I'm sure this won't cause any controversy, but I see a LOT of talk about the infamous 225, just about everything references it, beginners won't veer from it, and traditionalists seem shocked when we say we cook at 275+. I think it is time for this myth to get busted, anywhere from 225-325 is gonna be just fine in my opinion.
Where did I get this? When I first started learning here I noticed several mentions of restaurants using high temps, notably the 425 for the Rendezvous Ribs. I watched cooking shows like BBQ Pitmasters and noticed that many of the teams used much higher temps, most notably Myron Mixon who seems to win everything cooking at temps much closer to 300. Most of the competitors on that show cook at at least 250. Someone mentioned that Franklin cooks 285+, they say they have proof but won't give the source, but he does point to the question of how could you maintain 225 in a stick burner with hundreds of pounds of cold and warming meat, opening often to move the meat around the temp zones as Franklin himself mentions. He says Franklin never says 225 which I thought I remember, so I watched it again here. He mentions at 1:30 he is cooking this one at 250, then just after that he says this smoker is much smaller than he is used to and "i'm gonna try to keep it pretty low, about 250 degrees" which leads one to believe that not only is he teaching you to cook at 250, but also that he considers that "pretty low".
Add to that the PBC which while relatively new to the scene, most agree puts out excellent food at 275+ and I think this gives a picture of a trend that has been happening for quite some time, but just now getting to the backyard cooks. The pitmaster show has been on for years, and most of those guys have restaurants, I can't imagine why they would cook slower in their restaurants when all that would do is hurt them financially.
Thoughts?
Where did I get this? When I first started learning here I noticed several mentions of restaurants using high temps, notably the 425 for the Rendezvous Ribs. I watched cooking shows like BBQ Pitmasters and noticed that many of the teams used much higher temps, most notably Myron Mixon who seems to win everything cooking at temps much closer to 300. Most of the competitors on that show cook at at least 250. Someone mentioned that Franklin cooks 285+, they say they have proof but won't give the source, but he does point to the question of how could you maintain 225 in a stick burner with hundreds of pounds of cold and warming meat, opening often to move the meat around the temp zones as Franklin himself mentions. He says Franklin never says 225 which I thought I remember, so I watched it again here. He mentions at 1:30 he is cooking this one at 250, then just after that he says this smoker is much smaller than he is used to and "i'm gonna try to keep it pretty low, about 250 degrees" which leads one to believe that not only is he teaching you to cook at 250, but also that he considers that "pretty low".
Add to that the PBC which while relatively new to the scene, most agree puts out excellent food at 275+ and I think this gives a picture of a trend that has been happening for quite some time, but just now getting to the backyard cooks. The pitmaster show has been on for years, and most of those guys have restaurants, I can't imagine why they would cook slower in their restaurants when all that would do is hurt them financially.
Thoughts?
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