The Art and Science of Barbecue

Published July 25, 2024

Certificates Mentioned in this Post: Professional Certificate in The Science of Cooking

No matter where you are, chances are you’re cooking up something good this summer. You might call it BBQ, or barbecue, or simply ‘cue. You might say that you’re barbecuing, grilling, or smoking. It could be “high ‘n fast” or “low ‘n slow”. 

You may even refer to yourself as a pit boss or the grillmaster.

Whatever your choice of vernacular or individual style, the fact remains, you are one of many participating in a cooking tradition that has connected humanity for over a million years.  A tradition that has long been the backbone (or maybe the ribs?) of the backyard - especially in the US. 

It’s why so many of us have strong associations between summer and those sweet, savory, and smokey fragrances wafting up from somewhere on the wind from some unseen backyard. 

BBQ 101

How do you ‘cue? 

Did you know that approximately 80% of American households own at least a grill or a smoker? That’s according to 2023 research from the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), and matches the highest percentage in the study’s history.

America’s love of barbecue is not only corresponding with more households doing it, it also corresponds to an increase in frequency and meals. Fall and winter grilling are on the rise, and so is grilling for meals beyond dinner - 12% surveyed grilled for brunch, and 7% for breakfast. 

Why do we love to grill so much? The HPBA sought answers to that too and found:
 

• 57% did it for the flavor
• 40% for the lifestyle
• 33% for the entertainment 
• 29% for the convenience 
• 23% see it as a hobby

Science of BBQ

For many, there can be no doubt that grilling is seen as an art. But, it’s a science too. While the artist creates, science chemically transforms.

The first chemical processes that are handy to understand are the browning reactions, the collection of chemical reactions responsible for adding pigment to foods that give them a brown appearance. But, more importantly than color, these reactions transmute taste by introducing newly formed compounds. If that all makes sense so far, get ready for some jargon, there are two subsets of browning reactions - enzymatic browning and non-enzymatic browning*. In this article and in BBQ, we’re exclusively interested in the latter. 

*Enzymatic is just a fancy word for a process that involves enzymes, little proteins that speed up chemical reactions in our body (and more broadly, in nature). 

Caramelization 

We’ll start off with dessert first, because life is sweeter that way and because the browning of sugars via caramelization is a slightly simpler process. You’ve probably had caramel, but do you know how it’s produced?

It’s all thanks to caramelization, which is all thanks to heat. With heat as the catalyst, sugar begins to transform, whether it's fructose at 230 degrees Fahrenheit or glucose and sucrose which begin caramelizing at 320 degree Fahrenheit. 

When these sugars begin to melt, more than the appearance changes, so does their chemical structure and flavor. That’s because the chemical reactions catalyzed by the heat produce new chemical compounds, each one lending its own flavor notes:

Diacetyl: produced during the first stages, and responsible for a butter-like flavor (mmm.. butterscotch)

Esters and lactones: these compounds produce a sweet, almost rum-like flavor

Furans: these compounds lend a nuttiness to the flavor profile

Maltol: responsible for toasty flavor

Now you might be wondering, how does caramel relate to my ribs? It’s all in the sauce. BBQ sauce contains ample amounts of sugar, and when those sugars are exposed to the heat of a smoker or a grill, a tasty chemical reaction occurs leaving a far more complex taste. 

Of course, you may also be eating caramelized onions, but that’s really more of a Maillard Reaction… 

Maillard Reaction

The second type of non-enzymatic browning reaction, the Maillard reaction, is what really turns a grill into a vehicle to “Flavortown”. Whereas caramelization is a pyrolytic process (i.e. change caused by high temps), Maillard browning is due to the interaction of amino acids and reducing sugars that occurs at 230 degrees Fahrenheit. 

When amino acids and reducing sugars chemically react, they produce melanoidins, a brown pigment (hence, a browning reaction). But these chemical interactions also produce a whole host of compounds exponentially greater than caramelization, all of them adding their own flavor profile to the mix. 

Scientists are still researching to learn the full extent of the process, but they have learned a lot. Some of the more important findings are what chemical compounds create which flavors:

Furanone: This compound is responsible for a sweet, caramel-like flavor

Pyrazine: This compound adds that roasted, cooked taste

Thiophene: Similar to pyrazine, thiophene adds a roasted, meaty taste. 

What’s particularly amazing is how many foods are impacted. Thanks to the Maillard reaction, poultry, red meat, vegetables, coffee and even bread are all made tastier!

Hungry to Learn More?

If delving into the science of barbecue has you hungry for more, you’ve come to the right place. At Harvard Online, we know that learning about food - how it’s made, where it comes from, its cultural significance, its physical and chemical properties - is just as important as eating it. 

That’s why we’ve worked with Harvard faculty to create the Science of Cooking Professional Certificate, composed of three courses:

Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (Chemistry)

Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science (Physics)

Food Fermentation: The Science of Cooking with Microbes 

This certificate will transform your apron into a white coat, help to improve your cooking skills, and give you plenty to talk about around  the dinner table.

LEARN MORE

Need more details on these or or other learning opportunities? Learn more about on our Courses page.