, but you still have to have an open mind and try the other methods. Many of the "purists" used the boil method at one time and then found salvation.
To say you like boiled ribs is OK, but there is something better out there. Unless you try, you will never find the ultimate method. Sort of like saying sex is OK by yourself, but then you find out it is much better with the opposite sex. Ed e...@snet.net http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
> I somewhat agree, but you still have to have an open mind and try the other > methods.
I think that is precisely what I meant when I said, and I quote, " Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook to your own desires." To paraphrase: Try different techniques and when you find one that works for you stick with it and your critics be damned.
> To say you like boiled ribs is OK, but there is something better out
there.
I never said I liked boiled ribs and I don't boil mine. But I can honestly say that I've tasted delicious tender ribs that WERE (dare I say it) parboiled before being tossed on the grill.
> Unless you try, you will never find the ultimate method.
My real point was that there is no single "Ultimate Method" which is why there are literally hundreds of recipes for a single cut of meat. I readily give tips and accept them from others, but if I cook a brisket differently than the self pronounced expert and it tastes great what's his beef (pun unintended)? For example, I cook my briskets in a trailer offset pit for 12 - 14 hours depending on the weight....using wood only. Then I wrap tightly in foil and finish off in the oven for another 10 or 12 hours. Comes out with the texture of pulled pork which is how I like it. I've settled on this particular method after years of experimentation. I sell my wares every Saturday and thanks to my loyal customers I never come home with extra meat. I recently visited a web site that mentioned this technique and the author self righteously announced that it was not the correct way to cook brisket. Who died and pronounced him the BBQ Guru?
>Sort of like saying sex is OK by yourself, but then you find out it is much better with > the opposite sex.
Ed, I hope I clarified my point, but how did this conversation lead to sex anyway? Hehe....just a joke!
>I've so often read bantering back and forth between the purists and >pragmatists....is it ok to parboil, is it ok to finish my brisket or pork >butt off in the oven, can I wrap my brisket in foil in my pit, etc, etc. >The purists slam the pragmatists with something like this: "Yeah, you can do >that but if you want to really be an expert barbecuer then ignore the Texas >crutch (aluminum foil)" In my humble opinion it's all mishmash and >yada-yada. Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture >you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for >my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the >best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook >to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
>Dalton
Most of the arguments against parboiling are not based on some abstract notion of purity but rather on the fact that parboiling robs the meat of flavor and results in an inferior end product. Boiling meat extracts much of the flavor into the cooking liquid. Indeed this is how stocks and broths are made. In making stocks and broths, however, the boiled meat is generally discarded.
The techniques you mention are not usually done to improve the flavor of the end product. Parboiling is a short cut used to get tender ribs without the long, slow cooking time required otherwise. All of us make trade offs of quality vs. convenience. For example, we do so when we buy a loaf of bread at the grocery strore instead of making the bread ourselves. To me, the speed and convenience of boiled meat is not even close to being a good trade-off against the taste and texture of ribs cooked slowly over wood coals, so I always take the time to cook ribs the latter way. Obviously some people view this trade-off differently.
I live in North Carolina. One of the reasons that I am a "bit sensitive" on this general issue is that, over the years, I have seen so many formerly excellent barbecue places switch from cooking over wood coals to cooking with gas. During the same time, I have seen "amateurs" go from using home built pits and wood coals to commercial "pig cookers" using charcoal. Now the most used equipment seems to be a gas-fired commercial pig cooker. Did they do this to take advantage of modern technology to produce better barbecue? Of course not. They did this because it is easier.
Most people are unwilling to expend the time and effort to produce the best product they can. Apparently, this anemic, gassed meat is "good enough" for most people. Similarly, it seems, boiled ribs are good enough for most people.
On a philosophical note, perhaps this is just the way of nature. Natural selection does not generally favor the "best" adaptation, but rather one that is "good enough." Perhaps it is inevitable that barbecue slow cooked over hardwood coals will fade into oblivion, but I shall fight this as long as I can!
Besides, the real test is at the table, and not at the pit or the oven. I tend to do what it takes to get to the meal with good meat. I really don't parboil much but I have and the results were fine. To me "variety is the spice of life". Besides the more variations I try the more I learn and develop my own style. And to me that is what cookin' is all about.
Wayne
"Dalton Breaux" <dbre...@hot.rr.com> wrote in message
> I've so often read bantering back and forth between the purists and > pragmatists....is it ok to parboil, is it ok to finish my brisket or pork > butt off in the oven, can I wrap my brisket in foil in my pit, etc, etc. > The purists slam the pragmatists with something like this: "Yeah, you can do > that but if you want to really be an expert barbecuer then ignore the Texas > crutch (aluminum foil)" In my humble opinion it's all mishmash and > yada-yada. Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture > you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for > my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the > best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook > to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
> I've so often read bantering back and forth between the purists and > pragmatists....is it ok to parboil, is it ok to finish my brisket or pork > butt off in the oven, can I wrap my brisket in foil in my pit, etc, etc. > The purists slam the pragmatists with something like this: "Yeah, you can do > that but if you want to really be an expert barbecuer then ignore the Texas > crutch (aluminum foil)" In my humble opinion it's all mishmash and > yada-yada. Do whatever it takes to get your meat to the taste and texture > you want. For heavens sake, this is the 21st century!!!! What worked for > my grandpa who didn't have the technology available to him may not be the > best route for me. Take the advice of the purists but in the long run cook > to your own desires. Just my 2 cents!
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