You can design your own cooking log, or just click one of these links to download a copy of the one I use. You can personalize the Excel version to meet your specific needs.

• Cooking Log - Updated June 2003 (Excel Spreadsheet | Adobe PDF)

What's In a Cooking Log?

In a cooking log, you can track the following types of data:

• Date of the cooking session
• Type of meat cooked
  • weight
  • price per pound
  • source/supplier
  • fresh or previously frozen
• How the meat was prepared for cooking
• Rub/baste/glaze/mop/sauce used
• How the meat was cooked
  • target cooker temperature
  • target internal meat temperature
  • type, brand and quantity of fuel used
  • type and quantity of smoke wood used
  • water pan full/empty/not used
• Weather
  • air temperature
  • wind conditions
  • cloud conditions
• Cooker performance at time intervals (e.g. every 30 minutes)
  • cooker temperature
  • vent settings
  • internal meat temperature
  • when meat was turned/basted
  • when water, fuel or smoke wood were added
  • additional comments
• Evaluation of final results
  • appearance
  • smoke ring
  • tenderness
  • flavor/aroma
  • moist/dry
  • additional comments
• Notes for next time (things you might do differently in the future)

Do What Feels Right To You

Some people who don't know me very well think that because I suggest the use of a cooking log means that I am promoting a science- or engineering-based approach to barbecue. That couldn't be further from the truth.

A cooking log simply helps you remember what you did so you can repeat the good stuff in the future and avoid repeating the bad stuff. You only need to track the things that are important to you, so don't feel compelled to track everything I show in the list above just because I do so in my personal cooking log.

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