Are we cooking at the right temperature?

I prefer to cook in the 280-300 range... My WSM likes to run at that temp and I've found that I always get a really clean fire with very little waiting as well.

300-325 seems to be the consensus these days even in the competitions. I cook at 275-300 just because that's where my UDS likes to run. I think that is the most important factor. If I tried to run low and slow it would be choking it down and getting dirty smoke. If yours likes to run at 225-250 and you forced it to maintain something higher then you would be having to work at it constantly and that wouldn't be any fun.

When I first started reading this forum, I was surprised by the amount of people who cook "hot & fast". I expected all the veterans here to be almost religiously low and slow.

After experimenting myself, I find almost no benefit to forcing the temperature lower than 250. Usually, my kettle settles in at 260 or so, and it runs better when I let it do what it wants. For me, it seems like 250-300 is the sweet spot for almost everything.

DetTigersFan said:

I prefer to cook in the 280-300 range... My WSM likes to run at that temp and I've found that I always get a really clean fire with very little waiting as well.

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^^same for me

I've gotten to where I like to cook hot and fast at well. My cooks are usually 275-300.

There is no "right" temperature.

Pappy Q said:

There is no "right" temperature.

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As long as it works for you and the food turns out the way you want it the temperature is "right"

my offset likes to cook at 250 so I don't fight her I just adapted and I think my Q is getting better. I use to try to make her run in the 225-230 but it was just too much work.

Pappy Q said:

There is no "right" temperature.

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That is true, but there are a whole lot of "wrong" temperatures. :biggrin1:

Aight . Now that we are talking about tempeture , I have a quick question when It comes to smoking wood. I always use Hickory to smoke my Ribs . But Yesterday I purchase some bags of wood chunk mesquite. I'm honest I'm not familiar with this mesquite wood, who can tell me anything about using mesquite . Thanks

My WSM runs easily @250F. For bigger cuts (18 pounder brisket) it means almost 22 h. Maybe I should increase to 275F?
Which is YOUR opinion?

Enrico said:

My WSM runs easily @250F. For bigger cuts (18 pounder brisket) it means almost 22 h. Maybe I should increase to 275F?
Which is YOUR opinion?

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I say give it a try but only if it's an easy intake adjustment. No need to shorten your cook a couple hours only to make it a miserable time fighting the cooker.

Enrico said:

My WSM runs easily @250F. For bigger cuts (18 pounder brisket) it means almost 22 h. Maybe I should increase to 275F?
Which is YOUR opinion?

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Cooked two 19lb ers last weekend. My WSM 22 runs at right around 280 using the Minion Method after lighting about 15-18 Kingsford Blue briquettes. If I need to run hotter I just light more charcoal to start. Ran my smoker right around 300, and wrapped after 4 hrs. Both briskets were done in 8 hrs, using a full bag of KB. Tender, juicy, & great smoke rings (which I really don't care that much about).

I started out cooking low & slow religiously. Now I am cooking typically between 280 - 300. I am using less fuel, less cooking time, and getting just as many, if not more, compliments on my food.

I like to run at about 285 to 300 degrees for everything these days, the Weber settles in really well at those temps and will chug along for hours with just a little feeding.

At times, thermometers are the best of things... or the worst of things.

If you learn how to cook without a thermometer, either on the pit or to temp the meat,.... you actually learn more about fire control, and you learn to watch the meat, listen to it, poke it, reposition it, when to baste it, etc. The best thing is.... you can usually cook average to above average BBQ all the time, and you are at ease on most any cooker. The worst thing is.... this takes a long time to master.

If you learn to cook using thermometers you try to mirror the techniques you read about or see used on TV. This leads to sometimes unnecessarily fretting because you can't hold a 225° for 4 hours, or maybe you overshoot a 275° and get freaked out if the pit is 280°. Some people will even start doubting their cooker because it does not behave exactly like someone else's does. The best thing is, when everything is dialed in and working right... you can turn out very consistent BBQ. Worst thing is... if a therm fails, some cooks panic.

Until 10 or 12 years ago when I bought my first BGE, I never cooked on a pit that had a thermometer, and the only time I would use a meat thermometer (the old stick-and-stay kind) was when cooking a prime rib. That said, I got hooked on cable thermometers and the instant read ones from Thermoworks and use thermometers to make my cooking a more relaxed and pleasant experience.

DetTigersFan said:

I prefer to cook in the 280-300 range... My WSM likes to run at that temp and I've found that I always get a really clean fire with very little waiting as well.

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Same here. I figure, why fight it? :wink:

Enrico said:

My WSM runs easily @250F. For bigger cuts (18 pounder brisket) it means almost 22 h. Maybe I should increase to 275F?
Which is YOUR opinion?

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I've cooked briskets that big in less time than that on my WSM. Are you sure your temp reading is right? Are you using a Maverick or something at least an inch or two away from the meat, and not out at the edge where it catches the hot air coming around the water bowl?

I switched to hot & fast cooks on my WSM and I won't go back. I run an empty water bowl so I'm not wasting fuel boiling water. Makes it easier to get those temps up. I target 300F but anything in the 275F-325F range is fine by me.

BigDaddyssmoke said:

Aight . Now that we are talking about tempeture , I have a quick question when It comes to smoking wood. I always use Hickory to smoke my Ribs . But Yesterday I purchase some bags of wood chunk mesquite. I'm honest I'm not familiar with this mesquite wood, who can tell me anything about using mesquite . Thanks

Click to expand...

Mesquite is great if used right, it has a very strong flavor and burns pretty hot.
A little goes a long way for flavor. Just my .02