Test Your BBQ IQ!

By Joe Wilkes

1. False: If you can hold your hand over the charcoal for 10 seconds, your grill is ready for cooking. After 10 seconds, your hand may be ready for the burn unit. Actually, if you can hold your hand above the coals for 3 seconds, the grill should be ready for cooking. If the grill is hotter than that, you run the risk of your food being burned on the outside and raw on the inside. A common misconception is that searing meat over a hot flame seals in the juices. In fact, cooking meat more slowly over lower heat produces juicier results.
2. True: Julius Caesar introduced pork sausages to Rome. Around 48 BC, Julius Caesar returned from Gaul, bringing the latest in sausage-making technology with him. While the early French may have been responsible for inventing the sausage, many would argue the Italians perfected it.
3. False: Hot dogs are the most popular grill item. Actually, hamburgers are number one. Hot dogs come in at a lowly number four, according to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association. Steak is number two and chicken clucks in at number three.
4. False: Barbecuing and grilling mean the same thing. Americans, especially northerners, often use these terms interchangeably. But anyone who's had real 'cue from the Southern U.S. knows that barbecue is something totally different. Grilling means cooking quickly over high heat. Barbecued meat is cooked or smoked for hours until the juicy meat practically melts in your mouth. And true barbecue artists don't rely on sugary sauces to mask the flavor of the meat. Most purists prefer a good dry rub of peppers and spices for the best barbecue—and it's healthier, too!
5. False: Drumsticks (for drums, not from chicken) are made from mesquite wood. Drumsticks are actually made from hickory wood, which is also the most popular hardwood for smoking in barbecue cuisine, according to the Hearth, Patio, and Barbecue Association. Mesquite is the runner-up, though as far as we can tell, it has no musical applications.