i dont get it


 
Corey Elks

Corey Elks

TVWBB All-Star
where did the term low and slow come from.. my understanding is barbecue started way back many many years ago over open fire right...... well i gotta believe that the open fires were hotter then 225-250 degrees. I would think more like 350 to 400 degrees. Now ive done lots of low and slow cooks and some high heat cooks and i honestly can say i dont see much of a difference. What do you guys think
 
I don't see much difference either. I cook backs, spares and brisket at 325-375 - but butts I prefer 255-275.

Low/slow comes from the notion that, contrary to cooking over 'open flame', large cuts of meat were cooked over coals. This might be quite hot near to the coals, but the meat was instead cooked at some distance, allowing the interior to cook thoroughly without the exterior burning or otherwise overcooking.
 
So, to cut it short- if you cook for just a few people, you can do the same with a large kettle, and there is no need for a WSM?
 
You can do many of the same things that a WSM will do with a kettle, that is true. But, if there were not a need for the WSM, people would not buy them. They do serve their purpose well.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">no need for a WSM </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Heresy!!
 
There's a good chance that in real olden times fire pits were kept going all the time. There were no smokers or suchlike. The pit may well have had points of various temperatures, so that meat could be placed in it for different times. It may have been buried, wrapped in leaves. or suspended over the heat, but, vrey importantly, not tended to very much. They may well have found that low temps allowed minimal effort with best results.

The real puzzle is where did they get the meat if there was no Costco?
 
I think that the notion that there is some right way to barbecue is inherently flawed. There's much variation in current methods, I can only imagine what it was like in the past.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I can only imagine what it was like in the past. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is one of my favorite things to think about. I would have REALLY enjoyed seeing how they cooked outside way back when.
 
My grandfather always cooked outdoor's on an open fire or indoors on a wood burning stove, i remember outdoors he would use a tuscan i believe they are called sits over the fire
 
I believe Kevin is right when he said the larger cuts were cooked in some way to prevent burning.
I also think that "back in the day" people cooked meat til it was well done to avoid diseases. At the time they didn't have foil to protect the meat from high heat. I assume some of them rigged up some way to protect the meat from the open flame so they could place it closer to the heat source and cook at higher temps much the same way all of us here have our different methods. I'd guess the ones that came up with their high heat methods would claim it was just as good and the ones that were reluctant to change would argue it wasn't as good.
I wonder how a high heat brisket or butt would come out on a WSM without using foil?
 
Barbecue derived from "barbacoa". From what I understand, it is similar to a Hawaiian Luau where meat is roasted wrapped in leaves and buried in a bed of coals.

Though open fire/coal pits were used, the meat was suspended well above the heat. I recall images of early Florida settlers being taught "BBQ" with the meat on a lattice of limbs about 4' above a pit of coals. Obviously, the temps at that level were below wood ignition levels.


No need for a WSM ... or Kettle. Alton Brown proved that with his Flower Pot Smoker.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Though open fire/coal pits were used, the meat was suspended well above the heat. I recall images of early Florida settlers being taught "BBQ" with the meat on a lattice of limbs about 4' above a pit of coals. Obviously, the temps at that level were below wood ignition levels. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What is key for me, is that their methods grew out of necessity. They were working with limited choices for fuel, and were probably trying to preserve meat, so slow roasting over wood was possibly not the best way but the only way.

Along these lines, all grain that was malted for beer making had to be dried over an open pit. This resulted in a ale that had a strong smoke flavor. Eventually, somebody figure out how to dry the malted barley in a kiln, eliminating the smoke, and it must have won everybody over because, today, all grain is kiln dried. Schwartzbeirs are still made now with smoked grains but they are brewed more as a curiosity.

I just feel that if you had a time machine and gave the "barbacoa" natives some technology (briquettes, foil, et-73...) they'd be the last to complain about losing some tradition. I'll bet they'd be sick of tasting wood smoke and would prefer the taste of pure meat.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Now ive done lots of low and slow cooks and some high heat cooks and i honestly can say i dont see much of a difference. What do you guys think </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I do find that I have better tasting BBQ when I cook at a low temp for a longer period of time. In fairness, I haven't done a ton of higher temp smoking. Just pulled a butt off the smoker this morning that I cooked at 205* for 10 hours (yes...I like going "real" low). Might have been one of my best butts so far (man, I just love BBQ on a biscuit for breakfast)
 
Simple answer to sum this all up.

Low and Slow = More time for beer, plain and simple!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by j biesinger:
Schwartzbeirs are still made now with smoked grains but they are brewed more as a curiosity.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I think the smoked beer style you may be referring to is rauchbier. Schwarzbier is a dark lager that has a very smooth dark malt flavor with a subtle roastiness, but generally isn't brewed with smoked malt. Schlenkerla brewery produces what many consider the classic example of rauchbier.

http://www.schlenkerla.de/indexe.html
 
i grew up on a island that purty much cooked the same way forever. not much low and slow going on. most tough meat was always put in stews and such. many smoking fires are not done close to the heat but might be above the smoke/flames by 2-3 feet. the concept of low and slow now is purty much a modern thing.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">quote:
Originally posted by j biesinger:
Schwartzbeirs are still made now with smoked grains but they are brewed more as a curiosity.


I think the smoked beer style you may be referring to is rauchbier. Schwarzbier is a dark lager that has a very smooth dark malt flavor with a subtle roastiness, but generally isn't brewed with smoked malt. Schlenkerla brewery produces what many consider the classic example of rauchbier. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

yes, my bad
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I happen to be reading a review for a schwarzbier and it was stuck in my mind.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Just pulled a butt off the smoker this morning that I cooked at 205* for 10 hours (yes...I like going "real" low). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

out of curiosity, how do you temp your smoker? 10 hrs at 205* doens't seem right. I run >250* and foil and a butt takes 9 hrs to get to 195*.
 
George, not too recent.. indigenous people groups have cooked in pits in pre European times in Mexico and perhaps other areas as well.

After the the introduction of domestic animals depending on the region cooking "barbacoa" usually means goat or a pig cooked underground mostly overnight under low heat conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbacoa
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Geir Widar:
So, to cut it short- if you cook for just a few people, you can do the same with a large kettle, and there is no need for a WSM? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>No, WSMs are totally worthless. If you were one of the poor fools that were suckered into buying one, pack it up immediately and ship it to me freight collect!
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