Edible Sacramento Summer 2022

TIPS AND TRICKS Increase your chances of successful grilling with some of these pro tips: • White meat should always be cooked well done. Cook pork to 145 degrees F, and poultry to 165 degrees F. Use an instant-read thermometer to check doneness by pushing it into the thickest part of the meat. • Some grill masters spray their ribs with apple cider to keep them moist during cooking. At Urban Roots, Desmangles uses leftover juice from the restaurant’s home made pickles mixed with mustard. When the brisket and ribs are done, he wraps the meat in butcher paper to lock in the moisture and then places them back in the smoker. • Take an experimental approach. Kamara says, “If you’re just starting out, get a kettle-type grill. Start o‰ with something easy, like hot links. Once you master that, move up to chicken.” • “Have fun, because a whole lot of barbecuing is about socializing,” Desmangles says. “And don’t be afraid to try something new.”

Somemeats lend themselveswell to smoking, such as brisket, shoulder, and ribs. That’s because the low-and-slow method of cooking not only adds flavor to the meat, but it also tenderizes what can be a tougher cut. Others work best with grilling, such as steaks, burg ers, seafood, and fish. According to Kamara, “Steaks are best cooked on a hot grill to sear them. This keeps the juices locked in.” Chicken lends itself to both grilling and smoking. At home, Desmangles likes to grill chicken leg quarters. “Cooking the chicken to the point where the skin is crispy but it’s still moist is an underrated art form,” he says. When it’s done, he likes to toss it in an Alabama white sauce, a savory dressing com prised of mayonnaise, vinegar, spices, andWorcestershire sauce.

PICK YOUR PREFERENCE – SAUCE, RUB, OR BOTH This is where things can get interesting — combining flavors to make your perfect sauce or rub. These blends vary widely from one cook to another. Common ingredients for a tasty bar becue sauce are vinegar, tomato paste, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and various spices. Dry rubs make grilling easy and the end product delicious. These savory mix es of salt, ground peppers, spices, dried herbs, and sugar flavor and lightly cure meat before grilling. But despite the term “rub,” Desmangles says, “You don’t ac tually rub the meat; you sprinkle it on. Otherwise, rubbing the mixture in plugs up the pores. The meat needs to sweat to tenderize by rendering out the fat and

Barbecue is rustic in execution and audacious in flavor, a perfect foundation on which home cooks can expand their repertoires. Flame-fired and smoked meats, with rubs and sauces to match, create mouthwatering taste sensations. So bask in the summer sun of our crea tive chefs’ suggestions as they lead any brave, new backyard chefs to the joy of barbecuing.

Want to sample some barbecue prepared by our pros? Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse

collagen, and blocking the pores prevents it from happening.” Both Desmangles and Kamara make their own rubs and sauces, though when asked about the ingredients, both say the recipes are “top secret.” Kamara only uses rubs on his meats and serves the sauce on the side. For his ribs, Desmangles starts with a rub, then adds an apple cider vinegar mop to keep them moist. He finishes with a sauce cut with vinegar to give the ribs a tantalizing mahogany red lacquer.

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