The Secret to Making a Great Barbecue? There Is No Secret!

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Smoke the right way

Managing fire and heat

Charcoal choices

Time, temperature and doneness

Equipment: Big stuff

Equipment: Little stuff

And more...

For every barbecue or grilling recipe there is one thing that will make a big difference if done correctly.  Here are my thoughts:

Brisket:  The single most important thing in making great brisket is getting the temperature of the meat right.  Cook a brisket slowly to at least 195 degrees internal temperature, then keep it there for at least an hour by wrapping and lowering the cooking temperature and keeping it steady at around 200 degrees.

Ribs: Getting them to the right degree of doneness is the single most important thing.  Underdone ribs are OK, overdone ribs are very tender and can taste pretty good, but ribs done just right are a treat that most people have never had the chance to enjoy.  Unfortunately there is no short cut or simple way to describe how to get there, it just takes practice.  Keeping a log that includes the weight of rib slabs, time, temp and weather conditions, along with your tasting notes can make learning happen faster.  Wrapping ribs in foil for a couple hours (after three hours of smoke) and then unwrapping for the last hour or so of cooking is blasphemy to some but can make getting them done right easier.  The good news is that ribs will not be bad if they are off a bit and eating the mistakes can be pretty pleasant.

Poultry: When smoking poultry the single most important thing is to brine the meat before cooking.  Poultry, especially low fat cuts like chicken breast, dries out easily.  Use of a brine will almost guarantee that your bird will be juicy every time

Steak:  The single most important thing is to start with high quality steak.  While barbecue and other slow cooking methods were invented for the purpose of making a poor piece of meat into something good, high heat grilling is just the opposite.  Grilling can make a good piece of meat poor and a poor piece of meat nearly inedible. 

Burgers:  The single most important thing that most people don't do  is to make the burgers flat or a little concave because they will contract.  You don't want them to turn into meat balls!

Grilled chicken: Everybody with a grill does chicken breasts, most do not get it right and produce food that is OK but a little dry and over done.  The single most important thing (assuming you already brined the chicken breasts) is to avoid overcooking.  To accomplish this, you need to learn more about your grill and how hot it is at different settings (Gas) or what hot or medium heat charcoal looks and feels like.  Since most chicken is overcooked, you must learn to take it off before you think it is done.  This takes a little skill and discipline but is worth it.