Not so low and slow barbecue cooking

by Carl Kaun, cbbqa member

Hearing about Vic Sessions (head cook for "Asleep at the Grill" barbecue team) not starting to cook, even his brisket or pork butt, before about 5:00 a.m. on the day of the contest fascinated me. I figure that scientifically, the only way he can do this is by, 1) turning up the heat, 2) by using smaller (mainly thinner) portions, or 3) some combination of both. With the brisket, he could also use USDA Prime graded meat, but that's outside the scope of what I'm after.

I also notice that Jack McDavid (FoodTV's Grill'n and Chill'n) cooks his stuff at temperatures higher than 225-240F.

So to experiment, I fired up the Weber Kettle, with coals banked on both sides and a pan of liquid in the center and opened it up so it was running 300-325F. I put on a slathered (mustard and spices) 5 pound or so brisket flat that looked like it had decent fat on it, and marbled pretty well. I looked in on it hourly, a little more frequently than I'd prefer at first, but I wasn't sure what to expect. After the first hour, it was looking fine, only just beginning to brown. At the second hour, it was browning pretty nicely, and I turned it. At the third hour, it was starting to darken nicely, and I turned it again. I took some temperature readings, and they ran from about 150F to about 120F. I'm not sure I believe the lower reading. At the fourth hour, I moistened it with a bit of the slather. At the fifth hour, temperatures were running 160-170F, and I figured I'd have at least an hour more. I wanted to run it up 180-185F, so that it had some pull, and hopefully was a bit moister. I did at this point turn down the vents a bit. At the sixth hour, I came out and that thing was falling apart done. I'd overcooked it in six hours!

And how did it turn out you ask? Independent of the over-cooking, I did find that I had a nice moistness in it, so that was good. The bark seemed heavier and tougher than I'd normally have, which was not as good, but is maybe an acceptable tradeoff. The flavor seemed fine. I did notice that the smoke ring was not as distinct. In some places it looked like the meat actually cooked on the surface before the smoke could react, so maybe next time I'll start the thing at 250-275F for the first hour or two.

I also threw on a couple of chicken halves at the fourth hour, turned them at the fifth, and took them off at the sixth. I like the way the chicken cooked. It was very tender and moist throughout. What I especially liked was that the skin was a good combination of crisp and tender, unlike the leather I've been getting at 225F. I should note that I've been brining my chickens, though, and I didn't this one, so the cooking temperature is maybe not the whole story.

I'm pretty sure I could cook ribs at a higher temperature. I'm not so sure about a pork butt. I suspect I'd encounter some of the same phenomena as with the brisket.

All in all, it was a good experiment. And I'd love to hear any of your thoughts or experiences on cooking temperature.