Are we cooking at the right temperature?

[Bludawg]

I don't cook in the L ooser & S econd category, 300+ BABY go fast or go home !!

 

[qnbiker]

250-275 because that's where my WSM likes to be. Hours unattended pouring out thin blue smoke.

 

[aawa]

It all depends on my timelines.

I typically will cook hot and fast 300+ (sometimes getting over 350+) However is cooking space is at a premium due to the size of the cook or when the food needs to get done, I'll do low and slow starting early in the evening, and then catch a 2-3 hour nap while my roommate keeps an eye on the smoker and lets me know if something is going on.

 

[Brew n Que]

For me, it depends on how much meat I have on the pit. If I am only doing a brisket or two, my pit likes to sit at around 250-275, so that is what I cook at. If I have a pit full of meat, I will typically kick the temp up to 300ish, and the meat takes about as long as doing less meat at a lower temp. Even though Franklin cooks at 320ish, his briskets still take 18 hours just because of the shear amount of meat he has on the pit. You basically get a "bubble" of cooler humid air around the meat as moisture evaporates. If the pit is loaded up, the bubble is a lot bigger and keeps the meat cooler. So essentially, some of the famous places are cooking "hot and slow".

 

[AlwaysSmokey]

Even though Franklin cooks at 320ish, his briskets still take 18 hours just because of the shear amount of meat he has on the pit. You basically get a "bubble" of cooler humid air around the meat as moisture evaporates. If the pit is loaded up, the bubble is a lot bigger and keeps the meat cooler. So essentially, some of the famous places are cooking "hot and slow".

exactly :thumb:

 

[SmittyJonz]

 

[jham0077]

I'm new to all of this, so, time gets me. I tried my last ribs around 275, I got a little antsy because supper time was nearing and ended up pulling them early. They were a little chewier than I wanted. So 300-325 suits me best for ribs or butts. Nobody likes brisket like I do so I don't get to cook one too often. Any other special cut I do, I always look here for advice first.

 

[T-Man]

My Spicewine loves to chug along at 250.

 

[mikerooooose]

I think above 300 is pushing it and haven't had good experiences when I let it go above that. 250 usually works best for me for the first 6 - 8 hours anyway. If I wrap, then I'll crank it up a little more.

Franklin might be up over 300, but remember he has 100 briskets on his smoker at a time and he has a crowd waiting.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

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.

This! My unit absolutely loves 250-265 so naturally I've started cooking everything at these temps and it works like a charm.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

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.

This explains why my wife keeps getting pregnant. :becky:

 

[aks801]

At least we have made progress from what used to be "conventional wisdom", i.e. that it HAS to be low 'n slow.

I pulled out an old cookbook the other day. It was published over 30 years ago and includes the following gem:

"The most common mistake made by over-eager beginners is trying to cook too hot and too fast. The name of the game is cook "low" and cook slow: try and maintain a temperature of around 175 degrees for long periods of time - even a small brisket can take 10 hours. Remember, if your pit gets hotter than 212 degrees you literally boil the juices out of the food".

Bwahahahaha!!!!!!

 

[smoke ninja]

I invented hot & slow. it works great for brisket

 

[THoey1963]

I fought so hard to be right at 225* for a long time. Fiddling with the burners and cracking the lid. Yes, that was on my gasser before I had my WSM.

I found this site and a month or two later, I got my WSM. I learned to let the smoker run where it likes instead of fighting it to a temp it doesn't. Mine loves to run around 275* and can run +/- 25 degrees of that all night long if needed. Why fight it? She's happy, I'm happy, and the food turns out great...

 

[Pitmaster T]

Popdaddy is glad He could help

 

[landarc]

I always start my cooker at ambient air temperature, from there, it ramps up. Sometimes as high as 350°F, until the meat is cooked. I don't give it much attention unless I am in a hurry. If I have allotted (procrastinated) to where I have less than 7 hours to serving, I go hot right away.

 

[TXLX]

Better to have a hot & clean fire than low and dirty. Mine seems to settle around 290° for 3-4 hours then starts dropping. I just open the intake a bit and let it keep the temperature it likes.

 

[thirdeye]

At least we have made progress from what used to be "conventional wisdom", i.e. that it HAS to be low 'n slow.

I pulled out an old cookbook the other day. It was published over 30 years ago and includes the following gem:

"The most common mistake made by over-eager beginners is trying to cook too hot and too fast. The name of the game is cook "low" and cook slow: try and maintain a temperature of around 175 degrees for long periods of time - even a small brisket can take 10 hours. Remember, if your pit gets hotter than 212 degrees you literally boil the juices out of the food".

Bwahahahaha!!!!!!

A Smokey Hale book??

 

[1buckie]

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.

Many years with no therm.....except for turkeys.....always used one on turkeys......

Nowadays, those little grate therms always go on......so you folks know what temp I'm cookin' at......:wink:

 

[bosco500]

The main reason I like low and slow is because I can put a couple briskets on at 10pm and get a good nights sleep. To awaken to a beautiful smell that needs to go in the oven until it hits 200. Works great for me :mrgreen: