I doubted the whole low and slow thing for years

I grew up in Kansas City where everyone cranks their smoker to 275 and calls it good, so when a retired pitmaster in Lexington told me I was ruining my pork shoulder by not holding it at 195 for 4 hours I laughed at him. After he let me taste a sample from his cooker at a fair last September I finally understood what real tenderness feels like. Has anyone else had to eat crow after ignoring old school advice like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max2d ago

Wait, you seriously thought 195 for 4 hours was a joke? That sounds like the exact kind of advice I'd pay a pitmaster for, not laugh at. Man, I bet that first bite of his pork shoulder was the most humbling moment of your entire cooking life.

the_elizabeth2d ago

oh man, that really stings. i feel for you. weve all been there where we think we know better and it comes back to bite us. that first bite of perfect pulled pork after being so wrong about the timing must have been brutal. its like the meat itself was laughing at you. but honestly, those moments are what make you a better cook. you never forget a lesson that humbles you like that.

harpery472d ago

Isnt that always how it goes though? I totally agree with @the_max too, sometimes the best lessons are the ones you eat crow on.