Whether we’re serving up Westminster catering or slinging Denver’s best BBQ in our restaurant, GQue BBQ is passionate about giving BBQ enthusiasts the best possible cooked meats in the greater Denver area. But when we’re not open, we want you to have the knowledge to cook your own delicious meats, so you’re never left eating… eating just… just vegetables.
In this blog, we’re going to cover the many different ways you can cook your meat, and the best cuts of meat for the job—so you’re never left lonely, meatless, and most depressingly, hungry.
Moist Heat Cooking
Moist heat cooking is a great way to cook tougher, more muscular cuts of meat. Not every piece of meat is going to be fatty and juicy, so using various forms of moisture will remove some toughness from the meat and infuse it with flavor.
It’s important to note that purpose of moist heat cooking methods is not to add moisture (meat ultimately exudes moisture in any moist or dry cooking method). The point of moist heat cooking is to stabilize cooking temperatures, tenderize meats, and allow meats to mingle with spices, vegetables, and other culinary flavors.
Braising
Braising is technically a moist and dry heat cooking method. First, your meat is fried or seared at a medium to high temperature, then placed in a pot, slow cooker, or dutch oven to finishing cooking at a lower temperature. Many vegetables can accompany meat during the braising process, as frying and searing utilizes the Maillard Effect, which unleashes beautiful color and flavor in your meat and vegetables.
Great for: Large, tough cuts of beef like roasts and briskets.
Boiling
Also referred to as simmering meat, boiling is a great way to cook the toughest cuts of meat in a slow, steady manner. Be sure to keep a meat thermometer handy to make sure your boiled meat is up to a safe temperature.
Great for: Brisket, chuck roast, and shoulder roast.
Pressure Cooking
Using a pressure cooker is a quick and convenient way to cook meat, often known as “short-braising.” In a pressure cooker, meat is cooked in a pool of water or broth, while the pressure inside the cooker raises internal temperatures for convection-like cooking.
Great for: Brisket, chicken, and turkey.
Stewing
Stewing is a great way to bring out flavor and tenderness from the toughest cuts of meat, allowing the meat to slowly absorb flavor as it sits in the stew pot. Stewing is only possible with tougher cuts of meat, and more tender will lose their shape and fall apart when sitting in the pot. Nothing beats that classic beef stew flavor!
Great for: Beef shoulder, leg, and butt.
Dry Heat Cooking
Dry heat cooking methods are best for tender, fatty, and juicy cuts of meat, and usually cook meat at a much higher temperature than moist heat cooking methods.
Barbecuing
Slowly roasting meat on a bed of hot coals. In our opinion, the most delicious way to cook your meat.
Great for: Pork. Any pork. Or basically any juicy, saucy meat.
Grilling
Cooking meat over a hot flame. Contrary to popular belief, grilling and barbecuing are not terms to be used interchangeably.
Great for: Strip steak, short ribs, chicken breasts.
Broiling
Like grilling turned upside down! Broiling cooks meat beneath an extreme source of heat, leading to crispy meat exteriors and fast cook times.
Great for: Steak, veal, pork chop, lamb.
Griddling
Cooking on a hot, flat surface (much like pan-frying).
Great for: Thin, inexpensive steaks, chicken, fish.
Not in a cooking mood?
We get it—we don’t want to cook our own meat sometimes. When you’d rather leave your meat to the professionals, stop by GQue BBQ. Check out our menu, and place an order today!
