BBQ Goes High Tech


 
JRAiona said:
I thought this article might be of interest.

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/high-tech-bbq/
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Pretty interesting article. It might be something good for the average joe to get good results consistantly. I think for me the harderst things about smoking a brisket are making the judgement calls about things like doneness for instance. Controlling temp is part of it. I don't think they can really regulate moisture. I took a few classes on PID back in the day and technology always interests me. I'm not sure of it's place in BBQ. I think a real pitmaster would mop the floor with anyone cooking with this machine. Still I wish we'd have come up with a project equally as fun when I was in college where we could eat the test results. Kudos to these guys on that!

I think a lot of applying science to BBQ might be missing the point. Remember back in the 90's where every once in a while they'd trot out a new teenage blues guitar prodigy? Sure they might be good technically but at the end of the day is that even the point?
 
Dustin Dorsey said:
I think a lot of applying science to BBQ might be missing the point. Remember back in the 90's where every once in a while they'd trot out a new teenage blues guitar prodigy? Sure they might be good technically but at the end of the day is that even the point?
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Ain't that the truth. The teenage prodigy of food prep this year is "sous vide", where you bag the meat and cook it in controlled temp water for a long time, then add char, bark or whatever by sticking it in a 5,000 degree oven for 3.6 seconds, or something. For this technology to work, it would have to be able to analyze the raw meat and know precisely how to get the most out of it. If this gizmo ends up at Williams-Sonoma, it will cost a fortune. Or you could fly to Austin and hang out on 11th street for a morning and let Aaron Franklin do the work.
 
I agree with you Dustin. There are elements and variables that technology can't predict and/or address. As you said temperature control is just one part of a cook, important yes, but just one part.
 
J Hasselberger said:
Ain't that the truth. The teenage prodigy of food prep this year is "sous vide", where you bag the meat and cook it in controlled temp water for a long time, then add char, bark or whatever by sticking it in a 5,000 degree oven for 3.6 seconds, or something. For this technology to work, it would have to be able to analyze the raw meat and know precisely how to get the most out of it. If this gizmo ends up at Williams-Sonoma, it will cost a fortune. Or you could fly to Austin and hang out on 11th street for a morning and let Aaron Franklin do the work.
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Sous Vide has been around in professional kitchens for decades, and it hit the hardcore foodie scene about 10 years ago. Now it's mainstream.
 
I'm not fan of sous vide at all. I understand people doing it and enjoying a new gadget. More power to them. It's just not for me.
 
Not much here other than rolling together a smoker and an ATC. Thus, an integrated package to sell but many of us already have something very similar.

As far as the "temperature only" concern up thread, I don't see ATC proponents claiming that temperature is the only--or primary--factor in the production of good barbecue. Rather an ATC eases the requirements of tending to a steady temperature. All other concerns still apply.
 
I think it's pretty cool.
However, if I got one of those - I'd have to find a new favorite pastime.
 
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