How To Write A Recipe
Author: Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man

It amazes me how many great chefs can cook fantastic dishes yet
fail to be able to write recipes in a clear and concise way that
makes for easy reading and understanding. Many could do with
working in manufacturing industry for a number of weeks and
learn the skill involved in preparing a bill of materials for a
product because in this way they would get to understand how
certain ingredients can be grouped together to make a "sub
assembly" before the preparation into the final assembly.

Some top chefs have mastered this of course and they truly
produce excellent food, freshly prepared and in a short space of
time. It simply boils down to storing the food in it's sub
assembly state until you're ready to serve then throw everything
together and give it a blast.

I'm a barbecue and smoker enthusiast and I love to experiment
with different marinades, rubs and mops as well as making some
really tasty accompaniments for my BBQ parties. It wasn't until
last year that a friend suggest I should "bottle" my knowledge
and share it but my confidence wasn't too great because first of
all I'm not a professional chef and second I've never written a
recipe.

I guess everybody has to start somewhere and when I thought
about my day job it in manufacturing and also how some recipes
really annoy me I found the way forward. All it took then was to
think about how I prepared the meal and write it down.

One thing that really frustrates me is when there's no clear
information about how long the recipe is going to take,
admittedly it's not that important for barbecue recipes because
the BBQ cooking is part of the fun and if you're into smoking
most people already know the rule of thumb that it take a
minimum of 60 minutes per pound of meat and a thermometer to
measure the internal temperature of the food. What's really
annoying is when you get half way through a recipe and then see
the words "put the mix to one side and marinate overnight".

So aside from ensuring that the method clearly states how to
put the ingredients together in a manner that ensures the final
assembly is as easy as possible, it's essential to state clearly
in the opening summary whether that are any time constraints
with the recipe. For another example just a quick note at the
top of the page to state preparation time and cooking time will
work wonders.

There is a protocol when writing ingredients that the largest
constituents go first running down to the inevitable pinch of
salt and pepper at the bottom. For me it doesn't make sense
because I like to see the ingredients together that get mixed
together. For example if we're doing a rub then I would prefer
to see all the rub ingredients listed separately, this way it's
clear to read and I don't forget anything. That's my way, you
may have yours but if together it brings more great recipes to
the internet then hopefully we're onto a winner.


About The Author: The Barbecue Smoker Recipe Man writes free
barbecue recipes & meat smoker cooking ideas on gas, charcoal or
electric. Outdoor grilling tips, easy fire pit menus, healthy
rotisserie suggestions and best homemade bbq sauce recipes are
all available at http://www.barbecue-smoker-recipes.com