Is having to cook "low and slow" a myth?

It's my personal opinion that I can tell the difference, especially on the ribs. Only sure way to know for you though is to them both ways, where they end up done at the same time and do a taste test. If you try this, please, post your efforts...

You can grill ribs with fantastic results. They will not taste smoked but like grilled meat. I did six racks two weeks ago on my grill, three spares and three BBs and they were super! As for brisket, if it's injected it can be cooked hot and fast with excellent results. Crapshoot BBQ has won several 1st place and top ten briskets injected and cooked in 4hrs. on a WSM.

Low and slow has it's place. My experience is that with a hot and fast cook you don't get near the smoke flavor in the meat as with L&S. IMO, L&S is also the best way to learn to BBQ. Cooking hot and fast it is much easier to screw up your cook.

I agree with what others have said. You can really tell a difference with ribs, there is no way you can get the same flavor by grilling ribs as going low and slow, you just won't have the same amount of smokiness in the meat.

With briskets, I can tell a difference. Same as with ribs, there just isn't the same amount of "smokiness" in the meat when doing a high heat brisket compared to low and slow. Many people don't like a lot of smokiness, so a high heat brisket is perfect for them. They get a brisket done in 5 hours and they are happy with the result. I was OK with the taste of high heat briskets, but I like more smoke flavor, so now I'm playing around with a "medium heat" cook at around 275.

As far as tenderness, that is probably open to debate. Personally, so far I can't really see any difference in tenderness between a low and slow brisket compared to a high heat.

I've never tried a high heat pork shoulder, but my guess is it probably would be the same as the others, in that it will be just as tender but not quite as smokey.

My only reason for high heat is getting a brisket done in under 10 hours, I don't like running smokers while I sleep, and I don't like losing sleep.

At the point i am in my life" low and slow " is the best i can do:biggrin:

I think that hot and fast doesn't produce the same smoke flavor as low and slow - but can be very good, if done right (of course, slow and low has to be done right too, to be very good...)
span.jajahWrapper { font-size:1em; color:#B11196; text-decoration:underline; } a.jajahLink { color:#000000; text-decoration:none; } span.jajahInLink:hover { background-color:#B11196; }

/\ /\ Like Zilla said ...you can get great results on the grill.
They probably wont be as tender as they will from cooking low & slow; but,
they will be very good.
If you don't already have a "rub", just use Lawry's Seasoned Salt and for good
flavor you can make an easy spray.....I mix 1 15oz. bottle of "Lea & Perrins"
Worcestershire sauce and 1 4oz. bottle of "Colgin" liquid smoke and about
4tbs. of Balsamic Vinegar with about 2 cups of water.
I put it in a spray bottle; and spray the meat about every 15 minutes.
(buy a good quality spray bottle or it will clog up after awhile)
Or you can even use this as a mop sauce if you want.
This spray works good on Chicken, Pork, Turkey, Steak and burgers.
It's good on fish too...just use it very lightly though.

Don't buy the cheaper brands of Worcestershire sauce....they are not worth it.
Stick with the "Lea & Perrins"

Grillman said:

/\ /\ Like Zilla said ...you can get great results on the grill.
They probably wont be as tender as they will from cooking low & slow; but,
they will be very good.
If you don't already have a "rub", just use Lawry's Seasoned Salt and for good
flavor you can make an easy spray.....I mix 1 15oz. bottle of "Lea & Perrins"
Worcestershire sauce and 1 4oz. bottle of "Colgin" liquid smoke and about
4tbs. of Balsamic Vinegar with about 2 cups of water.
I put it in a spray bottle; and spray the meat about every 15 minutes.
(buy a good quality spray bottle or it will clog up after awhile)
Or you can even use this as a mop sauce if you want.
This spray works good on Chicken, Pork, Turkey, Steak and burgers.
It's good on fish too...just use it very lightly though.

Don't buy the cheaper brands of Worcestershire sauce....they are not worth it.
Stick with the "Lea & Perrins"

Click to expand...

IMHO liquid smoke = YUK. I would not use that to spray weeds, much less spray meat.

I know I'm new to all this but I just gotta say, "What's next, pulled pork in a crock pot?" :biggrin:

1FUNVET said:

IMHO liquid smoke = YUK. I would not use that to spray weeds, much less spray meat.

Click to expand...

cancerguy99 said:

I know I'm new to all this but I just gotta say, "What's next, pulled pork in a crock pot?" :biggrin:

Click to expand...

I'm with CG99. I thought for sure that this thread would get SLAMMED by the Brethren. I thought the definition of BBQ was "low & slow"?

My BIL likes his ribs cooked in the crock pot. Can he join the site????:-?



Liquid smoke? Rachel Ray uses liquid moke, and she don't BBQ!

Let see... yes

Low and slow hot and fast are not Grilling by the way.
Lets establish some rules

lets say low and slow is under 250
and hot and fast is 250 and above (not grilling)

and all meats are not to be foiled or braised.

and no aggressive artificial means of flavoring like marinading, injecting, or aggressively flavored rubs.

Now we have an equal playing field and I will explain this later

At least in my smoker, smokers, or rather any smoker I have controlled... I have found that low and slow produced

drier, less tender and more offensively smoked product
and temps above 250 (or 270 - 320 ) produce well balanced cleaner tasting product
moister and with better texture
with superior naturally occuring bark

than the same items cooked low and slow.

Briskets 270 - 350 (to feel)
Chickens 325 - 350 Till the leg wiggles right and skin is crispy
ribs - 270 - 350 Till Weep

Now that being said... with foils braising liquids, rubs, slathers injections and mops and marinades one can circumvent the baseline natural rules for traditional bbq. So in essence we are not going to compare a traditionally cooked (prior to 1905) BBQ item with a foiled and apple juiced counterpart. They are two different things.

cancerguy99 said:

I know I'm new to all this but I just gotta say, "What's next, pulled pork in a crock pot?" :biggrin:

Click to expand...

I suggest everyone that makes this argument research their cooking terminology. I say this with respect.

I have always started off Hot to sear the meat, then let it get low and slow to fininsh.

barbefunkoramaque said:

I suggest everyone that makes this argument research their cooking terminology. I say this with respect.

Click to expand...

That's what I'm here for. And based on your above post, I understand the difference between the "low and slow" and the "hot and fast".

Thank you. No disrespect taken.

There is a difference between 220 low and 325 high. Im in the middle, 250-275. I cant tell any difference in the product if the backwoods is at 225 or 275, except 225 takes longer.

cancerguy99 said:

That's what I'm here for. And based on your above post, I understand the difference between the "low and slow" and the "hot and fast".

Thank you. No disrespect taken.

Click to expand...

No No Noii was directing the comment at

crock potting... essentially braising without the searing first....

Grilling and broiling are nearly the same but contemporaily it is thought that grilling is on a grid, thereby causing grill marks and broiling is under a fire, which causes no marks.

pit cooking is a semantical difference only depending on how high the grate is above the coals... too low its grilling, too high its

AND the discussion was about low and slow versus hot and fast WHICH IS NOT GRILLING DUE TO RANGE OF TEMPS

BBqing as we do it is essentially roasting....


First.. this discussion has gone awry and then people begin to comment on the untopical.

Crock Pot cooking, and we have mentioned this many times on here, is not BBQing... but also it is not simply a technique that is laughable. Its is partly braising... which is the same process as foiling, or panning and even wrapping in butcher's paper and continuing the smoke as I do... In some cases it is also a technique I use called banking and covering, which I do when I am smoking say 60 Brisket Packers in one night... my smoker, The Brazos, holds 30 at one time laid out but I can group them on the nuetral side and cover them with a sort of non glued papermeche of soaked butcher paper and continue cooking them for 4-7 hours while the new ones get their smoke.

the thread was about low and slow versus hot and fast.... not crock pot and grilling. Nothing wrong with either and should not be used as a punchline thats all.

Frankly, we all are wrong if we want to be traditional about it..... who here smokes on a hand dug open pit after simmering their beef in a broth of water, salt pepper, juniper berries and bay leaves??? Anyone?

jrb03 said:

There is a difference between 220 low and 325 high. Im in the middle, 250-275. I cant tell any difference in the product if the backwoods is at 225 or 275, except 225 takes longer.

Click to expand...

this could depend on your rub as well...

read my old thread on salt and ratios of seasoning in rub...

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57130&highlight=salt+funk+rub

I used to notice what you were talking about when I had an aggressive rub (one with more than 4-5 powdered spices)

when i added a tri level to the act the 275 was kicked up drastically and the flavor from the same rub was driven into the meat more...

Against The Grain said:

I have always started off Hot to sear the meat, then let it get low and slow to fininsh.

Click to expand...

I wonder why Scott does not return my emails about video?

I really want to pop some of my **** in one of those smokers with all my **** on it and at my temp... LOL How high do you guys go?

Jim.. when you take the Grand daddy or something to cook in Galveston do you ever deviate from their rules?

I had some grilled ribs that a friend cooked up on a Independence Day that turned out pretty good. I did some ribs on Sunday I did low and slow and they turned out a lot better than the grilled ones I had the day before.