Basting and Mopping

Basting the meat while cooking helps keep it moist and is a great way to add additional flavors. The baste should be applied with either a basting mop or a spray bottle. If you use a spray bottle, the ingredients must be mostly liquids with soluble powders. For larger portions the technique is defined as mopping. At large BBQ establishments such as the famous Dreamland Ribs in Tuscaloosa, the use an actual mop.

Tip: Don't use a basting brush if you are using a dry run as it will brush off the dry rub seasonings. A spray bottle works best in this instance.

Basting sauces should contain 50% oil and 50% acid (vinegar, citrus, etc.). As previously stated when cooking pork always thonk citrus (apple, cranberry, orange, etc.). For oil I prefer Olive Oil. To that mixture, you may add additional ingredients such as onion and garlic powder, ground pepper, etc. If you are going to make a generous amount of baste (or mop sauce), then you may use celery, onion, garlic, carrots, etc. and then strain the ingredients before using. I like to heat the basting mixture on the stove or grill top first to molecularly combine the flavors.

Apply baste every 15-30 minutes or 1/2 the way through cooking.