There is an ‘art’ to grilling that goes beyond what most people do with their kettle type of grill that they own and use in their backyard.

I wanted to explore this art and craft more and I found myself going deep into the culture and history of grilling that goes on globally and when I tapped into this I realized there is a primal instinct that others could learn about and implement into their own backyard cooks. 

It has upped my grill game in a wonderful way and I want to share it with you. 

Something to consider is that when you take what you already own and expand more on HOW you grill - more so than research gadgets to buy - it will make you a better cook. 

Its okay to learn more recipes...but what about the METHOD of how you grill? That is what we are exploring here. 

I ‘think’ that boredom kills creativity. When you get bored you can go online and find a world of gadgets to add to your grill that will ‘make you a better griller’ and what gets lost is the primal instincts th...

When you go to the butcher or grocery story you pay for convenience. I have never taken a whole chicken and spatchcocked it - which is taking the spine off which allows you to lay the chicken flat for grilling or smoking. This method cooks the chicken evenly and produces a wonderful end result that looks great. 

Buying a spatchcock chicken is easy and not really that much more expensive - but I do like to make the use of what a whole chicken gives you. When I cut the spine out - using kitchen shears or even a serrated bread knife - I get those bones to save for a future stock. I also like chicken hearts/livers pan seared with butter and a bit of salt. You also get the neck to save for stock. I try to like the gizzards but no matter what they are tough and chewy - there is a KFC in Hannibal Missouri that deep fries them and when I am in that area I get an order to go. 

Laying the whole chicken on my cutting board breast side down I cut down each side of the spine and turn the bird ove...

Tri Tip is something you can not find everywhere - if you dont see it in the store, ask the butchers at the glass counter as they may have some in the back. Also, a small family style butcher shop may be able to get you some. 

This meat is super easy to cook - even with a variety of ways to cook it. Most sizes serve a family of 4-5 and its great next day sliced cold for a sandwich or reheated in the microwave for lunch. Something about smoked meat tastes great eating it next day chilled by itself or on a sandwich that my family enjoys. 

I will keep it simple - its a forgotten piece of meat in the shape of a triangle. It has grain going one way at the point and near the back larger section the grain switches direction. 

I did a recent cook with a Tri Tip on the amazing Kudu Grill and here is the finished cook before letting it rest on my wood cutting board of how I will slice it up.

When you get it at the store or butcher, You can save the meat for later by taking out the tip a...

This is for you backyard bbq folk that want an easier & faster way to cook a pork butt.

I HIGHLY recommend you up your backyard bbq space with a Pit Barrel Cooker (PBC) - link is HERE.

This is a super easy way of smoking meat that will make for the best BBQ you ever had - guaranteed! You can even grill with it as I have many times = a grill and smoker all in one. The PBC’s design is one that makes smoking meat easy for you to intuitively move from your Weber grill to this so that you expand your grilling skills. 

I took an 8lb pork butt and cut it in half and worked my knife around a bit of the shoulder bone - easy to do. 

Once I cut it in half - I  put some rub on it and you can find that HERE on Amazon. 

If you watch videos of guys putting rub on their ribs, butt’s and other protein - they are liberal with it and coat it so you can hardly see the meat - I do NOT do this as I want this to accent the protein and have smoke flavor the meat more so than a rub. This is a nice accen...

Embrace The Flame BBQ welcomes you to the first blog for backyard grilling/smoking enthusiasts that have a passion for great food. 

This first blog was created April 4, 2020 as the Coronavirus is spread around the globe most people are confined to their homes. Most of us that like to BBQ are looking for ideas to grill and smoke some food and I wanted to share a cook I did that came out really good. 

If you have time - take this and make it your own. 

All links are Amazon affiliate links and generate a couple of bucks to support this blog and my family - so we thank you for your support. 

Today’s cook is done on thePit Barrel Cooker (PBC) - this is a smoker that can also grill. I wanted this to be my first smoker to learn the basics of smoking meat with and also have the flexibility to do a variety of different things including grilling. 

I filled the charcoal basket with lump coals and got the chimney going for about 13 minutes and dumped the lump into the PBC and put the lid on t...