I'm brand new to low and slow. Been checking out several sites and most say to smoke ribs and butt at 225. It seems that everyone on this forum also cooks at 225. However, a video on the BBQ Guys website smoked them at 275. Just watched a You Tube video by Franklin and he, too, smokes ribs at 275 and 285 for beef ribs. Franklin cooked his pork ribs for 2 hours, wrapped, and then cooked another 2 hours. It also seems to me if you cook at a higher temp, you reap your rewards so much sooner. So, what to do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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There are a lot of ways to cook. i focus on the end result as in the internal temp that i am cooking to. try different things and see what works for you but focus on what the temp is at the finish. for example, my pellet cooker anywhere from 250 - 275 ribs take 4 to 5 hours, but i am looking at bark, meat feel and temp. i know its a lot of factors, but all important because not all meat cooks at the same rate. i also been hanging ribs on my drum smoker and they are done in 1.5 to 2 hours cooking at 300-350. in the drum, i'm not trying to manage temp just making sure i got a good clean burn.
check out my instagram (@bellyrubbbq) to see some pics of the different ways i have made them. oh yeah, they always come out good and sometimes better than others.
I once heard Dr BBQ, a hall of fame guy say. Cook that meat 30 times and then lets talk about strategies to cook it. moral to the story is try it out and pay attention the whole way from prep thru cook and REST times (Rest is important).
i'm not expert but love to talk BBQ. email me directly at [email protected] if you like.
Good luck and have fun it is possibly the best hobby anyone can have! -
If you are new to the smoking world, everyone will tell you to target a temp of 225. It can tend to be a more forgiving temp for newcomers. Personally I have found that 225 is on the low end of most meat cuts except for when i do brisket. For my pork ribs I am more around the 260 range. For butts its around 275. Havent done beef ribs but as soon as I get my hands on some I will prolly try them around 285 like Franklin does.Comment
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I do 225 or 275 and In between. It doesn't matter to me.Comment
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The 225 is only a beginning guideline and you will see on this site most of us cook at higher temps. Oh yeah and don't focus on an exact temp a range within the approx area you are seeking is more important.Comment
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I do 225 because i am never in a hurry, if it seems like they are going to take to long i bump the pig upComment
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If my cooker will let me I will shoot for 225 but most of the time the Lang likes 250 better so I try to keep it between 225-250.Comment
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i think if you follow enough threads you'll find most people don't follow 225.
whatever works under 300 is the right answer. and even then, 300 works sometimesComment
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@Ischweig - my Fireboard, my stick burners and my Vision grill have worked together nicely lately to emphasize your point. In the summer and dead of winter, when outside temps don't vary nor do the winds kick up, I do not get big temp swings on my stick burners. I get the temp to where I want it, set the damper and go. In the last couple of weeks I have noticed 30 degree swings in temps on my graph on my stick burner. Yet the meat continues to climb at a steady rate - no spikes and dips commensurate with the chamber temp variations. On the Vision grill, the temp is constant regardless of the conditions outside. I have the same steady rise in temps in the meat. Due to this, I am no longer dropping everything and running out to the stick burner just because it jumped above 250 nor do I panic when it goes down to 215. I have also noticed a phenomenon on my pastrami rounds. The doneness indicator IS when the temp differences have an effect on the internal temp. They have been pull tender when the graph goes up or down and the internal temp of the meat has a slight effect on the meat temp.Comment
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It doesn't really matter that much. Just keep it in the range and your meat will taste fine.
Something I've learned watching BBQ videos of people doing things horribly wrong is that they still end up with edible meat at the end. If the temperature really mattered that much, they'd end up with chewy gristle.Comment
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I use 225 as my minimum and ~275 as the maximum temps I am comfortable with on long cooks. If my cooker gets close to 300 I worry that it will power a butt/chuckie/brisket right through the stall too quickly and bark could suffer in quality. I really don't buy having a rock solid steady temperature throughout is as important as many would have you believe. Keeping the cooler stocked with beer is WAY more important.Comment
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I ALWAYS smoke @225°. I NEVER use the Texas crutch. I NEVER power through the stall. I ALWAYS give my brisket and pork butts at least 2 hours in the cambro. I NEVER serve my guests late, EVER.
By planning ahead and always cooking at the same temperature there is no guess work.
My best friend is my faux Cambro... it gives me lots of flexibility.Comment
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The cooler, cambro, oven, whatever you use to hold that meat really is the game changer. It makes things so easy when you realize your improving, (improving!) by finishing early. -
(Mickey) C ... I'm trying to say develop a system, stay consistent. Don't cook different every time. Let big clods of meat rest, they will get better. I don't care if you cook at 225°, 250° or 275°... they will all work! Plan ahead and be systematic and you will finish cooking on time, every time!
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So the correct answer is all of the above, cook at what you and your cooker are comfortable with. If you make big changes everytime you go outyou will never get anywhere. Stick with one temp one charcoal keep notes and before you know it we will be the ones looking over the fence asking whats for dinner. So enjoy it have fun and dont fretComment
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I agree with all the above. I usually like the lower range as the meat seem juicier, but it does take longer.Comment
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