1. You are eating enhanced meat.

enhancedBarbecue pitmasters like to brine meat for extra flavor, but the new “enhanced meats” that have taken over the industry can’t absorb any more water (or flavor). In the meat industry, enhanced is a euphemism for meat products injected with phosphates, potassium, antioxidants, and water or flavoring. The chemicals help the meat retain water and stay moist while cooking; but the real “enhancement” is that the 15% added water weight adds 15% higher profits to the meat packer’s bottom line. American consumers pay something like $70 billion a year for chicken, so guess how many billion we spent on water? And there is no way to tell you are getting enhanced meat from reading the label—it is simply the norm these days. True, the injections do make the cooked meat taste juicier—as long as you don’t mind ingesting a lot of chemicals. But you might want to check out recent consumer alerts on the dangers of increased potassium and phosphorus in enhanced meats. To get around this rip-off, barbecue joints, cook-off competitors, and home barbecuers are forced to pay extra for “natural” brands that contain no additives, or shop at wholesale clubs that sell un-enhanced meats. (Photo: Dream in Demon)