BBQ & Smoking

The path

1. 1
   Level 1Free

   Fire and Smoke

   Ribs and pulled pork at your own cookout

   15 Steps, about 51 minutes each. Anyone with a charcoal grill who wants to stop guessing. No smoker or barbecue experience needed.

   1. Chapter 1: Fire. Charcoal lit the right way, a two-zone fire, and burgers, chicken, sausages and a steak cooked to temperature.
   2. Chapter 2: Smoke. A steady 225-275°F held for hours, a smoked chicken, your own rub and sauce, and a rack of ribs.
   3. Chapter 3: Low and slow. A pork butt smoked all day, pulled and sauced, sides made, and a cookout for friends.

   1. 1
      Light a chimney

      Your grill cleaned and checked, and a chimney of charcoal lit without lighter fluid.

      A chimney starter is a metal tube with a handle and a grate near the bottom. You fill the top with charcoal, stuff newspaper underneath and light it. Because hot air rises through the tube, the coals light quickly and evenly, with no lighter fluid. Lighter fluid can leave a chemical taste in food and causes flare-ups, so barbecue cooks avoid it.

      The coals are ready when the top layer is covered in a thin coat of gray ash and you can see orange glowing underneath. That usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.

      The detail beginners miss is the vents. A charcoal grill is a fire you control with air. Open vents let more oxygen in, which makes the fire hotter. Closed vents starve it and cool it down. Before you light anything, open the bottom vents fully and learn how the top vent opens and closes.

      Here's the setup. The grill on a flat, non-flammable surface, well away from the house, fences and branches. Old ash emptied. A chimney filled with briquettes, two crumpled sheets of newspaper underneath, set on the lower grate and lit. Heat-proof gloves on before you touch the chimney's handle.

      Never grill indoors, in a garage or under a covered porch: charcoal makes carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell. Keep water or sand nearby, and only dump ashes when they're completely cold.

      Kanyi's CornerWeber
      Show your group
   2. 2
      Two-zone fire and burgers

      A two-zone fire built, and burgers grilled over direct heat to 160°F.

      AmazingRibs
   3. 3
      Chicken thighs, two ways

      Chicken thighs cooked gently on the cool side, then crisped over the coals, to 175°F.

      Hey Grill, Hey

   See all 15 Steps

   1. 4
      Sausages, vegetables and temps

      Sausages and a tray of vegetables grilled together, every piece checked with the thermometer.

      USDA FSIS
   2. 5
      Reverse-seared steak

      A thick steak cooked gently on the cool side, then seared hot, to the doneness you like.

      Heath Riles BBQGrillseeker
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   3. 6
      A dry run at 250°F

      The snake method set up and held at 225-275°F for two hours, with no food on the grill.
   4. 7
      Smoked spatchcock chicken

      A whole chicken flattened and smoked at about 300°F until it reaches 165°F in the breast.

      Hey Grill, Hey
   5. 8
      Your rub and sauce

      A jar of your own rub and a batch of barbecue sauce, tasted and adjusted.

      AmazingRibs
   6. 9
      Prep the ribs

      A rack of pork spare or baby back ribs trimmed, membrane removed, and rubbed.
   7. 10
      Smoke a rack of ribs

      Your ribs smoked at 250-275°F until tender, sauced, and set in the last half hour.

      Christopher GalazzoSmoked BBQ Source
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   8. 11
      Plan the big cook

      A pork butt bought, trimmed, salted and rubbed, and a timeline for the cook day.
   9. 12
      Smoke the pork butt

      Your pork butt smoked low and slow, through the stall, to 195-205°F.

      Heath Riles BBQHey Grill, Hey
   10. 13
       Rest, pull and sauce

       The pork rested, pulled, seasoned with its juices, and portioned.

       Hey Grill, Hey
   11. 14
       Smoked sides

       A pan of smoked baked beans or another side cooked on the grill alongside meat.

       Hey Grill, Hey
   12. 15
       Host a cookout

       A cookout for friends or family with at least one smoked meat and one grilled dish.

       FoodSafety.gov
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2. Level 2Unlocks after Level 1

   Brisket

   A kettle brisket and burnt ends

3. Level 3Unlocks after Level 2

   Pitmaster

   Whole-hog style cooks and competition ribs

Where it ends: hosting your own cookout

Free lessons in Fire and Smoke come from Kanyi's Corner, Weber, AmazingRibs, Hey Grill, Hey, USDA FSIS, Heath Riles BBQ, Grillseeker, Christopher Galazzo, Smoked BBQ Source, FoodSafety.gov, Barbecue FAQ. We link to their work and never copy it.