Hot & Fast vs. Low & Slow

[au4stree]

I've cooked my whole life as L&S, but recently did a brisket on my PBC (H&F). It truly was one of my best briskets. I'm not saying one method is better than the other, but it's hard to argue with the time savings afforded by the H&F, especially when the finished product is the same.....

Now, for our next pole.... FORD or CHEVY?

[Mudbeaver]

Depends on what I am cooking........... I do not feel comfortable voting at this time

[Greasy]

I took the question to be about traditional BBQ like ribs, brisket and Pork butt. I like the low and slow method and really don't want to speed it up. I get great results that way and am not motivated to change my ways. Skirt steaks are different but I don't think that was part of the question.

[HouseHomey]

"It Depends." Outside of that, whatever makes your boat float.

[Mudkat]

Water

[Mudkat]

Hee hee hee

[mnavarre]

Depends what I'm cooking & which cooker I'm cooking it on. The PBC and the Kettle/SnS just work differently. I did a 6.5 pound pork butt in under 5 hours on the PBJr. at around 315 average temp, and it turned out fantastic. I wouldn't think of trying to pull that off on the SnS because I don't really see it working out well. I've got no problem running the SnS at 250-275 for butts or spares, but I wouldn't go much above that.

And there's other considerations than just cooking time, too. Say you had four down to the molecule identical pork butts and cooked them all at 275 in, say a PBC, SnS, pellet pooper and a stick burner. They'll all end up different. They'll have different levels of smoke, cook at different rates, etc. Just because the cookers are different.

Different cookers, different techniques, different results. Pick any three. Do what works for what you're cooking.

[Polarbear777]

Depends entirely on the fat and collagen composition of the meat in question plus the thickness. Where required meat fiber done-ness crosses integrated heat-induced collagen/gelatin conversion is where you need to be.

[randy.56]

In comp cooks we cook low and slow, However the guy's winning trophy's are hot and fast. i do not know how they do it? We cook all nite long. these guy's start there fire about 5am, for turn in time at noon. Would like to learn how. My hot and fast results were not good.

[Sephon]

Hey randy.56, BabyBack Maniac just did a video series on Youtube with Harry Soo showing and teaching how the comp cooks are doing hot and fast. It's a fun series.

[Sephon]

Here is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSEI1mc97Ss

[randy.56]

Thanks Sephon

[isu006]

I agree chicken can be cooked faster them say a brisket... I guess I will go with whatever I feel comfortable producing a consistent product... I love my Hunsaker Drum it affords my both worlds, and with my lang I get the added benefit of flavor and a more traditional style of BBQ.

[Thom Emery]

hot and fast start the fire at 5 am turn in at noon

[ColonialDawg]

I am a hot and fast guy and that’s how I cook everything, except ribs (even then I cook my ribs at 250-275). I have a 26-inch Kettle with SNS and it performs this task admirably on brisket and butts. In my personal opinion, I don’t see a significant difference in taste compared to cooking low and slow. The bark might be drier on a a low and slow brisket or butt, but since I am slicing/pulling, I don’t really see a huge difference in the end. For me, I want flavor not dry bark. Personal preference. Another thing is the smoke rings on my briskets and butts look the same whether I cook hot and fast or low and slow. That tells me the smoke penetrates the same. One of the main reasons I like hot and fast is time. I can cook a 12 pound packer in 6 hours or less hot and fast, which means I can sleep, eat a good breakfast, start my brisket or butt late morning, and have my food ready by kickoff. For a busy family, that is a huge advantage.

Here's a pic of a packer I did hot and fast:






And a butt I did hot and fast:

[ColonialDawg]

Thanks!

[Attjack]

What's your hot target temp?

[ColonialDawg]

I usually shoot for around 300 +/- 20 degrees.

[bten]

Because I use a pellet smoker, I always start low to get a lot of initial smoke on the meat. I then bump it up a bit and a bit more after wrapping. I am still typically below 275. I may try to "push it" on the next brisket I cook just for us (when I cook to fill the freezer).

[Spinaker]

I always cook chicken hot and fast. I shoot for 275 F for pretty much everything else. Sometimes I will cook at 225 F, if I am using the Pit Viper fan and I have a day and half around the house. Otherwise, I think 275 F is just about the right temp. You still get plenty of time in the smoke and you build some serious bark without the stall lasting 12 hours, like it did on my last BGE cook.

I can cook at 225 F on the KBQ without an issue, and the cook will probably take about 14 hours. However, that is because of the airflow. 225 F in the BGE is just too low with that little airflow. (For me) I have never cooked a brisket at 300+ like some do, but I would be open to trying it.

[Buck Flicks]

I guess I have a different idea of hot and fast. To me, 275 vs 225 is still low and slow. It's just not AS low or slow. Hot and fast would be 375 or more likely over, for significantly less time. I don't think I'd want to cook ribs or butts that high. Just my preference.

[Georgia rookie 903]

isu006 ..gotta tell ya, low n slow because I like relaxing with a shot of bourbon, whiskey or whatever I'm into at the time. and also to enjoy the ride.. nice question sir

[klflowers]

I am a low and slow guy. Like GR903, it gives me an excuse to kick back with some Buffalo Trace and some Oscar Blues IPA while I wait... Of course, after a 14 hour brisket, I cambro and fall asleep.

[klflowers]

Dale's Pale works too EdF

[EdF]

It's made by Oskar Blues, so I was wondering whether we were doing the same beer!

[klflowers]

Dale's pale is different, I would show you a pic but I drank the last can I had last night.