Grilling Techniques Archives - Barbecuebible.com

The 3-2-1 Method for Ribs

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 10:00:13 +0000

Editor’s Note: This post was updated for 2025 with clarified steps and additional FAQs based on reader feedback.

Ribs are the ultimate barbecue. And mastering the perfect rib is how grill meisters earn the title. So what constitutes perfection?

First, the ribs should be tender without being soft or mushy. The perfect ribs will be sweet and smoky, but there should also be an undertaste of acidity and spice. Great ribs will be messy to eat, but they shouldn’t be drowning in barbecue sauce.

Since my book How to Grill was released, some pit masters have embraced a method for smoke-roasting ribs that relies less on intuition and more on a simple-to-follow formula explained before, the 3-2-1 approach. This is very successful with spareribs, which are larger and tougher than baby backs. If using the latter, consider smoking the baby backs for 2 hours, foiling for 1 hour, and finishing over indirect heat for 1 hour. (For more rib wisdom, check out my book Best Ribs Ever.)

What is the 3-2-1 Method for Cooking Ribs?

Not familiar with it? I first encountered the technique researching my book Best Ribs Ever. (Competition barbecuers sometimes call it the “Texas Crutch.”) In a nutshell, you break cooking ribs into 3 time blocks:

3 hours of smoking unwrapped at 225 degrees, followed by
2 hours of cooking wrapped in foil (with a little liquid, such as apple cider), followed by
1 hour of cooking unwrapped at a higher temperature, with a generous basting of barbecue sauce

How Does 3‑2‑1 Compare to Other Rib Techniques?

The 3‑2‑1 method is known for its consistency and forgiving nature, making it ideal for backyard pitmasters who want tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs without constant babysitting. In contrast, hot-and-fast methods rely on higher temperatures (300°F+) to cook ribs in under 3 hours—great for time savings but riskier in terms of texture. Competition-style ribs are typically smoked for less time overall and retain more bite or “pull” from the bone, since judges don’t favor overcooked ribs. Each method has its place, but 3‑2‑1 remains a favorite for reliably tender, crowd-pleasing results.

Why the 3‑2‑1 Method Works So Well

I tried the method again a few nights ago and understand its appeal. The process gives you meat so tender it virtually slides off the bone, with the multiple layers of flavor most of us associate with great barbecue. And within a predictable 6-hour time frame, too.

It’s relatively fail-proof, meaning that if you follow the directions, you are almost guaranteed you’ll avoid the dual pitfalls of ribs that are tough or dry.

And if you serve ribs cooked by the 3-2-1 method, 95 percent of the people who taste them react with delight and will declare you a barbecue genius. My guests sure did, and I did not deflect their praise.

Steven Raichlen’s Thoughts on 3-2-1 Ribs

And yet … and yet … I felt a certain unease accepting their compliments. These were good ribs—very good ribs. These were easy ribs. Safe ribs. These were ribs almost anyone could love on account of their moistness and tenderness.

But they weren’t hall of fame ribs—ribs with character, with soul—ribs that test a smoke master’s mettle and declare victory in the heroic battle to balance smoke, spice, heat, and time to transform tough connective tissue into meat equally remarkable for its tenderness and complex flavor.

They suffered from a transgression I have consistently condemned in all my books: boiling.

For when you wrap and cook ribs in foil, you are, in effect, boiling them in their own juices. (The heat in your smoker can exceed the 212 degrees required to boil water at sea level.) Hence the almost supernatural tenderness coupled with what you could call a faintly washed-out flavor.

With ribs, there’s a fine line between tender and mushy. True rib connoisseurs (and Kansas City Barbecue Society-trained judges) prefer their rib meat with a bit of chew, a perceptible bit of resistance. We are unimpressed whenever ribs practically debone themselves at the first tug of the teeth. And the moist environment in the foil softens the bark—the smoky, crusty exterior of the ribs highly prized by pit masters.

Of course, the 3 hours of smoking spice crusted ribs puts plenty of flavor in, and the last hour spent cooking the ribs at a higher temperature—unwrapped and sauced—is designed to apply a sweet-savory glaze to the surface. (In some versions of the method you finish the ribs by direct grilling over a hot fire.)

Bottom line? Most people will love ribs cooked by the 3-2-1 method. Purists like myself remain skeptical. Form your own conclusions by doing a side-by-side comparison. Please post your results and photos on the Barbecue Reddit Board and on our BBQ 500 Club on Facebook.

Frequently Asked Questions about the 3‑2‑1 Rib Method

Can I adjust the cooking times for baby back ribs? Yes. Baby back ribs are leaner and more tender, so a 2‑2‑1 schedule (2 hours smoke, 2 hours wrapped, 1 hour sauced) helps prevent overcooking.

Why does the foil wrap tenderize the ribs? Wrapping in foil locks in heat and moisture, steaming the ribs to break down connective tissue—though it softens the bark, too. The final hour firms the crust and sets the sauce.

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Direct Grilling Vs Reverse Searing

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 10:00:55 +0000

An interesting question about Direct Grilling Vs Reverse Searing came to us via Instagram. (Yes, folks, Steven Raichlen sees each and every one of your questions and we always try to respond.)

Why do you cook tri-tip (or any large steak) by direct grilling sometimes and by reverse-searing other times?

The short answer is that when it comes to barbecue, there are many ways to skin the proverbial cat.

The longer answer involves tradition, patience, and time.

Why Use Direct Grilling for Tri-Tip?

In the case of tri-tip, the traditional way to cook it—as practiced in the place of its birth, Santa Maria, California—is by direct grilling over a wood fire on a grill with a raisable and lowerable grate. (The latter, aptly, is called a Santa Maria grill.)

After seasoning the meat with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic (some people also add oregano), you direct grill it, but work over a moderate fire to cook this thick cut of sirloin to medium-rare without burning the exterior. Slow and moderate are the operative words here: if you cook the tri-tip too fast or too hot, you risk burning it or making it tough.

But direct grilling—even when going slow and moderate—requires constant attention. You need to stand at the grill for 20 or 30 minutes, surveying and turning the meat. And it tastes best served within a few minutes of being done.

The Case for Reverse Searing Your Steak

Reverse-searing produces similar results—crusty exterior, tender succulent sanguine meat—with more control and considerably less effort.

As a refresher, in reverse searing, you indirect grill the tri-tip (or other thick steak) at a medium-low heat (250 degrees) until cooked to an internal temperature of 100 degrees. This takes about an hour, then you let the meat rest as long as you desire.

Then, at the last minute, when you’re ready to serve, you increase the heat to high and sear the outside of the meat until crusty and browned and the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees for rare, 135 degrees for medium-rare, and 145 degrees for medium. You can serve it hot off the grill because you’ve already rested the meat.

Reverse searing has a lot of benefits. You get a uniform red or pink color inside (no more “bullseye” effect, in which the periphery of the steak is grey and the inside raw and purplish red). You take control of the timing: no more mad scramble to cook the meat perfectly at the last minute.

Plus, if you’re working on a charcoal grill, you can add hardwood chips or chunks to the fire to smoke your steak as well as cook it. Of course, if you’re direct grilling over a wood fire, you also get a smoke flavor.

Direct Grilling Vs Reverse Searing

So why doesn’t everyone reverse sear? Well, if you’re a fire-obsessed person, like I am, you like standing at the grill, smelling the smoke, waltzing the meat from hot spots to not-so-hot spots while the wood smoke stings your eyes and perfumes your clothes.

There’s something vigorous—even reckless—about direct grilling, and I believe that translates to the taste of the meat.

But reverse-searing can be a useful technique for cooking a thick steak, like a tri-tip or porterhouse, and it definitely belongs in your repertory!

Do you have a preference? Do you have another question? Let us know on social media! (See below.)

Recipes

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Barbecue Horror Stories: 6 Things NOT to Do When Grilling

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:00:54 +0000

This is a true story. When I was growing up, my mom was the family grill master. A ballet dancer by profession, she did everything with exuberance and elan. And that included grilling. When it came time to light the charcoal, she did not use a chimney starter. (It had not yet been invented.) She didn’t even use lighter fluid. No, when it came time to grill, my mother reached for the can of gasoline in the garage. She doused the coals, threw on a match, and the grill erupted with a Vesuvian whoosh.

One time, she put the lit match on first, then poured on the gasoline. The resulting fire traveled back to the can, which handily exploded. The resulting conflagration singed my mom’s hair and eyebrows and damn near burned the siding off our house. It was only the quick thinking of our neighbor, Pete, who rushed over and knocked the burning can to the ground, that prevented an out-of-control fire from becoming a tragedy.

Grilling Safety Tips

Grilling is universally enjoyable and mostly safe, but if mismanaged, can result in disaster. Here, just in time for Halloween, are a few barbecue horror stories.

1. Lighting a gas grill with the lid closed.

This is a spectacularly scary situation, one with potentially tragic consequences. It happens some 7,000 times a year in the US, according to the National Fire Prevention Association. (I’ve seen this happen, although fortunately, the cook only singed his eyebrows.) Make sure the lid is fully open when lighting a gas grill, and light it promptly after opening the valve. If the grill fails to light, allow 5 minutes for the gas to clear before attempting to relight it.

2. Shoveling still-hot ash or embers into a plastic garbage can or dumpster.

Ash from charcoal- or wood-burning grills, barbecue pits, and fire pits can harbor embers for hours–or even days–that will roar unexpectedly back to life. We wonder how many stadium parking lot attendants have witnessed dumpster or trash can fires in the wake of tailgating parties (now verboten, of course). No matter how cool you believe ashes to be, wet them down thoroughly before safely disposing of them in a metal container.

3. Using the same cutting board, platter, knife, or other utensils for raw and cooked animal proteins—especially poultry.

To avoid food-borne illnesses and the ruination of your reputation as a grill master, never allow cross-contamination to occur in your kitchen or grill-side.

4. Serving rare burgers.

More scary food safety stuff. If you can ask for a rib-eye cooked medium-rare, why not a medium-rare hamburger? Because while bacteria lives on the outside of steaks, it can live inside ground meat. Currently, the USDA recommends that burgers made with ground meat be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

(Ground poultry is an exception: It should be cooked to 165 degrees.) Don’t eyeball doneness: Use a reliable instant-read meat thermometer.

5. Positioning a grill too close to your house.

We see it all the time on social media—people sharing photos of grills that are scarily close to a house, deck railing, garage, or other structure. At a minimum, leave at least 3 feet—and preferably 10 feet–between your grill or smoker and combustibles. (And don’t forget hanging branches or pergolas.)

6. Moving the grill or smoker to the garage or the vestibule of your tent.

Carbon-based fuels like wood and charcoal give off carbon monoxide as they burn. In an enclosed or partially enclosed space, the levels can become toxic—even deadly. Don’t let rain or snow force you into a dangerous situation.

Do you have any scary stories to share related to live-fire cooking? Share them with us on Social Media!

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Pulled Pork in a Hurry: Introducing 3-2-1 Pulled Pork

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 10:00:30 +0000

If you have six hours of daylight, you can barbecue a pork shoulder and sit down to an incredible meal before the sun slips below the horizon. Tough, now that we’ve gone off Daylight Savings Time. But doable.

This was all Steven’s idea. Buoyed by the success of 3-2-1 ribs, one of our most popular blogs, Steven wondered what would happen if we treated a pork butt (aka, shoulder) to 3 hours of smoke, 2 hours wrapped in butcher paper, foil, or parchment paper, and 1 hour unwrapped.

If you have any experience with it, you know pork butt is one of the most forgiving meats there is, absolving you of most sins you could ever commit against it. It’s the poster child for “low and slow,” often taking 8 to 10 hours to reach 195 degrees—the threshold temperature for pulling. Anything less, and you’ll have to resort to chopping it or slicing it.

But let’s say you don’t want to chop or slice it. You want textbook, Instagram-ready, Pinterest-worthy pulled pork. And you want it fast.

Enter 3-2-1 pulled pork. Yes, we’ve found a way to speed it up by manipulating the time and the temperature. Here’s how it goes.

3-2-1 Pulled Pork

At 10 a.m. I generously seasoned a 4-pound pork butt on all sides with Steven’s Project Smoke Carolina Pit Powder. A great alternative is his All-Purpose Rub (find the recipe here). If you want, slather the pork with mustard (cheap yellow mustard or Dijon) before seasoning.

I intended to use my trusty Weber Performer, but the relentless rain disabused me of that idea. My back-up plan was my Traeger, which lives on a big screened-in porch. As a bonus, I can set the exact temperature and use the pellets of my choice—hickory, in this case. I set the smoker to 275 degrees—on the outer edge of smoking temperatures. I then set my seasoned pork butt on the grill grate.

At 1 p.m., I wrapped the pork—now bronzed with smoke—in butcher paper and reset my iPhone alarm for 2 hours. The meat was looking beautiful when those hours were up. But 1 more hour (unwrapped) was needed to firm up the bark. By 4 p.m., the pork was ready to pull. I always let it rest for 20 minutes, then don rubber insulated food gloves to pull the meat into large chunks and remove the bone. While you can use table forks, meat claws make quick work of pulling the chunks into meaty shreds.

I was a little skeptical when Steven suggested this unorthodox method. But now I’m sold. The key is to barbecue the pork at a slightly higher temperature (275 degrees), and then wrap it in butcher paper, parchment, or foil. And the pork butt I used was relatively small—4 pounds. If you need to feed a crowd, barbecue multiple pork butts. Your grill or smoker can likely accommodate several. I can’t guarantee this method would work on an 8 pound pork shoulder because I haven’t tried it yet. The pork butt I barbecued (bone-in, by the way) was about 3 inches thick.

For more information on barbecuing perfect pulled pork, click here.

Pulled Pork Recipes:

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The Great Grilled Pizza Debate

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 10:00:58 +0000

Grilled pizza burst on the American food scene in the 1980s, when two Rhode Island restaurateurs, Johanna Killeen and the late George Germon–owners of the newly opened Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island, first cooked pizza dough on a charcoal grill.

Grilled Pizza

The origin of this audacious act was a misunderstanding. A vendor told the Al Forno owners about a grilled pizza he saw in Italy. It turned out to be a pizza cooked in a wood burning oven–an admirable way to cook a pizza to be sure, but short of revolutionary, for pizzas and other flatbreads have been cooked in wood burning ovens almost since the birth of humanity.

What was revolutionary was the idea of cooking a pizza directly on the grill grate. Audacious, too, because George and Johanna had no idea whether the dough would cook–or ooze through the bars of the grate onto the fire.

Well, cook it did, the crust browning and blistering on the bottom, the pizza dough acquiring a smoky, crackling crispness. It was utterly unlike a conventional pizza and it was utterly delicious!

Over time, George and Johanna perfected the technique, stretching the dough in a generously olive oiled baking sheet (instead of stretching and tossing it with flour as you’d do to make a conventional pizza). To facilitate stretching, they formed a rectangular pizza (rather than the conventional round one). They draped the dough onto the grate over the hot part of the fire from the bottom, then slid it over the cooler part of the fire to invert it and apply the toppings.

The toppings turned the conventional notion of how to assemble a pizza on its head. Traditionally, you add the tomato sauce first, then the garnishes (onions, peppers, olives, pepperoni), and finally the cheese. But with grilled pizza Al Forno style, cheese went on first (it needs more time to melt), then the garnishes, then finally the sauce (the latter needs no cooking; it’s already cooked.

Al Forno’s grilled pizza became the signature dish of the restaurant, not to mention an icon of American grilling. But it took dexterity to stretch and grill the dough without burning it.

Pizza Stones and Ovens

Enter the next leap forward in the evolution of grilled pizza: the grill top pizza stone. Made of high heat tolerant ceramic and available round or square, the pizza stone turned your grill into an outdoor pizza oven. You could use it on any sort of grill: kettle, kamado, pellet, gas grill. And it wasn’t long before freestanding miniature outdoor pizza ovens, like the OONI and Solo Stove—were born.

Pizza stones function like the ovens at your neighborhood pizza place—you slide the dough onto the heated stone, and it cooks like a conventional pizza. You assemble this sort of pie the conventional way—crust first, then tomato or other sauce, then cheese and topping. The high heat makes the dough puff instantly, giving you the crisp, softly chewy texture we so prize in a Neapolitan-style pizza. Familiar. Delectable to be sure. But not quite as interesting as the Al Forno style pizza, direct grilled over the coals.

What’s your favorite way to cook pizza? On a stone? Or directly on the grill?

Here are some recipes to try!

Grilled Pizza Recipes

Grilled Pizza

Get The Recipe »

Project Fire Breakfast Pizza

Get The Recipe »

Pizza Puttanesca

Get The Recipe »

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Hot and Fast vs. Low and Slow

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 10:00:38 +0000

When it comes to cooking brisket, three words have been the credo of the barbecue community for decades: “low and slow.”

In other words, cook it at a low temperature for a long time to render the brisket fat and convert the tough collagen to tender gelatin.

So when Texas Monthly barbecue critic, Daniel Vaughn, broke the news of the hot and fast method advocated by Roland Lindsey, pit master-owner of Bodacious Bar-B-Que in Longview, Texas (incidentally, the first place I experienced Texas barbecue), the blogosphere erupted with understandable emotion.

If you could really cook a respectable brisket in 3 hours, why have so many of us endured predawn wake-up calls or overnight smoke sessions.

Well, the controversy reached Barbecue University recently, so we asked our Test Kitchen Director, Steve Nestor, to put it to the test.

Hot and Fast vs Low and Slow

In a nutshell, the hot and fast method calls for cooking a full packer brisket at 400 degrees instead of the traditional 250. The supposed secret is to rest the brisket in an insulated cooler for at least 2 hours to allow the meat to relax.

We used a Weber kettle grill set up for indirect grilling. (Most smokers don’t get that hot.) We fueled it with Fogo Quebracho charcoal and added my cherry chunks to generate wood smoke.

We seasoned the meat with my new Texas Brisket Rub and cooked it unwrapped to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Then we wrapped it in unlined butcher paper and continued cooking it to an internal temperature of 205 degrees. The total cooking time was just north of 4 hours.

I confess: I was dubious. The internal temperature may have been right, but the brisket sure didn’t feel right. It flunked the “bend” test (lift it under the center and watch the ends bend downward) It lacked the “jiggle” I associate with a properly cooked brisket.

We rested it in an insulated cooler for the prescribed 2 hours. Much to my surprise, the meat softened considerably during that time, and when we cut into it, we tasted not a top tier brisket, but a respectable second flight.

The Results

The flat was a bit tougher than a low and slow brisket, but it would be OK thinly sliced on a sandwichh.

The point was moist and succulent. You could see the white intramuscular fat (which in a low and slow cook would melt out), but the mouthfeel was luscious the way a brisket point should be.

Both parts had a well-defined smoke ring and pronounced smoke flavor.

Bottom line: You wouldn’t mistake a hot and fast brisket for meat smoked low and slow the traditional way. But if you’re crunched for time, the hurried up version is a lot better than no brisket at all.

Have you tried hot and fast? Let us know the results on Facebook or Reddit.

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The 3-1-1 Method: Revolutionizing BBQ Ribs

Steven Raichlen, 5-time James Beard Award-winner and Barbecue Hall of Famer — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:39:14 +0000

INTRODUCING THE 3-1-1 METHOD

A few weeks ago, we wrote about the 3-2-1 method for cooking ribs. It was one of our most popular blogs ever. In a nutshell, you smoke ribs uncovered for 3 hours, then wrapped in foil with a little liquid (Beer? Apple cider?) for two hours. And finally unwrapped for 1 more hour.

Besides the obvious numeric poetry of the name, the method produces ribs of remarkable moistness and tenderness—ribs that most people will devour with pleasure.

And yet, I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable serving 3-2-1 ribs. They’re almost too good, namely, they’re so tender they almost seem mushy and so moist, they almost tasted steamed. Which in a sense they are, because 2 hours of cooking wrapped in foil with liquid comes dangerously close to that heresy of rib-making: boiling.

After thinking long and hard about the 3-2-1 method, I realize the problem. The math is all wrong. The cooking time is way too long. What you really want is the 3-1-1 method, which doesn’t sound as catchy, but produces ribs that are vastly more satisfying.

The 3-1-1 method is designed for spareribs. You smoke them uncovered for 3 hours, then wrapped in foil for 1 hour, then finished unwrapped for 1 hour. For baby back ribs, cut the first smoke down to 2 hours. So 2-1-1 for baby backs!

3-1-1 Method Spare Ribs

Start with the best spareribs you can buy, preferably heritage breed, like Duroc or Berkshire. I’m a partial to the St. Louis cut, which is a sparerib trimmed to the size of a baby back. One rack will feed 2 to 3 people.
Skin the rib, that is remove the papery membrane from the bone side of the ribs (it impedes the absorption of smoke and spices).
Apply your favorite rub (I’m partial to my Planet Barbecue Kansas City Smoke Rub) to both sides of the ribs an hour or so before you intend to cook. The salt in the rub draws some of the moisture from the surface of the meat, giving you better bark.

In the meantime, set up your smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions and preheat to 250 degrees F. (Alternatively, set up your charcoal grill for indirect grilling and preheat to the same temperature.) If using wood chips to generate smoke, soak in water for at least 30 minutes, then drain. (I don’t bother soaking wood chunks.) Place a shallow pan of water in the cook chamber if not using a smoker with a built-in water pan. You could add moisture to the ribs by mopping, but repeated opening and closing of the lid compromises the temperature’s stability.
Once the temperature has stabilized in your smoker or grill, arrange the ribs on the grate, bone side down. If smoking several racks at once, use a rib rack. Immediately close the lid. Smoke for 3 hours, replenishing the fuel, water, and/or smoking wood as necessary. If using baby backs, smoke for 2 hours.
For each rack of ribs, tear off a rectangle of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to completely enclose the ribs. Quickly remove the ribs from the smoker or grill and replace the lid to avoid heat loss. Place each rack, meat side down, on a piece of aluminum foil and bring up the sides. If desired, pour 1/4 cup of apple cider, beer, ale, or other flavorful liquid on top of the bones and dot with thin slices of butter. Bring the edges of the foil together and fold to make a tight package. Return to the smoker or grill and cook for 1 hour. (You no longer need to add smoking chips or chunks to the fire.)

Remove the ribs from the smoker or grill. (Again, work quickly to maintain cooking temperatures.) Carefully open the foil package; wear heatproof food gloves to avoid steam burns. Using tongs, lift the ribs from the foil. Discard the foil. Reserve the juices, if desired, and boil down to make a glaze. Don’t bother if you’re only doing 1 or 2 racks.
If desired, dust the ribs lightly with more rub. Return to the smoker or grill, meat side up, or to the grill rack. Cover and continue to cook for 1 hour. There are several tests for doneness:
- The meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by 1/2 inch
- Lift the rack with tongs under the center. The flesh on top will begin split.
Finally, brush the ribs with barbecue sauce (if using) and move them directly over the fire. Sizzle the sauce into the meat—a couple minutes per side will do it. Please note that sweeter sauces burn easily, so watch them carefully.

Bottom line? The success of ribs, like brisket or pork shoulder, still depends on human intuition. Use the above formulas as guidelines, recognizing that a particular rack of ribs might need more or less time on the grill. Be flexible. If the ribs are done before your guests arrive, loosely wrap them in foil and stow in an insulated cooler until serving time.

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A Campfire Pot Roast with the Petromax Dutch Oven

Steve Nestor, Test Kitchen Director and Photographer Extraordinaire — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:00:25 +0000

In my previous blog, “Celebrate Oktoberfest In Style: Introducing an Incredible (and Portable) German Grill,” I introduced Planet Barbecue to the Petromax Atago multifunctional grill, and in “Bacon Burger Bliss: Cooking Petromax’s Griddle and Fire Bowl,” I featured their Griddle and Fire Bowl. Two cool grills to bring on your next camping or outdoor adventure.

Petromax is a German company known for self-sufficient adventures in nature. Since 1910, Petromax has been passionate about bringing quality items for outdoor living, outdoor cooking, bushcraft, and lighting to the world. The Petromax product range combines tradition with innovation in a unique way and is characterized by the highest possible level of quality, durability, and well-thought-out details.

In addition to the versatile Atago grill and the Griddle and Fire Bowl, Petromax sent me one of their Dutch oven tables and a Dutch oven. The Dutch oven table allows you to comfortably cook outdoors without hurting your back, at the same height as your stove top. The four legs are sturdy and support up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). The legs can be removed, and the table can be placed on any heat resistant surface. The large table is large enough to accommodate three Dutch ovens depending on their size.

The tall windbreak quickly attaches to the table and helps to conserve charcoal and heat when cooking outdoors. The practical hangers located on the front and side allow you to keep tongs, a dish towel, and grill gloves within reach. Clean up the spent charcoal and ashes easily by sweeping them through the gap in the front of the table.

I received the FT12 Dutch oven. Petromax’s Dutch oven is perfect for cooking and baking in outdoors or in the home. Cast-iron is known for its ability to retain heat, but Petromax has added a few refined details. Their Dutch ovens come pre-seasoned and be used right away. They can be used in an open fire or with charcoal or briquettes. The raised lid allows the Dutch oven to hold embers or coals on top to create even heat on all sides which is ideal for baking bread.

It is easy and safe to move the Dutch oven due to the sturdy handle. The legs provide stability. There is even a thermometer hole which allows you to check temperatures without removing the lid and letting the heat out. The lid lifter makes it easy to lift the hot lid. The top can be flipped over and used as a pan.

Petromax’s Dutch oven is perfect for soups, meat dishes, stews, casseroles, breads, and even cakes. Soups, stews, and casseroles are great comfort foods for a cool fall day in New England. Here is a classic comfort food, pot roast. I felt that cooking outside on the Dutch oven table would be fun way to make pot roast.

Campfire Pot Roast

I started by lighting a chimney starter full of briquettes. While the briquettes heated up I prepared all my ingredients. I seasoned the chuck roast with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I quartered 2 onions and peeled my carrots and washed my potatoes. I also prepared a bundle of herbs that contained fresh thyme and rosemary. I also had a cup of red wine to deglaze the pot as well as beef stock.

Once the briquettes were gray and hot, I poured them out on the Dutch oven table. I created a layer of briquettes and placed the Dutch oven on top. I added some oil and butter to the Dutch oven. Once the oil and butter started to sizzle, I started to brown the chuck roast on all sides. I removed the chuck roast and started to cook the onions. Next, I deglazed the pan with red wine. Once the wine started to reduce, I placed the chuck roast back in the Dutch oven, added the carrots and potatoes, herb bundle, and beef stock. I placed the lid on the Dutch oven and placed more briquettes on top.

The pot roast cooked for just over three hours. I removed the chuck roast, onions, potatoes, and carrots. I then let the liquid reduce for about 15 minutes. I served the chuck roast with the veggies and broth. The pot roast was juicy and had a great beef flavor. The potatoes and carrots were tender. The onions added a boost of flavor and texture to the dish. The broth was delicious and reducing it at the end concentrated its flavor.

Once again Petromax has got you covered for your next camping or outdoor adventure with their Dutch oven table. Their Dutch oven is rugged enough for the outdoors and stylish to use in your kitchen.

Campfire Pot Roast Recipe

Get The Recipe »

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Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye with Schwank Grill

Steve Nestor, Test Kitchen Director and Photographer Extraordinaire — Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:25:54 +0000

Have you ever wondered how they get the perfect sear on your steak at a steakhouse restaurant? It is the high heat that creates the perfect sear that we all crave. If you are looking to create the ultimate steakhouse experience at home, I have just the steak and the grill for you. In previous blogs, I introduced Planet Barbecue to the large variety of premium steaks from the Holy Grail Steak company. Today, I want to introduce you to the Schwank Grill.

Wagyu Ribeye

To create the perfect steakhouse experience, you need to start with a great steak. Select a steak from Holy Grail Steak’s Wagyu Tour Pack and you’re on your way. I recently received their Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye. It is one of the four 16-ounce steaks in the pack.

The Wagyu Tour Pack consists of one Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye, one Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Strip Steak, one Takamori Japanese A5 Drunken Wagyu Ribeye, and one Takamori Japanese A5 Drunken Strip Steak.

Kobe ribeye is the mount Fuji of Japanese Wagyu beef. The Kobe ribeye weighs is intensely marbled so it melts in your mouth. Kobe beef is rare and is limited to 100 head of cattle exported each year. Kobe beef is A4 to A5 (top grades) only and comes from the top cattle of Hyogo Prefecture. The cattle are humanely raised and harvested with no added hormones or antibiotics.

The Schwank grill

In addition to the Kobe A5 Wagyu ribeye, Holy Grail Steak sent me their new Schwank portable infrared grill. The Schwank grill is fueled with propane and can reach 1500 degrees Fahrenheit to create the ultimate sear on your steak. The intense heat produces a golden and crispy exterior without overcooking your steak. Most steaks can be cooked in less than three minutes, so no waiting to enjoy your steak. Most gas grills only reach 600 degrees.

Here is how it all came together. I set up the Schwank grill; it heated up in minutes. While the grill heated up, I seasoned the steak with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

The Schwank grill has two settings, on and off. You raise or lower the grate to control the heat. Once the grill is hot, move the grate to bottom level and then slide out the grate and place your steak over the logo. The logo is in-line with the burners. Push the grate back in and move the grate up to position your steak about an inch from the burner. The heat at the top setting is about 1500 degrees, the middle setting is about 900 degrees, and the bottom setting is about 500 degrees. There are seven setting total.

Once your steak is positioned under the infrared burner, it will cook in minutes. I positioned the Kode A5 Wagyu steak an inch from the burner at setting number five. The steak cooked for 45 seconds. I then lowered the grate to the bottom level, slid the grate out, flipped the steak and returned the grate to level five and cooked for another 45 seconds. The Kobe A5 Wagyu was only three-fourth of an inch thick, so it cooked quickly. If you have a thicker steak, sear on each side for 90 seconds on each side and then let it finish cooking at a lower level until your desired internal temperature is reached.

Here is one additional step I took to boost the flavor of the steak: Once the steak started to cook, I placed a few pats of butter, a few smashed garlic cloves, and some fresh thyme in the drip pan. The butter melted while the steak cooked and created a compound butter. As the fat renders from the steak, it will fall into the drip pan. Once your steak is done, give it a quick dunk into the butter sauce that is perfumed with fresh thyme, garlic, and flavored with the steak drippings.

I let the steak rest for 5 minutes on a wire rack over a sheet pan.

I sliced the steak into 1/2 inch strips to serve. This might be the tenderest steak I have ever eaten. The Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu ribeye was succulent and flavorful due to the marbling. The butter mixture in the drip pan added one final boost of flavor and freshness to the steak. The high heat of the Schwank grill created the perfect sear. I could see the Maillard reaction taking place under the infrared burners and the steak turning golden brown.

The Kobe A5 Wagyu Steak and the Schwank grill from Holy Grail Steak will allow you to create the ultimate steakhouse experience.

Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye Recipe

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Back to Basics: The 10 Essential Secrets to a Perfect Burger

BarbecueBible.com — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:49:00 +0000

“There’s a lot more future in hamburgers than in baseball.”

Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald’s

The hamburger is the USA’s most revered contribution to the world of barbecue. Nothing can beat the succulence of a thick, hand-formed burger expertly charred over live fire.

But it wasn’t always so. Believe it or not, raw ground beef was promoted as a health food in the 1800s. Later, New York doctor James Salisbury suggested cooked ground beef might be better. (Yes, that’s where we get Salisbury steak.) The beef-patty-on-a-bun attracted a wide audience when introduced at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair (along with cotton candy, waffle cones, peanut butter, and iced tea). Today, we Americans consume over 50 billion annually, the best cooked in backyards from coast to coast.

On the surface, what could be simpler to cook than a hamburger? But we’ve all eaten enough bad burgers to know much can go wrong. Our hard-won tips below will ensure that your family and friends will eat exceedingly well when burgers (and maybe a brew) are on the menu.

10 Burger Tips

If possible, buy freshly ground meat or grind it yourself

We’ll assume you’ve already made friends with your butcher, who can do a custom grind for you, one that will ideally include 80 to 85 percent meat and 15 to 20 percent fat. (Anything leaner, and the burgers will be dry.) Flavorful cuts include chuck, sirloin, boneless short ribs, or brisket. We own a grinder attachment for our KitchenAid mixer, but have also been successful with an old-fashioned hand-cranked grinder that clamps to a kitchen counter or work table. For the best texture, partially freeze the meat; chill the grinder parts, too. Grind the meat twice, or again, ask your butcher to do it.

Realistically, it’s easier to purchase pre-ground beef. Yes, we do it all the time. If not buying locally, we rely on trusted online purveyors like Crowd Cow. Crowd Cow sells Wagyu beef. While it’s an indulgence, it makes fantastic burgers.

Make the patties

A food scale is a handy appliance to have as it helps you make patties that are uniform in size. We prefer patties that are 6 to 8 ounces—more if you plan to use exceptionally large buns—less if you’re making sliders. Lacking a food scale, you can always eyeball the portions. Thoroughly chill the meat before handling, wet your hands with cold water, and handle the meat as little as possible to avoid melting the fat.

Dimple the patty

Using your thumbs or the back of a spoon, put a dimple (about an inch in width) in one side of each patty. This prevents the meat from puffing on the grill, making it more Instagram-worthy. Line a large plate or rimmed sheet pan with plastic wrap, parchment paper, or waxed paper, and arrange the patties on it in a single layer. Cover with additional plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before grilling.

Season generously

We acknowledge that some grill masters season their burger meat with Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, and other aromatics and spices. We like to keep it simple, allowing the beef to shine.

Make an inside-out cheeseburger

That being said, we like to fold grated cheese into the meat before shaping into patties. The cheese keeps the meat juicy and adds extra flavor. About 1 cup per pound of meat is plenty. You can also bury a pat of butter in each patty for extra juice. Season each side of the patties just before grilling with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Steven’s line of rubs are great, too.

Grill it hot

Set up your grill for direct grilling and heat to high. In the best of all worlds, you’d grill over a wood fire. At very least, toss some wood chunks or soaked, then drained wood chips on the coals or on the Flavorizer bars of your gas grill. Keep the burgers refrigerated until you’re ready to grill them. Place the burger patties on the hot grate and grill them until the bottoms are browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a spatula with a thin, sharp blade, turn the burgers and continue grilling the patties until cooked to taste, 4 1/2 to 5 minutes in all for rare, 6 to 7 minutes for medium-rare, and 8 to 9 minutes for medium.

Turn, don’t press

Never press on the burgers with the flat of a spatula—a mistake many people make, unless you want to commit all those wonderful meat juices to the flames. The one exception here is the smash burger, which you cook on a plancha, not the grill. More on that in a future blog.

Cook it safe

For food safety, the USDA recommends all ground meats be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Insert the thermometer probe through the side of the burger, not through the top. This gives you the most accurate reading.

Use a grill dome

For cheeseburgers, place sliced cheese (good cheese, like aged cheddar or provolone) on top the last 2 minutes of cooking. Cover with a grill dome or the lid of a large roasting pan, a trick we learned from our friend and grilling enthusiast Forres Meadows. Butter and toast the buns, if desired, over a medium fire. (Watch carefully.) By the way, buy great buns, preferably from a local bakery.

Build it, and they will come

Place a lettuce leaf on the bottom half of the bun (to keep the bread from getting soggy with the juices). Add the burger, then the tomato (at room temperature, please), pickle and other condiments. We’ll leave the precise configuration to you. This is a great time to introduce your own special sauce—maybe it’s as simple as sriracha or chipotle chiles in adobo stirred into mayo. (We love the Kewpie brand).

Want even MORE burger info and recipes?

The post Back to Basics: The 10 Essential Secrets to a Perfect Burger appeared first on Barbecuebible.com.

Grilling Techniques Archives - Barbecuebible.com

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4. Serving rare burgers.

5. Positioning a grill too close to your house.

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Kobe Japanese A5 Wagyu Ribeye with Schwank Grill

Wagyu Ribeye

The Schwank grill

Back to Basics: The 10 Essential Secrets to a Perfect Burger

10 Burger Tips

If possible, buy freshly ground meat or grind it yourself

Make the patties

Dimple the patty

Season generously

Make an inside-out cheeseburger

Grill it hot

Turn, don’t press

Cook it safe

Use a grill dome

Build it, and they will come