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Why I Grill by Feel

When I started my BBQ journey many years ago, I would often find myself getting hung up on every detail of the recipe I was cooking. When following a new recipe, things like time, temperature, and technique translated to steps that had to be absolutely followed to have a successful dish at the end. I treated the whole experience like an engineering project instead of focusing on the cues my senses were telling me. Once I realized that recipes were just a reference, a guide showing me one way of getting to the destination, I felt a sense of freedom.

Why I Grill by Feel

It took me cooking this way for years and taking copious number notes along the way before I realized the things I should be focusing on, which are my 5 senses: sight, smell, taste, sound, and feel. Mapping those senses to the recipes, grills, and smokers I was using opened up a new sense of confidence and produced better results. Grilling By Feel™ was born!

Since that breakthrough, I am able to use recipes as a starting point and navigating the cook on my own without being constrained by the instructions inside. In addition, that is how I write recipes for my blog and related social media channels. I want to teach people how to Grill By Feel™ and gain the same sense of confidence I have when cooking. When you realize that time and temperature are relative, you are no longer held back by the numbers associated with each of them. When you see how to look for and manage the pellicle formation on your brisket, ribs, etc. you gain mastery over smoke penetration and the flavor it produces. Finally, cooking in this way helps the most when you are in a new environment or using a different grill. When you have confidence in the details you can more easily handle things when they go wrong or they are different.

So, in closing, why I Grill By Feel™ is simple: Cooking this way lets me be in constant learning mode . When you are always learning, you are always improving and that is a good way to live. So, follow along with me as I teach you how to Grill By Feel™ and let yourself gain the confidence to be the master of your own BBQ at home!

I am happy to announce my partnership with HPBA and proudly represent them as a “Why I Grill” Ambassador! To learn more about them and the “Why I Grill” program reference the links below: