Indirect Grilling/BBQin'

Is your BBQ getting burned? Is it charred on the outside and cold on the inside? Do you have a barrel pit or a small pit that you think can't possibly work for making big cuts of meat such as brisket or shoulder clod? The best way to make great slow cooked BBQ is the indirect method. It's important to remember that if you don't want your meat tough the indirect method will work wonders. This has to do with how you set your fire up and where you position your large cut of meat. If you have a barrel pit pour about half of a large bag of charcoal into it on the left side. Make sure you make a tight hill of your coals. Then fill a chimney starter with more coals and light them. When they have gotten nice and orange along with gray ash pour them over the mound of coals you have made. Give them about 10 minutes with the lid closed and then check the temp. Drop in your choice of soaked wood chips. Feel free to use the ones that you like most. I'm partial to a mixture of wood chips that bring complex flavor to the meat. The temperature in the pit should be between 225 to 250 when you place your brisket or clod in. With your coals close to the door on the barrel it should be easy to add more coal or more wood chips as needed. Keep the temp constant at 225-250 for the next 4 hours. Purists will say not to use a pan when you cook your BBQ but I think moisture can be saved by using a pan that collects the juices. You can flip your brisket using silicone gloves to make sure you have an even smoke ring when it's in the pan. After the 4 hours (maintaining the temp the entire time) you can cover your meat in the pan with foil and leave it in the pit for at least another 2 hours while the fire dies out. Make it a tight seal. This will help tenderize the meat and finish off the cooking process. YES it takes a while! Be patient! It will be worth it! After you take it off the pit, leave it covered and take it inside and set it on the top of your stove. Let the meat rest 1 hour before slicing. No PEEKING! You can precook it like this on the weekend and then reheat it during the week. 1 hour in the oven at 350 totally covered in the pan. It keeps the moisture in. Your meat should be very tender and in some cases may be falling apart. I recommend and 8-12 pound brisket for this. To me the 9-10 pound range is best. But remember to use a size that's in proportion to your pit. Always start with your brisket fat side up for the first 2 hours. The fat that melts off during this time bastes the meat and flavors it as well. For a Weber grill the process is a little more difficult but can be done. The only difference it that you will need to have a grill that lifts up on one side (hinged) to add wood chips and coals. Meat on one side coals on the other. Indirect method. Trust me it works. Feel free to let me know how it turns out. OR better yet bring me a sample! Enjoy your BBQ! Let me know if you have any questions!