PLATTSBURGH — Successful barbecuing is all in the art of preparation.

"It's a preference of what you want," said Matt Baldwin, chef and owner of the Deer's Head Inn in Elizabethtown.

"I don't have a lot of time, so when I'm home, I don't want to spend five or six hours cooking. When you have two kids and not a lot of time, it's kind of down and dirty, quick and easy."

Others, including John Ford, kitchen manager for Crickets Casual Food and Spirits of Peru, don't mind the long process for certain occasions.

His barbecue ribs have become a regular treat at his gatherings, as he makes them a few times a year.

When guests come to his cookouts, he said, they're thinking "pretty much free ribs," he joked.

To him, barbecuing is an opportunity to get together and have fun.

"Having a day off on the weekend to spend with family and friends," he said.

MARINADE HINTS
And barbecuing, when done right, can please just about anybody.

"We really like doing ribs at home," Baldwin said.

One thing to consider no matter what's on the menu is how hot your grill is, he said.

"High heat for stuff like steak, fish — things you want to lock the juices in," he said.

So for ribs, start on a low flame.

"Don't get your grill roaring hot unless it's something that you want to lock in the juices," Baldwin said.

When marinading food, be careful there, too.

"If you're using a marinade, don't marinade it too long," he said. "Especially if it's got acid in it, particularly a high-acid marinade like vinegar, because it will start to chemically cook your meat."

Instead, Baldwin suggests avoiding overnight marinades with high-acid ingredients, including citrus.

"Really, no more than one hour," he said.

At home, Baldwin enjoys grilling peeled fruit, such as pineapple and nectarines.

"If you're serving pork tenderloins, grilled pineapple is a good side.

"All vegetables are really nice on the grill," he said.

THE OLD STANDBYS
Chef Doug Barge of Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid whips up a barbecue sauce that works for just about anything.

"Food becomes the vessel, because you can put it with anything. Hot dogs, hamburgers, whatever," he said

When applying the all-important barbecue sauce to the grilled food, it's all in the timing.

"Technique is the big thing," Barge said. "The question most people have is, 'When do you brush on the sauce?'"

The answer?

"When it's almost done," he said.

That way the grilling can caramelize the sauce rather than burn it.

If that's too much hassle, there is always a ready-made standby, Baldwin said.

"Of course, the kids are just happy with hamburgers and hot dogs."