Fruit, smoke and brisket: 5 tips to become a master griller

Jonathan Schryer says it's easy to become a barbecue expert.

As owner and manager of Saskatoon's Schryer's Smoked BBQ Shack, he's fed thousands of hungry patrons barbecued meat for years.

Speaking to CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning, Schryer said following a few key tips will have you grilling your way to glory.

Don't leave the barbecue

While some grillers may be tempted to temporarily abandon their grills to watch the big game, Schryer recommends against it.

He saidit's too easy for the temperature to stray up or down, which could spell disaster for your burger.

"You're going to get too much smoke in your barbecue," he said. "Maybe even a flare-up, and you're going to have that meat burn on you... A traditional barbecue takes a little bit more attention on to the fire to make sure the fire doesn't get too hot, or get too low."

"When you're dealing with a barbecue, you want to maintain a pretty steady temperature for the cook, so you don't have any temperature spikes up and down. That will affect the tenderness and the quality of the end result," he added.

Use a smoker

Schryer said cold smokers are becoming more and more popular with people who like to barbecue.

He said smoking meat overnight can improve meat tremendously.

"Once you start dabbling in it, you'll fall in love," he said. "There's an endless possibility of different combinations you can put together. Anything is going to taste better with a little bit of spice and a little bit of smoke."

Don't use expensive meat

While many people may reach for the AAA steaks to throw on the grill, Schryer said you don't necessarily need expensive cuts of meat for a good piece of barbecue.

"A lot of the time, any cut of meat can be made into something delicious," he said. "You've just got to take the time, extra seasoning, marinade's always going to put some tenderization in there. There's really no right way to barbecue. There's only good barbecuing and better barbecuing."

Pineapple express

While meat continues to be king on many backyard grills, Schryer said tossing in a pineapple or other fruits and vegetables is a great idea.

"You can't go wrong with some grilled pineapple," he said. "What I would recommend is maybe roll it in a little bit of brown sugar, and when you head onto the grill, it's always a good idea to drizzle on a little bit of maple syrup to make it even better."

The Classic Four

When he's barbecuing, Schryer generally falls back to the basicsusing pork shoulder, beef brisket, chicken and ribs.

"All those four cuts of meat, you've got a lot of fat content to them," he said. "When you're doing those bigger cuts like pork butt, you want to get them to the smoker for a good 12 to 14 hoursa nice overnight smoke. It's worth the time. Man, it's tender. Fall apart goodness."