After reading Low & Slow, where the author graduates starts with a Weber Smokey Mountain (“WSM”), bought several “magic bullets” to make his barbecue better and then then returns to proclaim the WSM the best, after he “made every mistake (at least twice) and got suckered into buying all the bells and whistles… [but concludes] you don’t have to,” I have since concluded that my wish list for a Big Green Egg (“BGE”) may be unnecessary. All methods of the barbeque, or the ancient French de barbe et queue (“beard to tail”) start with a platform of a wood-burning fire. My French friend longed for a Weber Go Anywhere, which we hand carried to him, as charcoal barbeque grills are banned in France as being too high of a forest fire rick, but as the French government would have it, charcoal itself, by paradox, is not banned.
The first secret of Low & Slow, by Gary Wiviott, is the WSM, which is great, as we already have one, sparking the first debate about which rig is best. The second is using lump charcoal, instead of baguettes and lighter fluid, which the King of BBQ Myron Mixon, disagrees with, favoring charcoal, a chimney, and lighter fluid. Hence, the second debate. Add the charcoal or baguettes in a chimney and newspaper underneath, light and burn for 10 minutes until white hot. Add to the grill and wait 5 minutes. The third component, sparks no debate, which is add fruit wood chunks (not mesquite, hickory, or other hardwoods). Then the fourth debate, to add a hot water bath pan or not, to which they both agree to add. Wait 5 more minutes, and you are at about 20 minutes overall to get the grill ready for cooking. With the WSM, you will need to add more unlit charcoal every 30 minutes to keep a constant temperature, which is a big advantage for the BGE, especially if you also have the BGE temperature control kit which is essential an air blower and auto-adjusting damperer. Fifth, don’t peek or unnecessarily turn the meat too frequently, unless absolutely necessary, as it reduces the temperature while cooking.
Low and Slow Mojo Criollo Chicken:
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Low and Slow Baby Back Ribs (after removing the membrane, a point which all agree upon):
