Meathead

Because they fly and swim, ducks and geese get even more exercise than chickens and turkeys do and they have more dark meat. Duck breasts are deep purple, almost the same color as lamb or beef. (Location 949)

Take your meat straight from the fridge to the cooker. It is safe, it will warm much faster in the cooker than on the kitchen counter, and remember, cool meat attracts more smoke. (Location 983)

They usually have quite a few ingredients, such as salt, oil, flavorings, and acids. The molecules of each of these ingredients are different sizes. Some are attracted to the chemicals in meats, and some are repelled by them. In a few hours, even overnight, they rarely penetrate more than ⅛ inch. This means that marinades are more effective on thin cuts of meat. (Location 1250)

So put your wine or spirit in a pan, add your aromatics, cook off the alcohol, let it cool, and then pour it over your meat.” I agree heartily. Reduced wine brings exotic flavors to the party. (Location 1287)

The barbecue stall is a simple consequence of evaporative cooling by the meat’s own moisture slowly released over hours from within its pores and cells. As the temperature of cold meat rises, the evaporation rate increases until the cooling effect balances the heat input. Then it stalls, until the last drop of available moisture is gone and the surface is dry like jerky. That’s the bark formation. (Location 1744)

Tomatoes taste amazing when dehydrated in a smoker. (Location 1968)

Trust me. Competition food is so bizarre that eating more than one or two bites becomes a chore. I have heard more than one pitmaster confide that he would never cook like this for friends or family. Remember KISS: Keep It Simple, Students. (Location 1990)

Note: Love this Analogous to other parts of life too It’s the simplicity Reminds of of when we were at Zuma and Ryan Neu asked what’s the best thing we’ve tasted and i said maybe the ribs i made, or other stuff, and he was laughing that it was something i made but it’s true A great bottle of wine, simply prepared high quality food Why do i cook - sometimes i can get something better like the burnt ends at John Brown’s, but it’s because of the learning, the exploration and experimentation, and the quality of ingredients It’s fun and rewarding, and honestly makes the food taste better

Some are boxes such as the popular La Caja China (right). Called “the Cajun microwave,” it encloses the meat in a coffin-like box. (Location 2541)

Note: Ha - growing up i thought this was just an expression, not a brand name for the smoker