How to: Make a DIY Barbecue Mop from Scratch

If you’ve ever watched an old school pitmaster, or read a single book or recipe on slow smoking and barbecue technique, you’re no doubt familiar with “the mop.” It’s a flavorful combo of liquids that gets regularly added during a slow cook to help aid smoke absorption and the creation of a great bark.

Some will add the mop with a spray bottle, but the mop, the liquid ingredient, comes, of course, from its application – an actual mop.    

A mop is pretty simple design, and you can easily whip one up yourself with materials you probably already have: heavy cotton string and a stick. Dowel rods are nice, but if you don’t have one on hand, just grab a fallen tree branch and get to smoking. 

Ashley from Apartment Therapy has the whole how-to. Of course, you can buy a BBQ mop inexpensively, but this is a cool technique to keep in mind if yours gets too messy to reuse, or you don’t have one ready to go next time you want to get smoking or grilling. Like say, come Thanksgiving morning and that turkey is just waiting for it. 

Make a DIY Barbecue Mop [ApartmentTherapy.com]