16 Mesh Black Pepper

[dotcodotuk]

Looking for some edumacation around black pepper...

I see that 16 Mesh is somewhat ubiquitous in the world of BBQ and I presume its price comes about from the additional processing needed and how fabled it is as the 'proper' ingredient to use, which I believe comes from its particle size being comparable to kosher salt?

Well... we can't get the stuff over here in the UK (unless someone has bought a load in to resell at a massive mark-up) so I'm looking for some advice and guidance on what to use in its place.

We can get 18 Mesh cracked or ground pepper (more on that later) and various options for course ground black pepper, but nothing that seems to hit the marks of the fabled 16 Mesh you can get your hands on.

Some people recommend the Kirkland Course Ground, some people recommend grinding your own and then sieving it, and some insist that buying expensive imported black pepper is the only way to go.

So... what do you use? Do you care about your pepper being 16 Mesh? Do you favour cracked or ground pepper? Do you think fresh makes a difference over pre-packaged?

And does any of this actually make a difference?!

[Finster]

I use the Kirkland course ground. I have no idea what mesh it is. It works for my needs.

[bbq_esq]

Yeah I've never checked the mesh lol but thats what I use, and I suspect many many others do as well. It's not the powder but its also not fresh cracked black pepper.

[Uncle Bob]

This is one of those internet fostered unintended consequences things. The basic message is use coarse ground pepper not fine ground "table" pepper for the sake of texture.

[Panhead John]

Thank you for spelling coarse correctly…….🤓

[texastweeter]

But you MUST wear black nitrile gloves. Any other color will ruin the bark.

[Troutman]

Of 'coarse' it wood......

[58limited]

Don't get too hung up on "mesh" size. As Uncle Bob said just use coarse ground pepper.

[Jfrosty27]

No. It doesn’t matter. Kirkland coarse ground works fine for me.

[jayjordan]

I personally prefer triple screened 15.25 mesh pepper, produced by Tibetan monks. 🤠
But seriously, my understanding of using 16 mesh/coarse pepper is because the smoke molecules stick to the pepper so the more surface area the more smoke molecules stick. You could probably use the available 18 mesh pepper with no problem.

[58limited]

The 15.25 meshTibetan pepper is the best! I just wish I didn't have to fly to Tibet every year to stock up on it.

[dotcodotuk]

You mean to say there's no Monk Mail?! Man, they need to get with the times.

[Troutman]

Yea the tariffs are brutal. I also suggest the 14.875 mesh that's sieved between the the long hair strands of Tibetan llamas.

[Donw]

Ditto above comments. My big box stores sell something they label as restaurant coarse ground pepper in large bottles. No complaints.

[Ace]

Ditto all of the above. 16 mesh and coarse ground are virtually the same in taste, size, performance, bark production, etc. I discard the fine pepper dust that collects at the bottom of the container however. Go with the coarse ground and you'll be fine.

[jfmorris]

I am so glad you asked this dotcodotuk - this is a great question, and something I have wondered about myself for years.

While I can get 16 mesh black pepper, I have never ever bothered to buy any. I just use coarse ground black pepper bought from the local store (Sam's Club) for my rubs, and from other comments, it sounds like that is close enough.

[dotcodotuk]

Thanks for all the replies so far - seeing a lot of comments about ground pepper, but not so many for cracked.

Is that more to do with what people can source locally or a particular preference for one over the other?

I assume cracked is done with pressure and ground is done with some form of cutting edge, with both then being sieved to get the grade down to the magical mesh size?

[Donw]

Going down this rabbit hole you will learn about the Pepper Cannon, which some of us own and can give you cracked pepper at the twist of a dial. Definitely not a necessary but a joy to own when the size of black pepper really matters.

https://mannkitchen.com/products/the-original-pepper-cannon-pepper-mill

[Draznnl]

Add me to the Kirkland Coarse Ground chorus.It's been working fine for my briskets and other BBQ for years.

As to the cracked vs. ground issue, I think the big difference is the extent of commercial availability. Of course, I could be wrong.

[Ace]

Cracked black pepper is large, irregular, and fragments of the peppercorns. Coarse ground black pepper is a little smaller and a more uniform grind. For rubs etc, cracked would be uneven on the surface of the meat and therefor uneven in taste. I stopped using Cracked after biting in to larger pieces of pepper and getting a huge, hot, harsh and overpowering taste blast. As always... YMMV

[dotcodotuk]

But surely cracked or ground that's been sieved to get the 16 Mesh 'appellation' is going to be the same size?

[Michael_in_TX]

Same here.....I pretty much stopped using cracked black pepper for anything except pastrami, and I think I will scale that back and just do a very coarse grind in a spice grinder.

[Ace]

dotcodotuk
Commercially produced is passed through a sieve (for the most part) to produce and sell a more consistent size product. The lower the mesh number, the larger the pieces and the higher the mesh number, the smaller. If you're grinding your own at home, then small batches pulsed seems to work better so that the corns don't get pulverized. When I used to grind my own, I would use a burr grinder as it gives you a more consistent finished size that you can select. Hope that helps... 👍😊

[JCBBQ]

Once I bought 16 mesh pepper but it had very little taste. I always grind my own but thought the size was important. Nope. That was the last ground pepper I ever bought. My philosophy is always grind your own. It’s way better. I use a molcajete when I need a lot of pepper. It’s great at making course as well as fine.

[Skip]

This is what I use from the local Grocery Store.

[JoeSousa]

For brisket and beef ribs I really like to use 16 mesh whenever I can. I am used to the size, used to the feel of it when I sprinkle it, used to how much I need to use, etc. And I think the coarser grind makes the final texture of the bite a bit better.

That said, there is no problem if 18 mesh is all you can get. The Kirkland Coarse Ground is what I use for that and when I make rubs, sauces, etc. that is what I reach for. And for pork, chicken, etc. I don't really like the chunkier 16 mesh.