Hello my Foodie Friends!
Today is the start to the summer season. Nothing says summer more than firing up your outside grill and cooking outdoors. The scent of dinner sizzling on the grill and the joy of eating in the open air—cooking and dining outdoors are simple summer pleasures that deserve to be enjoyed more often. If there’s one dish that signifies summer in America, it’s ribs. Cooked outdoors in backyards across the country, ribs are a cherished pastime. No matter the style, one thing that many people can agree on is that using a mop or spray during the cooking of your ribs, especially if you are cooking them low and slow, can be a major advantage. Having the right tools to help you with your outside cooking is important.
Why Use A Mop? There are plenty of arguments for and against using a mop while you are cooking ribs, but we think the benefits definitely win. Using a mop will attract smoke to your ribs (in a good way) giving them more smoky flavor in a shorter amount of time. Also, if you are cooking your ribs low and slow (which we hope you are), a mop will help keep your meat from drying out. Competition barbecuers like using mops because it gives them a chance to add even more mouthwatering flavor to their ribs. It is a great way to experiment with different flavor profiles while tying them together to create an award-winning piece of meat. The best time to apply your mop is right after the crust has formed and you have flipped your meat. This will allow your mop to marry with the hot and bubbly surface of the crust where the meat juices are.
Many people are under the impression that you should never open a smoker or grill while meat is cooking. While you shouldn’t leave the lid open for long periods of time, it is quite okay to open the smoker or grill to spray or mop your meat. This is because most of the heat that is used to cook your meat thoroughly is actually stored in the outer layers of the meat and slowly transferred to the inner sections of meat. This temperature will stay almost exactly the same when the cooker is opened and the internal air temperature will quickly reheat once the lid is closed. Mop A thin liquid that is generously and repeatedly brushed (or “mopped”) onto meat as it grills to keep it moist. Using a mop tool is ideal because it holds a lot of liquid, but you can also use a basting brush.
At Compliments to the Chef, we carry a Rosewood 17-Inch Sauce Mop. This is an ideal tool for basting meats on the grill or in the smoker. The Sauce Mop is made with a cotton mop-head that soaks up sauce or marinade for barbequing. It is made with a Rosewood handle that will standup to everyday use. The Mop head washes out with soap and water. This basting mop makes it easy to prepare barbequing by soaking up the thinner sauces to baste over the meat.
Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store located at 33 Railroad Place for an assortment of cool tools to help you with your BBQ adventures. Get a Sauce Mop and mop up your summer grill creations. Remember my Foodie Friends, “Life Happens in the Kitchen” or outside while you are barbequing.
Take Care,
John & Paula
