Expert: Whitestag - 5/29/2005

Question
Hi Loren,
Thank you for taking my question.
How can i barbecue inexpensive meats and make them taste tasty and tender?
                       thank you

Answer
Taste usually isn't the issue -- I have found that cheaper cuts of meat are often more flavorful than the expensive cuts.  The real issue is the toughness of such cuts.  You can make tougher cuts of meat more tender in two ways:

1. Cook for a long time at lower temperatures.  Cooking with smoke will accomplish this and add lots of flavor as well.
1.a. Use moist heat.  Indoors, this is usaully done by stewing or braising the meat.  Outdoors, the so-called water smoker is often used.

2. Marinate in a tenderizing marinade (usually something acidic, like vinegar or an acidic fruit juice), which will also add flavor.

These are methods that you would use regardless of whether you were barbecuing or cooking indoors.  You can, of course, combine these methods as well.

Having said that, there's not much more that I can add without knowing what kind of meat you're working with -- there are things that you do with poultry that you wouldn't do with beef or lamb, for example, and vice versa.  Give me a little more to work with, and I'll be able to give you more focused advice.

Please note that I cannot help with cooking pork.