"Dave Bugg" > wrote in message
>
> This has to be one of the biggest myths in cooking, and demonstrates the
> lack of scientific knowledge and the tight embrace of old wives tales by
> many purported "experts" : To wit, you can add moisture to meat during
> the cooking process. External heat during the cooking process creates a
> high internal pressure which drives moisture out of the intracellular
> spaces of a tissue, like muscle. So how the heck does adding a beer can of
> water, or a pan of water, or a tub of water create enough opposite
> pressure to drive water back INTO those spaces. Answer: IT CAN'T. I wish
> mythbusters would do a BBQ special on busting these kind of cook-foolery
> old-wives tales.

I have to respectfully disagree. It is all in the method used.

What happens when you exercise? Your pores open up and you sweat, losing
moisture to the surrounding air. If you add enough moisture to the cooking
pit, it is possible under the right circumstances for the water to
penetrate. The trick is getting the pores to open. What you have to do is
wiggle the meat, same is it would be moving while exercising. Not easy to
do with a roast, but fairly simple with poultry.

Best results are found using the 10/5 method. Every ten minutes, you open
the cooker and wiggle the wings and legs vigorously for five minutes. this
gets the bird moving, thus opening the pores to absorb moisture. Be sure to
keep a good size pan of water near the fire so it will evaporate.

I know some of you may be skeptical, but it works. You just have to prove
it to yourself by trying it. You'll soon be a convert and do this with all
your barbecue. Important: Don't go more than 10 minutes at rest or the
meat will start to dry again.