A conversation about your country's habits: Grilling and Q'ing

Hello nice people out there!

I'd like to start a conversation about your country's habbits when it comes to BBQ and grilling. I'd like to know how you guys do it?

For example, I live in Belgium. Yes, the tiny country in Europe, famous for it's beer and chocolate. And I'm proud of it! But when it comes to the BBQ, i'm less proud. Many people use electric and gas grill's. As far as my grilling and BBQ-knowledge goes, and that's not a lot, those are great to get your dinnerplates preheated before you put your meat on 'em that you just prepared on your charcoal Q. Not try'ing to pick on ppl, but that's my opinion, sorry pro's!

When it comes to picking meat, we are a bit different I guess. I've red some books about BBQ and grilling in the past, and those describe one type of meat/fish on the grill at a time... In Belgium, BBQ and grilling are the same... Only a handfull of people know terms like "Low and Slow", or even a "dry rub" or "indirect" makes their head spin...
When we Q, we pick a dozen of types of meat, put 'em on the grill all at once, and eat till we drop. We combine our meals out of all types of burgers, ribs, saucages, steaks,... Pig, poultry, beef all in once. Turning on the Q for one type of meat is simply not done. And if we do it, it's when friends come over, never for a person or two.

My girlfriend and I Q'ed two days ago, with her dad. I managed the Q and tought I did a good job. All he said was that he didn't like my way of doing it and it made me realy insecure. Shall I try Q'ing one type of meat and focus on it, or shall I keep this habbit, I don't know,... All she said was that it was a great meal But it made me wondering how you guys do it!

So, I'm curious? What's your story?
Sorry for the long post, but have a nice day!

Greetings, Floris

I usually just do one type of meat at a time on WSM. I think you need to consider how many people are eating as to whether 1 or 2 kinds are done at the same time. Also, different meats require different temps (like ribs and chicken). Ribs like low and slow (225-250) but chicken is best done at +325 (if you want crispy skin).

Leftovers are ok too but here again, diff methods are used to re-heat.

Just two of us, I only do ribs (for example) but enough for at least 2 (leftover) meals. I may freeze leftover ribs as well (just as good when re-heated).

I guess it comes down to specific circumstances as to how/what you cook.

If you're "insecure" because of what one person said, it may just be that he is the 1 person out of a million ( ) that doesn't like BBQ (ie smoked food). OR maybe you used to much wood for the smoke portion.

Next time, just go for one meat and use less wood. In your case, how much wood (and what kind) DID you use? How long did you cook "the meat"--what was it?

Yeah, try to not worry too much about the woman's dad. He's just mad that your are with his daughter. Lol. He may also be one of "those" people that likes their meat cooked well done (ruined.)

When I grill, as in cook on the grill - not smoke, not bbq, I tend to only cook one type of meat at time. Its just the way things are kind of done up here in WI. Sure, I've done burgers and hot dogs and brats all at the same time, but they are all grilled the same way - hot and fast. I wouldn't try to add a steak or fish to that, as they require a different style of grilling.

What did you make and how did you make it?

Len Dennis said:

I usually just do one type of meat at a time on WSM. I think you need to consider how many people are eating as to whether 1 or 2 kinds are done at the same time. Also, different meats require different temps (like ribs and chicken). Ribs like low and slow (225-250) but chicken is best done at +325 (if you want crispy skin).

Leftovers are ok too but here again, diff methods are used to re-heat.

Just two of us, I only do ribs (for example) but enough for at least 2 (leftover) meals. I may freeze leftover ribs as well (just as good when re-heated).

I guess it comes down to specific circumstances as to how/what you cook.

If you're "insecure" because of what one person said, it may just be that he is the 1 person out of a million ( ) that doesn't like BBQ (ie smoked food). OR maybe you used to much wood for the smoke portion.

Next time, just go for one meat and use less wood. In your case, how much wood (and what kind) DID you use? How long did you cook "the meat"--what was it?

Click to expand...

I've made a mix of different types of meat. Q' at 200°C. Used oak wood, that was not the problem at all. Started with the ribs first, then added the apetizer, then bacon, saucages,... All together the ribs where on there for 30 - 40 minutes, didn't really track the time. That's what I guess was the problem. Just putting many different ingredients on the Q' makes it impossible to control...

I've made al lot of different things, all beef or pig. I'll practice on one type of meat at a time instead of many different pieces at once. I'll be a Belgian BBQ pioneer

Floris Vande Walle said:

I've made a mix of different types of meat. Q' at 200°C. Used oak wood, that was not the problem at all. Started with the ribs first, then added the apetizer, then bacon, saucages,... All together the ribs were on there for 30 - 40 minutes, didn't really track the time. That's what I guess was the problem. Just putting many different ingredients on the Q' makes it impossible to control...

Click to expand...

Looks like Jim left these on for an hour longer than you, but wrapped them in foil for an hour:

https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?68410-Again-with-the-High-Heat-Ribs

If you only grilled the ribs for 30-40 minutes her father might've been generous with his comments

Those in the link look amazing, Clint. Never managed to make 'em like this. Nut that's because i'm doing all at once, and not taking enough time for it...

Suggest you also look to your neighbors to the east. Germans are q crazy. Much to learn also. You can cook many differing meats at once but you will need to know the requirements of those meats, temp and cooking times. So maybe learn each meat on its own and then you will get the feel for each one thus making combination cooking work better for you.

Hi Floris,
I do know what you are talking about.
I was born and raised in the Netherlands and there we run a bit into similar problems.
A BBQ is the asset, so everything you do on there is barbecuing, wether hot and fast or low and slow.
Looking at the Dutch barbecue fora, it seems to have changed a bit though.

Anyway, I would normally man the bbq to prevent black on the outside and raw on the inside, esp with chicken. (a fair number of people would actually pre-cook (boil) meat beforehand to avoid it).
The main problem, in my opinion, was that people are lighting up their bbq too late, then they are hungry and cook over too high heat (after having gorged themselves on garlic baquette, huzarensalade, salads and bread with satay sauce).
The type of meats to put standard on the bbq is also a problem. Sausages, belly pork and chicken drumsticks or wings don't do too well over a hot fire and cause flames to burn the outside.

Now to your problems:
What type of bbq/grill do you have? Some types are just more suitable to certain types of cooking than others.
Since you are on the Weber forum, I assume you have a kettle bbq.
If you are grilling, you can definitely do more type of meats at the same time, but make sure you keep a 2 or 3 zone fire (hot and no fire, or hot, medium and no fire) and after the original sear, feel free to move the meats around.
Although I think most people here would probably not do this, you can actually do pork ribs without too many problems on a grill without even covering them. I have to admit that I like my ribs with a bit of a bite though. Not falling apart tender (must be the caveman (m/f) in me)

For low and slow, I would go for one type of meat. Maybe start with a pork shoulder as it is quite forgiving.
Make your fire on one side of the kettle. Put a drip pan filled with water next to it and put the meat above it.
You can also put another pan with water on the rack above the fire (next to the meat).
Cover the bbq and wait....
Have a beer, maybe a nice Duvel or Westmalle
Wait, and have another one or two
Check after an hour or 3 or so.
It should be close to ready. Check the internal meat temperature and eat

And maybe just test it out on yourself and your girlfriend before inviting anyone else.

I would first make sure you can get the meat nice and tender and once you got that sorted, then start adding some wood for smoke.
Good luck!

And your question was what happens in other countries:
I live in Southern Africa. Having a braai is a way of life.
The meat is of good quality and fairly affordable. The beers are not bad and we have no problem lighting a braai just for ourselves or for a big party for that matter....

Thank you for your reaction Anne, a braai seems nice
Always wanted to visit Africa, i love nature!

I'll try to learn out of these reaction, thank you all

Floris, I think you'll get the hang of it! Cooking is an art. No one is great starting out. It comes with experience and practice! Keep at it and I'm sure you'll impress the old guy! Someday!

Floris -

If you are TRULY curious about American style Barbeque and/or grilling - then, you have stumbled onto the right place.

There is a wealth of great information here, and a variety of places to ask questions and learn.
It sounds like perhaps you initially tried too much different stuff at one time for a person who is relatively new to this.

Once you learn what techniques / fire style work best for the various items that you want to cook - I am confident that you will become more and more successful as time goes on.

Here in the US - Barbeque is even more of a Regional thing. Where I grew up (Central United States - Great Lakes area), low-and-slow barbeque - like you traditionally find in the South East and Texas, was quite uncommon. As it has become somewhat "trendy" - there are now restaurants serving stuff like that even here. People in our area were largely decended from Germanic / Prussian / Polish immigrants who did lots of sausage / hams / stuff like that by curing and then Cold-Smoking in "Smoke-Houses" , which is a process that not many have access to.

By spending some time on this site and by also doing some supplementary reading - I can now make pretty decent "que" for a yankee (Northerner).

Have fun and experiment (but next time, get some experience before attempting to impress the Girlfriend's dad ;-P...)

Thanks guys!