Bark: the crunchy crust that arises after long low and slow sessions. The rub dries out and the meat reacts with the heat. Brisket and pulled pork are the most famous pieces of meat with a bark.

Bear claws: black plastic claws that resemble bear feet. This allows you to pull a Boston Butt apart for pulled pork.

Braai: the South African term for a bbq.

Briquettes: compressed blocks of charcoal and sawdust. Never use this to bbq. Briquettes give a lot of dust (when opening the lid) and ash (suffocates the fire) and reusing them is almost impossible.

Briquette starter/Chimney starter: we do not use it either. Just open fire starters between the charcoal and open all air vents. Or use a looftlighter to heat the charcoal.

Brining: wet and dry brine. Wet brining is dissolving salt in water and adding the meat to it. Dry brining is the salt directly on the meat and then rinse before it goes on the bbq. Brine naturally extracts moisture from the meat, at the same time the meat also absorbs the salt and this ensures a more intense taste.

Bullet bbq: the classic Weber. Actually a drum bbq with a lid.

Burping: slowly open the lid of the bbq (especially kamado’s) to prevent the flames from coming out. Kamado’s are almost airtight, so opening the lid too quickly causes a big increase in oxygen and ignition. Watch your eyebrows.

Charcoal: good quality is a must. Large pieces, preferably hardwood. For example, Dammers of Black Ranch.

Connective tissue: the tissue between the bone and the muscle. It looks white and is a bit elastic. Always remove for preparation, because it becomes tough and leathery.

Core temperature: the temperature in the middle of the meat.

Core thermometer: a must have to get your meat off the bbq at the right time.

Direct / indirect: direct means grilling on a grid above the hot coals. Indirect means that there is a barrier between the coal and the grid in the form of a water dish or platesetter (conveggtor). Indirectly can also be done side by side by creating a hot zone (directly) and a zone without charcoal (indirect)

Drum: a bbq in the form of an oil barrel. Here the grid is on top. Or the drum is sideways with an opening in the side. Then a lid has been made.

Dry-aged: the ripening of meat, almost always beef. This is done in special drying cabinets that regulate the temperature and humidity. The meat dries for 30 days and turns black. The black meat is cut away and what is left is dry-aged meat with a concentrated flavor. Obviously more expensive than normal meat.

Fat cap: the thick, white, hard layer of fat on a piece of meat, for example brisket or Boston butt. You usually remove this, except for example picanha or duck. Fat does not absorb rub, it does not disappear during cooking, it does not create tender meat and it ensures that smoke wood has no effect.

Kamado: a ceramic bbq. For example Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe or Primo.

Lid: you cannot do without one and it is used at all times for both direct and indirect bbqs. Preferably a lid with thermometer in it.

Looftlighter: light your charcoal within a few seconds.

Low and slow: cook at low temperatures (between 90 and 125 degrees) indirect for several hours. The fat and collagen in the meat melts, making it juicier and tastier.

Membrane: the fleece on the bone side of spareribs or beef ribs. This is between the lungs and the bone. Always remove because during preparation this becomes tough and leathery.

Mop sauce or glace: a sauce with which you rub the meat an hour before it is ready. The moisture of the sauce evaporates and the sauce turns nicely dark on the meat and it gives a nice taste.

Pit: a hole in the ground with charcoal and a grid on it. Old-fashioned bbqs. Nowadays, a place that has any sort of bbq is already called a “pit”.

Pitmaster: the manager of the bbq, a popular name for someone who is very skilled at bbqing.

Plate setter: a general name for the conveggtor (Big Green Egg). A thick ceramic plate with legs that allows you to barbecue in an indirect way.

Resting: after (direct) grilling the meat should rest so that the meat can relax and the juices are redistributed. During the rest the meat continues to rise in temperature, so keep this in mind during preparation.

Reverse sear: an important way to prepare pieces of meat, mainly steaks. First low and slow indirectly at low temperature until the meat is about 10 degrees below the desired core temperature. Then immediately sear on high temperature and grill a nice colour on the meat. Advantage: the meat is nicely cooked throughout, less shrinkage of the meat, juicier and tender.

Rotisserie: a way of grilling where the meat (often on a skewer) slowly rotates above the hot coals. Often electrically controlled. This way the meat becomes hot / cold every turn so that it does not burn. The cooking process slows down so that the meat stays juicier and is proportionately cooked.

Rub: a spice mixture that you rub in your meat before it goes on the bbq.

Smoke ring: the pink border just below the bark of the meat. This is due to a reaction with the gas of the smoke and the moisture of the meat.

Smoke wood: gives extra flavour to pieces of meat by putting it between the hot coals at the start of your bbq session. Note: different wood fits with different meat.

Stall: during the low and slow preparation of large pieces of meat, the meat has to evaporate a lot of moisture. This evaporation cools the meat and usually occurs between 66 and 74 degrees. This is called the “stall” and can sometimes take hours. Packing with foil (Texas crutch) prevents the evaporation and allows the meat to cook faster. This is certainly not a necessity.

Water bowl: a container with water that you place between the meat and the hot coals. Provides a better moisture balance during indirect bbqing and prevents dehydration.

Bark: the crunchy crust that arises after long low and slow sessions. The rub dries out and the meat reacts with the heat. Brisket and pulled pork are the most famous pieces of meat with a bark.

Bear claws: black plastic claws that resemble bear feet. This allows you to pull a Boston Butt apart for pulled pork.

Connective tissue: the tissue between the bone and the muscle. It looks white and is a bit elastic. Always remove for preparation, because it becomes tough and leathery.

Braai: the South African term for a bbq.

Briquettes: compressed blocks of charcoal and sawdust. Never use this to bbq. Briquettes give a lot of dust (when opening the lid) and ash (suffocates the fire) and reusing them is almost impossible.

Briquette starter/Chimney starter: we do not use it either. Just open fire starters between the charcoal and open all air vents. Or use a looftlighter to heat the charcoal.

Burping: slowly open the lid of the bbq (especially kamado’s) to prevent the flames from coming out. Kamado’s are almost airtight, so opening the lid too quickly causes a big increase in oxygen and ignition. Watch your eyebrows.

Direct / indirect: direct means grilling on a grid above the hot coals. Indirect means that there is a barrier between the coal and the grid in the form of a water dish or platesetter (conveggtor). Indirectly can also be done side by side by creating a hot zone (directly) and a zone without charcoal (indirect)

Lid: You cannot do without one and it is used at all times for both direct and indirect bbqs. Preferably a lid with thermometer in it.

Drum: a bbq in the form of an oil barrel. Here the grid is on top. Or the drum is sideways with an opening in the side. Then a lid has been made.

Dry-aged: the ripening of meat, almost always beef. This is done in special drying cabinets that regulate the temperature and humidity. The meat dries for 30 days and turns black. The black meat is cut away and what is left is dry-aged meat with a concentrated flavor. Obviously more expensive than normal meat.

Fat cap: the thick, white, hard layer of fat on a piece of meat, for example brisket or Boston butt. You usually remove this, except for example picanha or duck. Fat does not absorb rub, it does not disappear during cooking, it does not create tender meat and it ensures that smoke wood has no effect.

Charcoal: good quality is a must. Large pieces, preferably hardwood. For example, Dammers of Black Ranch.

Kamado: a ceramic bbq. For example Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe or Primo.

Core temperature: the temperature in the middle of the meat.

Core thermometer: a must have to get your meat off the bbq at the right time.

Bullet bbq: the classic Weber. Actually a drum bbq with a lid.

Mop sauce or glace: a sauce with which you rub the meat an hour before it is ready. The moisture of the sauce evaporates and the sauce turns nicely dark on the meat and gives a nice taste.

Looftlighter: light your charcoal within a few seconds.

Low and slow: at low temperatures (between 90 and 125 degrees) indirect bbqs for several hours. The fat and collagen in the meat melts, making it juicier and tastier.

Membrane: the fleece on the bone side of spareribs or beef ribs. This is between the lungs and the bone. Always remove because during preparation this becomes tough and leathery.

Brining: wet and dry brine. Wet brining is dissolving salt in water and adding the meat to it. Dry brining is the salt directly on the meat and then rinse before it goes on the bbq. Brine naturally extracts moisture from the meat, at the same time the meat also absorbs the salt and this ensures a more intense taste.

Pit: a hole in the ground with charcoal and a grid on it. Old-fashioned bbqs. Nowadays, a place where a bbq is already a “pit”.

Pitmaster: the manager of the bbq, a popular name for someone who is very skilled at bbqing.

Plate setter: a general name for the conveggtor (Big Green Egg). A thick ceramic plate with legs that allows you to barbecue in an indirect way.

Stall: during the low and slow preparation of large pieces of meat, the meat has to evaporate a lot of moisture. This evaporation cools the meat and usually occurs between 66 and 74 degrees. This is called the “stall” and can sometimes take hours. Packing with foil (Texas crutch) prevents the evaporation and allows the meat to cook faster. This is certainly not a necessity.

Reverse sear: An important way to prepare pieces of meat, mainly steaks. First low and slow indirectly at low temperature until the meat is about 10 degrees below the desired core temperature. Then immediately sear on high temperature (sear) and grill a nice color on the meat. Advantage: the meat is nicely cooked over the entire thickness, less shrinkage of the meat, juicier and tender.

Smoke wood: gives extra flavor to pieces of meat by putting it between the hot coals at the start of your bbq session. Note: every wood fits with other meat.

Smoke ring: the pink border just below the barque of the meat. This is due to a reaction with the gas of the smoke and the moisture of the meat. Rotisserie: a way of grilling where the meat (often on a skewer) slowly rotates above the hot coals. Often electrically controlled. In this way the meat becomes hot / cold each time so that it does not burn, the process slows down, so that the meat stays juicier and is proportionately cooked.

Rub: a spice mixture that you rub in your meat before it goes on the bbq. Resting: after (direct) grilling, the meat should rest so that the meat relaxes and the juices are redistributed. During the rest the meat continues to cook, so keep this in mind during preparation.

Water bowl: a container with water that you place between the meat and the hot coals. Provides a better moisture balance during indirect bbqing and prevents dehydration.