I apologize for waiting until today to display the finished product of yesterday’s labors. We had company. To resume the barbecue discussion: About 6:15, after people had started arriving, I shut down the grill — closed all vents to kill the fire. I left the meat on the grill to move gradually from cooking to resting. Here’s Butt #1, served at about 7:00, I think … Continue reading Memorial Day at Stately Tanner Manor, Washington, DC: The Finished Product

Once the cooking starts, the next eight or nine hours involve managing the heat: low and slow is the rule. I keep it low and slow by controlling the oxygen available for the fire.  I usually do this by adjusting the upper vents, opening them a bit to raise the temperature, and closing them a bit to lower the temperature.  I’ll adjust the lower vents … Continue reading Memorial Day Barbecue, Stately Tanner Manor, Washington, DC: Managing the Heat

It’s 10:00 a.m. and people are coming over at 6:00, which means that we’ll eat somewhere close to 7:00.  It’s time to start cooking. When grilling most things — steaks, chicken, burgers — I wait until all of the coals are fully engaged before I empty the smokestack starter onto the grate.*  That creates far too hot a fire for barbecue.  For barbecue, I empty … Continue reading Memorial Day Barbecue, Stately Tanner Manor, Washington, DC: The Cooking Begins

We’re having a few people over tonight and I’ll be cooking barbecue.  I have the key ingredients: a couple of medium pork butts, about 6.5 pounds each; well-soaked hickory chunks; hickory chips; and French Market coffee (for me, not for the meat): And for the fire, Kingsford Charcoal and a Weber grill (there are no substitutes). I use a smokestack starter which I’ve filled about 5/6ths … Continue reading Memorial Day Barbecue at Stately Tanner Manor, Washington, DC: Preparation