What was your biggest BBQ "light bulb" moment?

[Skip]

I can't think what to say. The dry brine, fire size, dierct or indirect, the protein cut, seasoning, and of course good thermometer and finally the presentation. AR has taken me on a fun and interesting journey that never seems to end. Thank you Amazing Friends at Amazing Ribs!

[JCBBQ]

Two things. First was joining this site. I was a weekend gas grilling duffer who had only recently stopped burning everything when I discovered this site. Not a lightbulb bc there is sooooo much information and input here from everyone and it takes time to digest it all. I'll say watershed not lightbulb. Second, if I have to pick a lightbulb, though I couldn't pinpoint when it happened, it's when I started to cook with all my senses and not slavishly following a recipe...probably involves understanding how my cookers work too.

[kjbarth]

One was soaking wood chips. I used to soak in beer. Why? Because some recipe said to. Then I found this site and learned. I'm a little embarrassed to say that I'm a "science/engineering" guy and I don't know why this didn't strike me as wrong.

But my biggest thing was thinking I couldn't produce good BBQ. Brisket, pulled pork, ribs, really intimidated me and I thought one had to be some super chef to produce. I didn't even try for a long time. Then I learned (light bulb) here that it could be done without a chef background and no huge investment and I was off and running.

[Spinaker]

To add another moment for me......
Realizing that a good clean fire is essential. That is, clear smoke is better than billowing white smoke. While one might think the more smoke, the better.........it is quite the opposite. You have time to add smoke, so do it slowly and bring on that clean smoke!

[Philotius]

Mis en place. Without a doubt is the most useful skill I am trying to train into myself. Being "home schooled" in cooking, I only learned of it through my bbq adventures.
I can’t say how many times I forgot to add that last ingredient, how many things went a little too long on the heat because I was mincing garlic. It still happens, but yes - continuous improvement. Have your $H17 ready to go.

[hoovarmin]

This is a great point. Mis en place is a concept that helped me in the kitchen as a younger man and that I applied to other areas of my life. It changed everything.

[Philotius]

@Hooverman your right! It’s a life altering concept. I think that’s the "A HA" of it for me. So intuitive and simple that it escaped conscious intention.

[volsmoker]

Yes, Mis en place for sure!

[volsmoker]

Finding this website was a big light bulb moment for me. I have learned so much here, proud to be a charter member and looking forward to many more years to come!

[RickyBobby]

This website for sure is at the top of my educational moments. Beyond that? Thermometers and monitoring temp Vs. Time. I wouldn’t say that I’m "killing it" or anything, but I’m certainly producing FAR better Q than I used to!

[TripleB]

I've thought about this question and for me I can not think of a "light bulb moment". A light bulb moment is like a 'revolutionary moment', going one way and then doing a 180d turnaround. Having been cooking/grilling/smoking for a long time, my experience is more 'evolutionary', changing over a long period of time.

Grilling steaks is an example of evolutionary process. I initially learned from my father, who would time and poke a steak for doneness. This led to cutting a steak to check for doneness, then moving on to using a cheap thermometer and then on to a good digital thermometer, seasoning properly, learning how to pick out good steaks and where on the cow I want my ribeye steak to come from, then on to dry brining hours before and using non-salt rubs just before going on the grill, grilling front sear and finishing indirect (yes, front sear for steaks and small roasts is better than rear searing), keeping the meat moist with a fat to keep it from drying out the exterior.

My evolutionary cooking progress touches many other areas like smoking meat, making sausage and good broths, how to manage a fire, making a good roux, etc.

[Johnny Booth]

I always had a grill, but sometimes the partying was more important than the eating. I was always trying to save the food from drying out while everyone else partied. One time, to slow down the cook, I decided to turn on the left burner and put the ribs on the right side covered tightly in a foil pan, with some apple juice. I figured when people were ready, I could quickly heat them up and sauce them.

Ah HA! The ribs were great and I figured out two-zone cooking, wrapping, and ‘the hold’.

1 year later I bought a charcoal offset, 10 years after that, the stick burner. 😎

[Whiskeyman53]

For me it was two fold. Both have to do with less is better. First, less salt heavy rub on the protein . Meathead's salt free rub recipes are what I mostly use allowing me to control the salt through a dry brine. Second has to do with less time over direct heat, more reverse searing and use of a thermometer rather than a watch and feel to determine doneness .

[rlozinak]

The big moment for me was just lately using a dry brine for chicken. The chicken came out so juicy. It was amazing. From then on I use a dry brine for all the chicken and meats I cook. Then of course was cooking to temp.

[MsTwiggy]

Save the fat you trim from your beef to render into tallow. It's the best cooking fat there is. I cook everything in tallow now and love it. I have made pie crust out of it and it's incredible. SERIOUSLY, y'all should be doing this!!

[TBoneJack]

My biggest "Light Bulb" moment was when I realized that injecting meat is a waste of time. It adds and changes flavor that does not need to be added or changed, and any residual moisture it adds in the final result contributes to "mushiness".

KCBS competition cooks striving for a canned "flavor profile" expected by the judges might benefit from injecting, but I much prefer a natural meat flavor. I'm a former KCBS judge who prefers Aaron Franklin's brisket to any KCBS brisket I ever judged.

[Richard Chrz]

Ken Forkish book on bread, he stated time and temp are ingredients, use them as such. It instantly transferred over to smoking and grilling.

[smokenoob]

🤔🤔🤔 like ^

[sawzal]

Wow, where to begin. Don't soak your your wood. Searing does not trap in juices but is the wonderful flavor from the Maillard reaction. An instant thermometer is your best friend. Two zone cooking is the way to control the temp. Could to on and on. Thanks everyone for all the advise and improving my cooking.