Stop the basting, mopping, and spritzing. Just cut it out.

[bacardi]

http://www.amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/stop_basting.html

 

[TulsaJeff]

While this sounds good and it may be scientifically proven to be true.. are folks really gonna stop playing with their food while it cooks? Probably not

Interesting read indeed.

 

[bacardi]

Good point!  See the majority of people saying they spritzed XXX times.  The most important thing to remember if you choose to spritz is to increase cooking time 10-20 minutes per spritz, depending on your smoker.

 

[plj]

I strongly agree with that article.

Jeff, I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. Knowledge works wonders, people do change behavior.  Take this forum for example... the knowledge gained here has changed the way many of us (myself included!) do things, for the better.

 

[corn cob]

The article is full of holes ~~ Misinformation, opinion, myths, some elementary truths that have nothing to do with basting/mopping.

To keep my blood pressure under control...My last comment on the diatribe will be....

Kool-Aid...THINK before you drink!!

Cheers!

 

[TulsaJeff]

No worries.. I was being slightly humorous with that statement. I do agree that we all learn as we go and should never stop learning better ways of doing things.
 

I strongly agree with that article.

Jeff, I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree. Knowledge works wonders, people do change behavior.  Take this forum for example... the knowledge gained here has changed the way many of us (myself included!) do things, for the better.

 

[smoke_chef]

The article is full of holes ~~ Misinformation, opinion, myths, some elementary truths that have nothing to do with basting/mopping.

To keep my blood pressure under control...My last comment on the diatribe will be....

Kool-Aid...THINK before you drink!!

Cheers!

I sure don't want your blood pressure to spike but I'm very interested in your dispute. This has the potential to be the conversational thread of the year. It's a concept that goes against the way 90% of us smoke meat. Let's shoot it full of holes or discover scientific fact that will help us make a higher quality product.

@ Bacardi... thanks for posting the link. By posting it, does this mean you subscribe to this theory? Or just throwing it out for conversation? I have to say, I'm totally on the fence about it. It makes sense... but then, how could it be that so many BBQers have been getting "wrong" for so long??

 

[Abigail4476]

Well, it depends on the meat and the desired outcome, IMO.  Some meats you want to crust up, so mopping/basting might not be the best idea.  Others can develop a significant taste difference by the application of a mop throughout cooking--and science aside, that's just what my mouth told me when my tastebuds weighed in with their opinions.  

  

In spite of the link posted, Meathead still recommends a mop recipe elsewhere on his site, with instructions to mop every hour while cooking.  So is he opposed to it or not?  Actually, the article clarifies that he's only opposed to mopping with thin solutions that roll right off the duck's back, so to speak.  He still supports marinading prior to cooking, basting with thicker sauces, heavily spiced basting solutions and glazing toward the end of cooking.  

From the article:  

"We are adding some flavor. Maybe.  Thick barbecue sauces, like Kansas City style sauces, have tons of flavor and they sit right on the surface and stay there. They bring a lot to the party. But they should not be added until the last minute. Read my article on Saucing Strategies. Some bastes, especially those with lots of salt and sugar and spices will form a layer of flavor or even seep into open pores. But thin bastes like beer or wine or apple juice usually don't have much flavor, and don't penetrate very deeply. If we've marinated the meat, we've probably gotten about as much flavor into the meat as you can. The tradeoff for this small amount of flavor can be negated by the bad things that can happen by basting. Especially on thick cuts of meat like pork shoulder or beef brisket."

 

[ifitsdeadsmokeit]

i've never been a spritzer on anything, it comes down to if you like to spritz then go ahead, if not then dont bother.  I dont spritz for the sole reason that I lose too much heat in the chamber by opening it up, plain and simple. In my opinion, if you foil your meat anyway, spritzing doesnt add much....some good info on the site, like a few of his recipes.  Interesting reviews on smokers.  That is what is great about smoking, do it how you like your food to come out.  Kinda like brining....I hear everyone hear rant and rave about doing it.  I personally dont care much for it and prefer injecting...and it still comes out juicy and tastes great....everything is about personal preferences.

 

[smoke_chef]

bump... there has to be more opinions on this.... surely??

 

[richoso1]

"We don't need no stinkin' spritz"- editor of the Dry Gulch Saloon Review.

 

[chefrob]

i the past i haven't spritz, mopped,or basted.....but recently i have tried an olive oil/margrine baste on my ribs (only) a little past the 1/2 way mark with good results. i don't care for a "water" based liquid like beer/juice etc. cuz i don't want to wash away any fat.

 

[herkysprings]

I will say that with the smokers I have, and how they run, I do like to rotate my food. I've noticed much more consistant and improved results with that. At the time when I rotate I'll spray on some apple juice for a number of reasons.

One of the more interesting things I've found is that my Cheery Kool-Aid rib rub + an hourly spray of liquid allows the rub to turn into a thick paste almost a sauce. I contribute that to the kool aid + liquid mixing together. Its not quite a sauce, and not a bark, but some weird inbetween.

 

[pit 4 brains]

I don't spritz.. Tried it a few times and found that not only is it a pain in the butt, but it wreaks havock on my drum and my chargriller (which is too small and thin to handle the blowout of smoke). I have found that my best meast come out when I wring my hands and resist opening the lid. For ribs on my drum, I'm going in the direction of not foiling at all. I just don't think it's necessary and i want to avoid the temp spike that happens twice. 

As far as the article, I agree with most of the information, and appreciate what the author is trying to express. There's more than one recipe for a boiled egg so it's up to each individual to cook as they like.

I do apply any sauces at the end as mentioned. This is the best way to please the crowd and make it appear that you smoked tailor-flavored ribs just for them. Just remember to take the brush from the plainest sauces to the sweeter ones then to the spicey ones..

Who would baste meat with a marinade or sauce that had raw meat in it without boiling first? That was a rediculous remark in the article..

 

[alblancher]

I'm not a spritzer, I'm a mopper.  I recycle all those drippings that fall into the aluminum pan I place under the meats.  After mopping a couple of times with the basting sauce of choice the drip pan has normally accumulated a pretty concentrated menagerie of rub spices, baste and meat drippings.  A little apple juice to deglaze and back onto the meat it goes.

 

[wntrlnd]

The article makes sense to me.  I just started smoking so I'm not married to any particular method yet.

One observation, however: even if spritzing adds time to the cook (which can be partially offset by temporarily opening the vents a little ahead of time), there's no big harm done there.  So it takes a little longer *shrug.*   If we were in a hurry we'd be using the grill.  (LOL) 

And maybe the article underestimates the intereaction of thin spritzing agents like apple juice with the rub, and also with the meat juices.  And if your spritz has alcohol (say, whiskey, for example), that's another whole subdivision of Flavor Town that doesn't appear on Meathead's map.

 

[smoke_chef]

The article makes sense to me.  I just started smoking so I'm not married to any particular method yet.

One observation, however: even if spritzing adds time to the cook (which can be partially offset by temporarily opening the vents a little ahead of time), there's no big harm done there.  So it takes a little longer *shrug.*   If we were in a hurry we'd be using the grill.  (LOL) 

And maybe the article underestimates the intereaction of thin spritzing agents like apple juice with the rub, and also with the meat juices.  And if your spritz has alcohol (say, whiskey, for example), that's another whole subdivision of Flavor Town that doesn't appear on Meathead's map. 

Well said...

I still don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. But I sure am glad Barcardi got it going.

 

[bacardi]

By posting it, does this mean you subscribe to this theory? Or just throwing it out for conversation? I have to say, I'm totally on the fence about it. It makes sense... but then, how could it be that so many BBQers have been getting "wrong" for so long??

I think half my posts have been anti-spritzing posts, lol.  Many say "my 3-2-1-ribs are tough, I spritz every 45mins, should I spritz more?".  Repeatedly I mentioned all smokers are not alike, an electric like a MES suffer heavy heat loss compared to a ceramic BGE and if you choose to spritz, to increase your cook time. 

The real question is why spritz?  Softens the bark, most of liquid evaporates and increase the cooking time.  If you want to add flavor spritz AFTER the ribs/butt are done and off the smoker.

 

[pineywoods]

To each their own I sometimes spritz and sometimes don't. As for adding time to the smoke that would depend on the smoker. Many spritz when the smoker is open to add charcoal or wood. As like many things in smoking its a matter of personal preferences

 

[TulsaJeff]

I spritz sometimes and sometimes I just don't fool with it. I want it to be a hands off kind of thing. Other times, it's cherry juice and grape juice mixed 50:50 and I as well as others can definitely tell a difference in flavor. Some of the flavor and sugars do stick and it affects the outcome no doubt.

Whether I spritz or whether I don't does not affect the bark on the meat that I cook.. maybe I'm doing something else along the way that remedies that problem but I can tell you that the bark is good regardless and is not soft in any way. I can say this of a certainty when using the ECB, the WSM, the GOSM, the Bradley, the MasterBuilt and my big wood fired horizontal offset on a trailer.

The only time my bark is soft is when I wrap it in foil or cover it in some way so that steam is able to play a part in the tenderizing process.

I can only refer to how things affect me when I am cooking.. I certainly cannot speak for other folks' experiences.

As far as cook time.. if low and slow is the game that I choose to play then time is of no concern most of the time. I have always been aware and ok with the fact that every time I raise the lid I am probably adding about 10-15 minutes. That's just more beverage and more time in the lounge chair.. maybe an extra nap if I'm lucky

I understand the concern that's been raised however I just don't see it as a concern and based on my personal past experience and what I have logged, I will continue to spritz anytime I'm in the mood to do so. It just works great for me and I would be doing myself a disfavor in some instances to cut out that step.

I'm just speaking of my personal experience.. if your experience is different then by all means do what works for you. That's what makes this so fun!!