Every BBQ Novice Should Practice Perfect Grilling With This Cut Of Meat

Learning how to grill is an absolute necessity for anyone who's a fan of summertime cooking, especially when it comes to the wide variety of classic BBQ dishes. However, even though grilling is one of the easiest forms of cooking, some foods are more manageable for aspiring grillmasters to make than others. For this reason, it's important to begin with a cut of meat that's considered more forgiving, and two of these cuts happen to be pork rather than beef.

While beef steaks have a reputation as being easier to grill than pork chops (which can dry out if you don't brine them first), pork ribs and shoulder are both great options for the job if you're unsure of your barbecuing abilities. The Takeout spoke with Scott Thomas, founder of The Grillin' Fools, who explained exactly why they're so optimal for novices at the grill. "Shoulder and ribs both have a good deal of fat, making it pretty difficult to dry them out," he said. "I would start with a pork shoulder, and for the second, cook a couple slabs of spare ribs. These cuts are very, very forgiving."

While pork ribs — which include both baby back ribs and spareribs — are a great choice for practicing, pork shoulder is even more ideal for grilling beginners. Barbecue master Scott Thomas pointed to pork shoulder's plentiful fat and collagen, explaining, "As the meat cooks, the fat liquifies and keeps the meat moist and juicy." While this cut takes much longer to grill than ribs, pork shoulder is relatively simple to make. "Smoke indirect at 250 degrees F til it reaches 200 to 205 degrees F, and the meat will be tender, juicy, and super delicious," Thomas said. "It really is that easy." Grilling this simplistic cut allows you to make a pulled pork sandwich or simply add a glaze and savor the meat on its own.

There are some cuts of meat you should avoid making until you have some experience with the grill, however, Thomas said. Unfortunately for BBQ fans, this includes the widely-beloved brisket, which is the opposite of pork shoulder in terms of difficulty and overall forgiving nature on the grill. "Stay away from brisket for a while — a long while," Thomas warned.