The 1 Minute BBQ Chef, How to create a BBQ Sauce in 1 Minute

Homemade BBQ Sauce

We spend a lot of time making barbecue.  We also spend a lot of time making bbq sauce, dry rubs and great condiments.  And even though we are famous for our sauces and seasonings a lot of people have not heard of us.  Which can and does work in our favor because once they find out what our products are we tend to collect a following of those folks.

But beyond that I thought about someone who might just step into their home and have this great piece of chicken and a barbecue grill or oven but no sauce on hand to get that chicken done.  So, let's fix that by teaching you one of quickest bbq sauce recipes I know.  The first thing to do is assemble all of the ingredients so that they are right in front of you. You may choose to go out and collect some additional spices or maybe tomato sauce.  Either way once you have all of the ingredients in front of you the actual blending should take no more than 1 minute.  Let's get started.

First, what do we know about bbq sauce?  We know that better than 70% of the bbq sauces that exist start with 4 or 5 common elements.  So, most sauces start with things like acids in the form of tomatoes, paste or purees. Vinegar's are introduced in the form of Apple Cider or Red or White Wine. Peppers play a big part in the form of coarse black or ground white along with Salts in the form of Kosher, table or sea salt. Mustard's either in yellow or stone ground versions and Spices such as cumin, oregano, paprika, turmeric or other all have their role to play in making our sauce flavorful. 

Say you have these ingredients at home but here's the key and I might add the critical part of this is knowing the proportions of these ingredients to mix.  Well I like to start with the biggest item at the top then work my way down to the smallest.  Since most bbq sauces are tomato based we'll start with at least 60% of the base in the form of tomato sauce or tomato puree.  Followed by liquids let's add some additional liquid to the mix to keep the sauce thin.  So, we'll add at least 10% water or lemon juice.

For my mix I'll be using water but I just wanted to give you an option with the lemon juice as a flavoring. Followed by the sugars such as molasses, brown sugar or some form of syrup.  Let's focus in on 10% for the sugar related items.  So far that brings us to 80%.  So next we'll look to Vinegar's as they aid in the marination process.  We'll add 5% in the form of Apple Cider Vinegar. Following that we'll focus on Salts, this is critical because we don't want the result to be too salty or too spicy.  But we do want to taste more salt than pepper unless you're really into pepper.  So, we'll add in 5% salt in the form of Kosher salt.  If you have table salt you'll want to cut that amount in 1/2 as table salt or the sodium level of table salt is about twice that of Kosher salt.  After the salt we'll focus on peppers, let's add about 3% in the form of coarse ground black pepper.  We want some bite but not too much so 3% should be right on the money.  And last but not least spices.  Up to now we have sort of a briny sweet liquid with a heavy base of tomatoes and some sweetness that comes through from the sugars.  So let's get some spices into the mix by adding in 3% paprika for smokiness and flavor along with a 1% mix of oregano.  And while we're at it we'll add a savory palate expanding note by adding 1% onion powder and 1% garlic powder, 1% olive oil.  Now I might add a subtle substitution is possible here.  If you want your sauce to come out somewhat smoky in flavor you can trade 1% of the paprika for 1% of liquid smoke.  The smoke will round out the flavor and give you that nose tickling note that most people expect when they taste barbecue sauce.

The total percentages add to 100%.  With everything in the bowl let's go ahead and mix that.  Take a separate teaspoon and take a quick taste.  If you like it more spicy, increase the pepper, more salty then move up the salt mix, sweeter or more tomatoes then you know what to do.

Take the mix and put into a small pot and cook until it comes to a boil.  Turn off the heat stirring continually then allow the mixture to mature for about 5 minutes.  Once matured you can use it right away.

So let's recap with the 1 minute formula.  Let's say I want to make a jar of the sauce so we'll use this 10 ingredient 1 minute formula.

8 Ounces tomatoes sauce or puree
1/4 cup Molasses or brown sugar
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Olive Oil

Optional: Liquid smoke



After boiling allow the blend to mature for about 5 minutes then baste on your favorite chicken while on the grill.  Or marinate the chicken in the sauce as you prepare the grill.

This blend takes about 1 minute to put together and about 5 minutes to come to boil.  As you complete and test the sauce you'll be able to adjust the recipe as needed.  But this is the quickest 1 minute barbecue sauce formula around.

Enjoy.

Jake's Famous Foods

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce and Sriracha Meatball Marinade

Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Sauce and Sriracha Meatball Marinade

We've performed literally hundreds of demonstrations for our products over the years.  We've always tried to have some form of sampling meat similar to products that are often shared at Costco or Sam's Clubs.  We've tried Chicken, Fish, Pulled Pork, Turkey slices, chips, bread and pretty much every other form of textured product we can get our hands on.  But the product that seemed to drive our customers crazy into a buying frenzy was something we discovered quite by accident.

We are the makers of some pretty awesome Buffalo Wing Sauce, and Barbecue Sauce along with some outstanding award-winning Ketchup and Sriracha Ketchup.  We were using our standard Crockpot with our pretty much average turkey meatballs.  We use turkey meatballs because they are pretty much neutral when it comes to taste.  In addition, turkey meatballs then to absorb pretty much whatever we can throw at them in terms of sauces.  After about 45 minutes of submersion, they will pretty much taste on a one to one basis just like the sauce they were marinated within.  So for this latest recipe, we decided to combine two different sauces together.  We took our altogether favorite Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce and our Sriracha Ketchup and blended those two together to get this amazingly sweet and spicy ketchup and barbecue sauce combination.

Sriracha BBQ Sauce and Meatballs

We tested different portion sizes and blend levels to work out just the right ratio of sweet to heat and now we think we've got it.  By blending 1 bottle of Jake's Famous Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce to 1/2 bottle of Jake's Famous Sriracha Ketchup you're sure to get just the right amount of creamy, spicy sauce combined and absorbed into a 24 unit bag of Turkey meatballs.  Cut the meatballs in half to help them absorb the sauces even better.  Also, smaller meatballs are easier to chew especially for the little ones.

A word about Jake's Famous Sriracha Ketchup.  This ketchup is a blend of Jake's natural Ball Park Ketchup built on a firm foundation of juicy sun-ripened tomatoes, natural cane sugar, Kosher salt, vinegar, and spices.  That natural ketchup is combined with a natural blend of Sriracha hot chili sauce.

Now we know that there are a lot of meatballs out there but we've found it best to use the standard turkey and not the Italian or seasoned versions.  Each version although great alone will not absorb the sauces in the right way or produce the perfect level of taste.  Stick to the standard and you'll have your guests cheering when all is said and done.  Here's how blending recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Meatballs

Ingredients
1 Bottle Jake's Famous Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce
1/2 Bottle Jake's Famous Sriracha Ketchup
1 Bag (24) Turkey Meatballs
1 Crockpot

Instructions

1. Turn the Crockpot on to High for 5 minutes. Add the Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce and the Sriracha Ketchup and let rest for 20 minutes as the temperature rises in the pot.

2. While the pot is rising in temperature thaw the meatballs and cut in half.

3. After 25 minutes place the meatballs in the Crockpot.  Allow the meatballs to marinate in the Crockpot for at least 30 minutes.  The longer the marinating process the more complete the taste.

4. Note: Cooking the meatballs for longer than two hours in the pot will have a tendency to toughen the meatballs.  So, keep the marinating time to at least 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours.

Time: 55 minutes

Recipe Serving Ideas: Serve with Chips or with vegetables and mashed potatoes.  For an even more unique taste add 1/4 teaspoon of grated orange zest over the meatballs while on the serving plate.

SEND JAKE'S FAMOUS Barbecue Sauces, Dry Rubs and Condiments

 

Jake's Famous Good Mild BBQ Sauce

At Jake’s Famous Foods we make barbecue sauce, but not just any barbecue sauce.  We make the natural stuff, the stuff that doesn't have any wild chemical names or strange additives.  We make the bbq stuff that's not only good looking but good for you.  We've spent the last 15 years working on ways to improve the taste and flavor of barbecue.  We know this may sound like tooting our own horn but how else would the average person know that we create these exceptional products unless we tell them.  In the world of barbecue there's stuff you make at home, stuff you make and sell at the store, stuff you make at competitions, and stuff that everyone has heard about.  We've moved into the buy at the store and the everyone has heard about category thanks to some focused partners who believe in bringing the very best products to their customers.

Our business started on the central coast of California a whole world away from the plush spots commonly known for barbecue like Dallas, Austin, Lexington, Kansas City, Memphis and more.  But just the same we who are descendants of parents from Arkansas spent time on the road delving deep into the world of barbecue.  On the road, we've had fried gator, fried duck, fried deer and just about every other concoction that has ever be fried.  But when it came to barbecue we paid extra special time to some of the dingiest looking sheds with the world's greatest barbecue in places like Kissimmee, and Tuscaloosa, Durham and Lawrence all with an eye toward finding just the right taste of barbecue from that region.  Well we did so and we brought home our inspired recipes and blend them into every bottle and jar of our barbecue sauces, dry rub seasonings, and award-winning condiments.

So when we say "Send Jake's Famous Barbecue Sauces, Dry Rubs and Condiments" what we're really saying is send over 50 years of experience in creating bbq sauces that envelope the appetite as well as the meat.  Send 50 years of memories all rolled into the essence of liquid sauces that every guest can enjoy.  And send to your friends and family the very best that we have to offer in the form of our sauces, seasonings, and condiments.

We've learned some new and exciting things over the last 15 years each of which has been translated into improving the flavors of our barbecue sauce.  Our sauces have become more natural, more flavorful, more versatile with hundreds of formulated recipes that anyone can use.  And our sauces have become friendlier, easier and more convenient to order.  Gone are the days of telephone customer service and in are the days of fast, quick and efficient ordering bbq sauce online.

One of the key things we learned from our customers is that you want more choices.  You want better offerings that are not only value-focused but product mix focused on that you want to see more sauce and dry rub packages.  And you want to see more dry rub package multiples.  Along with the Specials you want to have more recipes that are easier to read and use.  When you order bbq sauce online you want to get right to the business of getting the products you want.  You don't want a lot of alternate material that might affect the order.  Along with the mix when you order bbq sauce online you want to know that it will deliver in a timely method and won't be stuck in some transit system or warehouse.

We've heard our customer and now to order bbq sauce online we access our website, go to the key areas of interest then select the products you want. We've given you the option of making with order with or without your email information. In the long run it is better to provide the information as order information and receipts are passed through the email. As fate does happen sometimes an order can get lost or data packet incorrectly delivered within email. And for a critical item like bbq sauce, we would not want to see you disappointed. After the order process, walk through the shipping information making all necessary selections. Once completed finalize your personal information and cover the payment area. And for reading this post we're going to give you our active 10% discount code 1707200910. Use this code to secure that discount when you order bbq sauce online and when you check out of the website. Once triggered the discount is applied and the order processed. It's just that easy to order bbq sauce online with Jake's Famous Foods.

We built a number of products that are focused on smooth, rich flavors and high-quality taste. We've prepared mild, medium and hot barbecue sauces along with our more direct blends of maple, bourbon, and habanero. We knew that our customers would want sauces that are savory with hints of sweetness and balanced flavors but all in all they wanted a sauce that was tasty. We decided we’d create a product that was not only savory and subtle with hints of sweetness but one that was natural and good for you as well. Too often we hear talk about the carbohydrates and the sodium content of products but what does that really mean to the average barbecue eater that might at best have bbq 3 times a year during the summer months. No matter we set out to take the worry out of our bbq sauce and not only made it natural but also made it gluten free. Now everyone can have the taste of barbecue anytime they want to without the concern related to gluten or the bloated feeling that comes from corn syrup.

We named our first bbq Jake’s Righteous Original Mild and later deemed it Southern style based on its characteristic use of molasses. Today based on the volume of comments we receive we call it Jake’s Famous Really Good Mild BBQ Sauce. It is a welcomed addition to our balance of natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale.

So you see Sending Jake's Famous BBQ Sauces, Dry Rubs and Condiments is easier than ever.  Below we’ve listed our key natural barbecue sauces that you can send online. These all represent the best of our barbecue sauces for sale.

Really Good Mild Barbecue Sauce

Really Nice Medium Hot Barbecue Sauce

Really Hot Barbecue Sauce

Maple Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Memphis Blues Barbecue Sauce

Texas Style Inspired Barbecue Sauce

Our finest bbq sauces for sale are available when you order bbq sauce online on our website Jake's Famous Foods. See our natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale today.

Now that you've received the best barbecue sauce, how do you use it?  We'll easily, we've added a great recipe for Barbecue Chicken Breasts that's can be used with any of our sauces.  The process is simple and uses 99% of the items you probably already have on hand.  Try either of these unique recipes to create an awesome barbecue.

Barbecue Chicken Breasts
Ingredients

• 1/4 Cup Cilantro - Chopped
• 1/4 Cup Green Onion - Chopped
• 2 T Ginger - minced
• 1/4 Cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 Cup Oyster Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Rice Wine
• 2 T Honey
• 2 T Sesame Oil
• 2 T Chili Sauce
• 1 Cup Jake's Original Barbecue Sauce

Chicken and Mushrooms

• 4 Chicken breasts - Whole with Skin,
• 1/ Pound Mushrooms - Shiitake or Portabello
• 12 Tortillas - Corn or Wheat
• 1/4 Cup Hoi Sin Sauce

Combine all barbecue sauce ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Marinate chicken in half of the sauce for at least 15 minutes but not longer than 2 hours. Clean mushrooms. Grill Chicken (skin side down) over medium heat for 6 minutes. Brush with marinade, turn and grill the other side for another 6 minutes or until centers are no longer pink. Cut into strips. Meanwhile, brush the mushrooms with the reserved marinade and grill until they soften, about 3 minutes per side. If using Portabello mushrooms, cut into strips.

Serve warmed tortillas, or Chinese wrappers, chicken, mushrooms and Hoi Sin Sauce for guests to assemble.

Interested in more Grilling options? Try Jake's Famous California Chicken Rub.

Marinade for Pork Ribs (marinade pour côte de porc barbecue)

Marinating is the process of placing meats and other items into a solution that allows it to be absorbed into the item.  In our case soaking foods such as meats and

Marinade sauce on bbq

vegetables in a seasoned liquid processed a wonderful flavor and tenderizes the meats all at the same time.  To achieve the tenderness in most cases some acidic element like citrus juice or vinegar is added in combination with a series of sugars and salts.  Natural elements like pineapple, papaya, ginger, vinegar, lemon, and citrus are many times the base of the marinade which can speed up the process of marination all with the primary focus of tissue breakdown and absorption of marinade flavors. 

Marinating meat can be one of the simplest and easiest ways of bringing flavor to foods. The only real limitation is "time". Planning ahead is crucial to determining the tenderness and importation of flavor that meats experience. In this post we discuss some suggestions regarding the use of marinades.  But to get you off to a great start we have listed a number of key marinade recipes we used and tried with success.  We like experimentation so we do our best to try as many options as possible.

Effective marinating is based on the amount of time allowed and the degree of acidic elements in the marinade.  Time-wise marinating can take as little as 1 hour to overnight if desired.  Primarily the amount of time required for marinating is related to the size of the cut.  Chickens typically take a minimum of two hours and can also take as long as eight depending on the flavor profile and similar to beef marinating.

There are some basic common sense rules that one can use to ensure that you get the maximum use out of your marinade.

• First, consider the type of container to be used when marinating. Marinate meat in a glass, heavy plastic or heavy plastic bags. Using metal aluminum and copper containers may cause the marinades' acidity to react with aluminum or copper and cause both the metal and the meat to darken leaving behind a metallic taste.
• Remove the meat after marinating and discard the leftover liquid.
• Use about 1/4 cup of marinade per pound of meat. For example, for 2 pounds of beef or chicken strips, use 1/2 cup of marinade.
• Make extra marinade and set it aside if you want some of the mixture for basting.
• Planning ahead by starting the marinade in the morning before work or school will ensure that the meat is properly marinated by the end of the day.
• Once the meat is prepared and covered with the marinade place the meat covered, in the refrigerator.
• Don't leave meat in marinade longer than 12 hours. Over-marinating can make the meat mushy.
• Never allow marinating meat to sit out at room temperature -- even for a short period of time.
• Discard all marinade that has touched raw meat. Do not use it in cooking.
• DON'T use marinade from raw meat or fish as a sauce.
• DON'T reuse leftover marinade for other food.

Try teriyaki marinade for an Asian dish, a red-wine based marinade for steak or a yogurt-based marinade for a Middle-Eastern dish.

We've assembled 14 of our best marinade recipes for your use.  Just following the ingredient gathering process and blend accordingly.  Keep in mind the size of meat or type of meat desired for marinating and the time on hand to get the marination process completed.

Cilantro Pork Marinade

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Ground Chilies (New Mexico)
• 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
• 6 Garlic Cloves Mashed
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 3/4 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
• 2 tablespoons Adult Beverage either Tequila or Beer (Optional and not actually necessary)
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Oregano
• 1 Cup Chopped Cilantro

Blend ingredients and apply in a container.  For best results allow the marinade to work for 2 or more hours.

Basic Pork Marinade

Ingredients

• 1-3 Pork Ribs
• 1 Jake's Maple Bourbon Marinade Glass or Plastic Sealable Container

Bourbon Pork Marinade:

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Racks of Pork Ribs
• 1/4 cup of either bourbon (inexpensive is fine) sparkling cider, sparkling grape juice
  1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Cuban Pork Marinade

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced oregano (2 teaspoons dried oregano)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin Kosher salt and pepper
• 3 racks of Ribs

Blend and cover your steak and let rest for a minimum of 2 hours.

Carne Asada Pork/Rib Marinade

Ingredients

• 2 Limes Juiced
• 4 Cloves Garlic Crushed
• 1/2 Cup Orange Juice
• 1 Cup Cilantro Chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Jalapeno minced
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
• 1 - 2 Racks of Ribs

Blend all ingredients and place in container or bag.  Insert flank steak and let marinate overnight.  Remove steak from marinade and barbecue.  Discard marinade after use. 

Honey Mustard Marinade

Ingredients:
1 Rack of Ribs

For Marinade

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix all ingredients except ribs in a pan and bring to boil. Lower heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes. Place Ribs in a container and cover with marinade. Soak Ribs for three hours until tender. If desired, Ribs can be soaked overnight for a better taste.

Lemon Zest Pork recipe makes quick work of basic ingredients turning them into a wonderful meal good for dinner or barbecue.

Ingredients

• 1-2 Racks of Pork Ribs
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 1 Tbsp Jake's seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2-3 Tbsp melted butter
• Lemon slices for garnish

Bourbon Marinated Pork Ribs recipe is delicious with the subtle flavor of bourbon marinated throughout the ribs.

Ingredients:

• 1-2 Racks of Ribs
• 1/4 cup of either bourbon (inexpensive is fine) sparkling cider, sparkling grape juice
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Hawaiian Soy Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1-¹⁄₄ cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. Asian sesame oil
• ¹⁄₄ tsp. crushed red chili flakes
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 lb. pork baby back ribs
• 1 -2 piece peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

Gochujang (Spicy Asian) Marinated ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 Rack of Ribs
• 2 Tablespoons Salt
• 3 Tablespoons Ginger Powder
• 1 Cup Gochujang Paste
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 Large Onions
• 2 Asian Pears
• 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
• 1 Cup Tamarind Concentrate
• 1/2 Cup Ketchup
• 3 Tablespoons Garlic Minced

Wine marinated pork ribs:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 Cup Dry Red Wine or Grape Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Rack of Pork Ribs

Candied Pork Ribs Marinade

Ingredients:

• 1 Rack of Pork Ribs
• 1-1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Jake's Famous Tri-Tip, Steak and Rib Rub
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 1 Cup Honey

European/French Style Marinated Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup White Wine
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Stone Ground Mustard
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

Asian Teriyaki Marinade

Ingredients

• 1 Clove Minced Garlic
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 5 Tablespoons White Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Corn Starch
• 1-1/2 Cups Tap Water
• 1/4 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes (If Desired)
• 1/2 Teaspoon Onion Powder (If Desired)

Blend ingredients and marinate ribs for a minimum 2 hours. 

Here's our video on making and alternate Asian Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce:

Soy-Dijon Marinade

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 2 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire

Blend together and multiply ingredients depending on size of pork ribs.

Greek Pork Marinade

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 1 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup Lemon juice
• 3 Cloves Garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary

Blend ingredients together and place in a container with Pork Ribs marinating for 2 hours minimum.

Our bbq rubs and sauces for sale can be seen online through our website Jake's Famous Foods. Get our natural bbq rubs and sauces for sale today.

SHOULD Grill Vents be OPENED or CLOSED for grilling?

Questions on BBQ Vents

We've been asked this question in so many forms that it begs an answer. 

And that answer is YES!  BBQ Vents should be Open when grilling. 

But after that question usually comes the next question, By How Much? 

To answer this question we really need to understand a few things namely your grill type, what you're grilling, when you are grilling it and where you're grilling it.  So, let's get you the information you need so you can get on with your barbecue.  My personal experience before and during  Jake's Famous Foods extends from small 10 inch Weber grills to even smaller Hibachi units all the way up to Ugly Drum Smokers and half barrel grills with pull handles.  I've even acted as Pit Master on large door units that you shovel wood and coals into making chicken for 300 plus guests.  So, I have some personal familiarization with the topic but best of all I like my standard every day of the week 18 inch Weber.  The unit is easy to use, doesn't take a lot of work and always delivers excellent results as long as I keep it clean.

So, onto the question SHOULD BBQ Grill Vents be Opened or Closed for BBQ making.  Since we need a meal to trigger the question let's say we're going to make Beef BBQ Ribs.  Good Beef Ribs take time and these make an excellent practice item.  You'll know you've achieved success when the ribs are juicy from top to bottom and literally melt in your mouth with each bite.  Now, on to the grill. My standard Weber is black with a half dome-shaped lid.  The lid has a circular steel vent system with 4 holes and a tab for adjusting the grill in one direction or the other.  Since our question is about before and during the grilling process well concentrate on startup and a degree of management.  

On Start Up, we suggest that you open the top and bottom vents as wide open as you can get them.  What you're looking for is the classic wind tunnel and draw effect.  The air around the bottom of the grill is drawn into the unit and used to assist in the burning of the charcoal.  The spent air or carbon is expelled through the top of the grill's vents.  This top vent is the key to managing the process of grilling.  So, once you've started your charcoal the draw effect takes over pulling in the air which is then used to aid in the burning of the charcoal. 

The temperature of the coals will depend on how much air is made available to the charcoals along with just how many charcoals you have on the grill.  Also, the temperature will adjust over time especially when you lay burning charcoal on top of non-burning units.  The non-burning units will shortly begin to burn and thus increase the overall combined temperature. 

Vent management is simple at this stage.  If you want the maximum amount of temperature for say broiling then allow both the bottom and top vents to remain completely wide open.  For broiling, you'll want to ensure that you have a minimum of 40 or more coals connecting or overlapping each other so that they can all burn at the same rate to deliver maximum heat. Placement of the coals may not be as critical but what is important is that the coals are connecting in some way and overlapping is an excellent way to maintain contact. 

For slow smoking, we'll want to have just as many units of charcoal but we'll want to lay them out so that the burning process is managed and that cooking occurs over time.  Try this method to manage a long period of burning.  Layout charcoal units in a 3 unit pyramid shape with two units on the bottom and one unit on the top.  Lay out the pyramids so that they are touching bottom and top.  Follow that pattern around the circular base of the grill.  With your charcoal laid out start 8 units in a charcoal chimney.  These will be the units that get everything going.  If you don't have a charcoal chimney just place the 8 charcoals in a stack on top of some heavy paper or newspaper.  Light the paper and allow the charcoals to burn until they are practically ashed gray.  

As a heads up if you have questions on smoking or bbq recipes you can get to our website  Jake's Famous Foods.   You'll get some good information and some killer recipes on the site.  And for additional questions just go to our BBQ Questions FAQs.  section.  On our BBQ Questions section, we tackle some of the critical and burning barbecue questions.

One the charcoals have reached their desired level place them at the head of the charcoal semi-circle touching the first pyramid.  These burning charcoals will create a domino effect burning through the pyramids one by one delivering heat to your ribs.  Beef ribs want to be slow smoked at 225-250 degrees.  Keep in mind if you decide to use wood in the smoking process you may need to adjust the vents to compensate for the additional heat that takes place as the wood is burned.  

Now as I write this I am actually running the barbecue for some Beef Ribs.  I'm using my 3-2-1 process with a twist.  I've been into the barbecue process for about 2-1/2 hours and just as I thought the temperature has crept up on me from 225 degrees to about 290 degrees.  This creep usually happens when wood is introduced into the process.  If you're using wood chips then you can easily compensate for the rise by adjusting the vents closing them slightly.  This will burn less oxygen and will reduce the overall temperature.  The adjustment process may take up to 8 or 10 minutes.  So, once that happens and you've adjusted your vents just keep an eye out as the temperature slowly comes back in line.  

I must also say only adjust the top vent.  Do not adjust the bottom vent until you see that you upper adjustments have little to no effect.  If it's required that you adjust the bottom vents then only adjust them 1/4 of the way.  It's very hard to restart a charcoal burn if the coals have all but gone out.  Restarting the charcoals and achieving maximum temperature can take as much as 40 minutes.  

My adjustment after 10 minutes has yielded a decrease of about 15 degrees.  I will need to adjust the vents again keeping in mind that once the wood is burned through I will need to open the vents to allow faster burning.  

Let's cover the question how much should you adjust or more like how do you determine the rate of adjustment.  I'm going to show you an easy method for creating adjustments for your grill.

Adjustment Process:  This process will require some basic tools. You'll need masking tape, a dark marker, a metal thermometer, bbq grill with vents and about 10 minutes. Let’s first start with the bottom vents wide open. This setup will allow maximum draw of air across the charcoals. Second, let’s take some standard masking tape and circle the vent adjuster on the lid of the grill. Now with the vents fully opened, let’s take a marker and create a line out from the leftmost opening of each of the vents. Transfer that line down to the tape. Now, let’s move the adjuster to the right until the vents are fully closed. Transfer a line down from the leftmost opening onto the tape. These two lines represent the vent when it is fully opened. Now comes the really important part knowing how to segment the line. Let’s divide the distance between the two lines into increments just like you would see on a scale or thermometer. Each notch would represent 10 degrees on the scale. My notches would be about 1/8 inch apart and I would have approximately 5 notches representing about 5 degrees each. Even more important is to realize that if your vent adjuster has 4 holes then the total of the degrees is cumulative making a 1/8 inch adjustment equivalent to 20 degrees. Many ask, "is controlling the vents that critical and sensitive?" And the answer is, YES.

Gather all the readings on to a spreadsheet or make a simple graph and notice how the overall temperature was affected by the adjustments at the lid.  This will be your guide for future grilling.  Note, these temperatures are affected by what's happening around the grill.  If it's raining out and your grill is constantly being rained on then you can expect that the moisture both on the surface of the grill and in the air will affect the cooking process. It is important to realize that the temperatures will lower as we burn through the cooking cycle of the charcoal. So, readings at the start of the process and at the end of the process will vary. We are seeking the optimum temperatures that are why we wait until the charcoal has ashed white.

I've checked my ribs and pulled the lid to confirm that the raised temperatures was in fact due to the addition smoking wood.  My temperatures are now leveling off by another 15 degrees and with time will be right where I want them in that 225-250 degree zone.  

Now since I'm using the 3-2-1 process with a twist in about half an hour I will be wrapping my ribs in foil but first I'll include a nice liquid mix of pomegranate syrup, honey, brown sugar and some orange juice.  This will flavor and help tenderize the ribs.  Once tender I will turn them over then allow then to barbecue for a half an hour meat side up.  Then I will remove them and allow them to rest for 30 minutes to complete the process.  

Summary:  You may have noticed in my barbecue process that I had to adjust my vents.  As I said with the addition of wood the temperature will creep upward and greater management will be required.  But by using the 3 unit pyramids placed side by side you can easily achieve the 225 - 250-degree temperature for sustained periods.  

One of the easiest ways to truly gauge your grill is by performing a dry run.  That simply means setting up your grill without having the purpose to cook something.  You may have to sacrifice about 50 or 60 coals in the process but you'll really get a good grasp on managing temperatures.  In a lot of ways, the preparation process for barbecue is like golf.  Most everyone that plays golf will go out to the practice range and hit golf balls to determine how far each club will normally take a ball.  Well, the same can be said about the test process for the grill.  Make the setup process fun and when you've gained enough information put on a couple of steaks and relax.

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