Memorial Day Weekend begins the unofficial kickoff of grilling and smoking season

Smoking, grilling, or barbecuing doesn’t have to be a complex exercise, even if what happens on the grill or smoker is complex process.

It’s a matter of technique and, in the case of smoking, patience. Yes, grilling (or cooking hot and fast) has its merits, but the best, flavorful meats tend to come from a smoker. And once you have one that you want to learn to use, there are steps that will get you to where you want to go.

Nuances exist that can enhance the finished product, but let’s start with the absolute basics as the outdoor cooking season in Ohio officially gets underway with the Memorial Day Weekend.

Give that meat some taste

Myriad ways exist to infuse flavor into meat, and the method chosen greatly influences results. For any piece of meat, you want to find a way to season it.

But what do you season it with? That depends − you didn’t expect this to be completely easy, right?

You have purists who will want to season a beef brisket, for instance, with just a combination of salt and pepper and swear by that flavor profile. But there are other options. You can make your own “dry rubs” from assorted spices such as garlic powder, onion powder and various peppers and other spices, or just find a recipe for rubs such as Memphis Dust or Kansas City Dry Rub.

Rub a binder such as mustard or olive oil on the meat and then liberally coat it with rub.

Fire it up and get ready to go

Get your smoker ready to go. Optimally, you want to make sure the smoker is well sealed and well insulated. Once fired up with your fuel of choice, be it charcoal, wood, electricity or propane, get the cooking chamber to a consistent 225-250 degrees.

As far as charcoal, I’ve used both briquettes (Kingsford Competition) and lump charcoal (Cowboy brand). The former may burn longer, whereas the latter tends to burn hotter. Mileage before adding more charcoal may vary. This is where it gets complicated, and temperature maintenance is a key.

The built-in thermometer on the smoker will give you a temperature, but my experience tells me it will likely be wrong. I ruined many a piece of meat because of what I learned were incorrect temps. This is why I recommend getting a separate thermometer, like one from ThermoWorks Signals, for monitoring the ambient temp of the chamber via a probe. It also has three other plugs for meat probes, along with an app that allows you to monitor your setup via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

The big throw-down: Bring your patience

Depending on what type of meat you’re smoking, go get a beverage and hunker down.

Some meats, like pork shoulder or beef brisket, will take hours. To get the desired effect – tender, juicy meat – you want to go low and slow on those particular cuts. That will allow them to get up to temperature and cause the chemical reaction to break down connective tissue to create that moistness.

You need, and it can’t be emphasized enough, to cook to temp, not time. The temperature informs as to whether a cut of meat is done. It’s also one reason it’s important to have an instant read thermometer.

But birds (poultry) are a bit different in the realm of smoking. You can still get the smoky flavor, but they cook faster and need to be cooked at a higher temperature if crispy skin is a goal.

There is also one technique that rules above them all: Spatchocking.

It involves removing the bird’s spine (no expected this to be gore-free, right?), collapsing it flat and placing it on the smoker skin-up. I’ve done my Thanksgiving turkeys via this method for five years. I will not go back to any other way.

Which wood should you use?

That is very much the key question. It’s also a matter of personal preferences and the flavor profile wanted.

I smoke with a variety of woods, including cherry, apple, pecan, peach, mesquite and hickory, and which one depends largely on the meat I’m cooking.

Beef is more forgiving with respect to flavor, which means it can endure bolder flavors like hickory and mesquite. When I do want a lighter profile on beef, nothing beats using cherry wood.

Pork can pretty much take any type of wood, but it's especially delicious with fruit-based woods like peach, apple and cherry. And poultry? You want to go with lighter, fruitier woods.

But how long should the actual smoking process play out? Again, preferences.

When using wood chunks, I add a good-sized one (approximately 4 ounces) every 30 minutes or so throughout the cook. It’s key that the smoke produced isn’t “dirty.” I know the term “clean smoke” may be oxymoronic, but it’s actually a thing called "blue smoke." One indicator that it's clean is if it’s barely visible.

Remember, smoke to proper temperature and not time.

There are certain steps you can take to optimize the final product during the process. One such step: spritzing, which involves spraying the meat with a liquid to keep it moist and add some flavor.

For beef briskets, spritz every half hour or so after the bark begins to form (usually around two hours). I usually spritz and add a hunk of wood at the same time. For pork shoulders, follow the same process. For ribs, which cook faster, you want to spritz after the first hour and then every half hour after.

What should you use for spritzing? Let your flavor freak flag fly. I used a solution of apple cider vinegar and water. I’ve used apple juice and water. I’ve attempted water mixed with spices (an iffy prospect considering the spritz bottle nozzle clogged).

Smells good, looks good: The meat’s ready to go

Remember that cooking to temperature thing? You do not want to cook to the desired end temperature. You want to pull your meat several degrees – usually about five – short of that number.

Why?

Because that meat needs to rest before you cut into it, and while it’s resting, it’s still cooking. Letting the meat rest allows the juices to recirculate and the meat to relax, which should help not only the tenderness, but also its overall juiciness.

How long to let it rest ultimately depends upon the individual preferences. For pork shoulder, it can be as few as 30 minutes, but up to four hours is recommended. Brisket should rest at least an hour, but some recommend two to three hours for optimum results. As for poultry, it’s more forgiving, and 10-20 minutes works before carving.

Everyone has quirks when it comes to barbecue

There are people and restaurants who swear by certain methods and materials to enhance flavor, be it a particular type of wood or barbecue sauce.

Other than ensuring the meat is tender, flavorful and safe to eat, there is no best way. Like everything in life, it is subjective. Personally, I don’t use sauce on my ribs. I prefer tasting my meat, so I use a good rub and allow that to do the work. Others like to slather sauce on in copious amounts.

In other words, you do you.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Your guide to grilling and smoking meat for Memorial Day Weekend