Food prep suggestions for grilling
Food prep is one of the most laborious aspects of smoking BBQ. The cook itself is time consuming, for sure. But generally speaking you are tending to it and can do other things in the meantime. Even after the food is cooked, there is little more than letting it rest, carving and plating. These things can take skill, but generally are not that much work.
Preparing for the BBQ takes meal planning, shopping, cleaning and trimming meat, washing vegetables, injection, brining, recipes for sauces and rubs and much more.
Do your homework ahead of time. If you have never attempted a particular meal before, do some research. No longer do we have the excuse of not knowing. There are plenty of blogs, videos, forums an online stores to be sure you have just the right utensils. It would be a shame to waste ten hours of prep and cooking to make easy to avoid mistakes.
Purchase quality ingredients and have the right food containers for the job. From marinading pork in an oversize Ziploc bag to glass containers for leftover pulled pork or even mason jars to keep your homemade rub dry and fresh.
Walk through the prep in your mind or even write it down. I usually end up taking the main protein out about an hour ahead of time as I wait for the smoker to come up to temp. Since it is sometimes at 2:00 am, I tend to make sure I have thought out the details and have what ingredients at the ready so I don’t have to worry about missing them in my bleary eyed condition.
Bottom line is, the meal will be better, your frustration level will be lower and you will enjoy grilling or smoking BBQ far more if you have your meal planned out.