Furman took over from there, moving around the large, cylindrical smoker set up on the patio as he talked, occasionally stepping through the steady plume drifting and billowing from its chimney. He detailed the practical side of heat’s diffusion into the meat, carrying the cherry-wood flavor and reddish color. In addition he and Weitz discussed the process by which blood in bone marrow diffuses into the meat and that a red-colored “smoke ring” is a sign of properly cooked barbecue, done low and slow.

“I never thought that cooking barbecue would have me teaching science class, but I didn’t know there was so much science in cooking barbecue,” Furman said.

Furman also talked about barbecue techniques which, judging by questions from the audience, were a key interest. Time is an important element, but he cautioned against using a clock to tell when it’s done. Instead, he said, go by the meat. For ribs, he doesn’t use a thermometer, he pokes it with a finger near the bone. If it goes through, it’s done. On Monday, for example, he put the ribs on at 1 p.m., and they were done after about 3½ hours. He kept them in the smoker at a lower temperature, so they’d be hot for the audience to sample.

Furman described using a charcoal chimney to get the smoker going, why he doesn’t use sugar in his sauces and rubs (it burns), how to rescue dried-out white-meat chicken (don’t bother, just get dark meat, which is hard to dry out), and emphasized the importance of using a good cut of meat, especially for brisket. He also said, that, like many things in life, in barbecue, practice and repetition builds skill.

“Consistency is the key in barbecue,” Furman said. “Not just barbecue, but cooking any food. If I have nothing to do, I’ll be in my driveway, cooking a brisket. I’m not going to eat it; I’m just going to cook it.”

The lecture series is an outgrowth of a Harvard College class on the same topic and, as he did last year, Furman spent the second day of his two-day visit to campus talking to students, who got to sample his ribs on Tuesday.

Sörensen, senior preceptor in chemical engineering and applied materials, said that over the years of organizing the talks and teaching the class, she’s gained an appreciation for the similarities between how cooks and scientists approach their work, as well as the powerful draw that talking about food exerts on audiences.

“I think there is something about food that touches everyone,” Sörensen said. “They’re also curious. They want to know how to make a better brisket. They are scientists without realizing it.”

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