| Take a tip from the experts: use BBQ wood chips to | | | | them. Soaking wood chips will let them burn longer, |
| spice up your grilling. Connoisseurs know that good | | | | but if you're cooking a steak, you probably don't |
| barbeque takes a lot more than just slapping some | | | | want a long, slow grilling. |
| meat on a grill. Renowned experts in the field such as | | | | Wood chips are available in a large range of varieties |
| Bobby Flay, Dave Foley, Butch Lupinetti and many | | | | that cater to all tastes; your local vendor should be |
| others swear by BBQ wood chips. With the summer | | | | able to advise you on pairing a wood chip with a |
| grilling season upon us, here are some tips on how to | | | | particular meat. |
| introduce BBQ wood chips into your grilling and start | | | | In general, if your meat is lighter, you'll need a milder |
| cooking like the pros. | | | | wood chip flavor. You can also try "heavier" flavors |
| Wood chips are used in your grill in addition to | | | | with lighter meats, though, such as using mesquite |
| charcoal or gas. They may be sprinkled atop coals or | | | | with chicken. If you're going to do this, try using a |
| placed within a small smoker box in a gas or electric | | | | few wood chips instead of a lot to see what this |
| grill, and the smoke they create lends a distinctive | | | | does to your flavor. |
| aroma and appealing taste to all of your grilled meats. | | | | With its more delicate aroma, alder wood chips best |
| Whether you use a charcoal, gas or electric grill, | | | | accompany lighter meats like fish and poultry. The |
| wood chips will give you authentic barbecue flavor. | | | | flavorful fruitwoods, including apple, cherry, peach and |
| You can also buy a special smoker box to place in | | | | plum, go best with veal, poultry and pork, and they |
| your gas or charcoal grill so that you can get that | | | | also lend an interesting taste to grilled vegetables. |
| "wood smoke" flavor. Read the instructions for your | | | | Mesquite BBQ wood chips, perhaps the most famous |
| particular grill before you try doing this. | | | | variety, go best with heavier meats like beef, lamb |
| Make sure that your wood chips do not end up | | | | and duck. Also extremely popular, the resonant |
| burning like a campfire; the resulting heavy smoke will | | | | aroma of hickory goes best with beef and pork. |
| spoil your food with an acrid taste. Expert grillers | | | | Just remember that BBQ wood chips are a flavor |
| advise that wood chips be soaked briefly prior to | | | | enhancer and not the meal itself, so don't skimp on |
| use, about fifteen minutes or so, and then allowed to | | | | your meats! Make sure you have a good cut that is |
| drip dry for just a few minutes more. Ideally, your | | | | fresh and well prepared. Otherwise, your fancy wood |
| wood chips will be damp but not saturated. | | | | chips will just be going to waste on an inferior piece |
| If you're using a smoker in your grill, it's probably not | | | | of meat that no amount of grilling expertise can |
| necessary to soak the wood chips before you use | | | | retrieve. |