A couple of evenings ago I finished watching the second season of Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. While watching it I picked up some good tips that I’ll be using when I cook foods in my smoker this summer. In fact, one of them I’ll be putting to use when I cook on Sunday. And as we head into a nice weekend for barbecuing here in Maine, I’m reminded of a video lesson about the science of BBQ.

Years ago Be Smart published a video about the science of barbecue.  In the video you’ll see graphics that explain the process of hydrolysis and its role in the cooking process. In other words, The Science of BBQ explains why cooking meat at a relatively low temperature for a long time tenderizes it and what happens when it is cooked too quickly.

Texas A&M’s website on barbecue science is one of the resources consulted in the creation of The Science of BBQ. That site will provide you with many more resources to share with students.

On a related note, Thyron Mathews, one of the stars of the Netflix series Barbecue Showdown has a good YouTube channel on which he shares some good BBQ cooking tips.