IF YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE, YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT AT THIS LINK PIT003
I would be surprised if you have not heard the phrase “low and slow” when it comes to barbecue. That is a statement that is just associated with good barbecue. But have you ever heard someone associate “low and slow” with life and the processes of life? It is one of the underlying concepts to all of the lessons from the pit and is the foundational piece to intentional connection, which is what Life Around the Pit is based on. Continue reading for more about this along with a quick tip on cooking great pork belly burnt ends and check out the call to action for this week AND SIMPLE RECIPE FOR BACON BURNT ENDS!
THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE
Hey, I’m sure you have heard the fable named “Tortoise and the Hare”. This story is part of a larger collection known as Aesop’s Fables. If you are like me, you first heard this story back when you were a kid and have grown up hearing the story multiple times over. Looney Tunes even joined in on the action, releasing their version of the story.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it or cannot remember the story because you have decided to block it out of your mind for some reason, here is a brief summary of the story. Basically, the Hare, who is extremely fast, boasts he can beat the Tortoise, who is extremely slow, with no problem. The Hare is so far ahead he takes a nap, thinking he can still win. However, even though the Tortoise moved at the slower pace, his continuous movement forward towards the goal allowed him to pass the Hare, ultimately winning the race.
While the main idea of the story is more about us not being boastful, it is most often associated with a couple of common themes. Those two themes being “the power of perseverance” and “slow and steady wins the race”. And that is where I want us to spend our time this week: “slow and steady wins the race.” Or, in other words, “low and slow wins the show”.
Barbecue - Low and Slow
So when it comes to cooking great barbecue, low and slow is the way to go. I know there are folks out there that do not stick to this way of cooking. They prefer the hot and fast method. And, if this is you, then we may not agree and that is ok, it is one of the great things about us as people and “cookers of the meats”. What I will say is that I’ve had some really good meat that was cooked fast and hot, but I found that for me, it doesn’t quite live up to the old school low and slow. For some meats, it works well and you get a really good product. But for others, such as brisket, you will not get the product we think of for brisket.
We all know that part of the reward of great barbecue is the look, feel and flavor of the meat. Those results are what you are looking for and are not achieved quickly. It takes time and intentional effort to get it that way. If you rush the cook, then for these three areas you:
The Look: You won’t get the color you are looking for. You will not get those beautiful browns and mahogany colors. You won’t get that pretty smoke ring that we all watch for. You may get a dark color, but that is more from the “char” because you cooked it too hot.
The Feel: You won’t get the feel, or texture you are after. This is part of where science (of which we won’t dive into here) comes into play. Sure, by cooking it hot and fast you may be getting the meat cooked all the way through, but you barreled through not allowing the moisture and the molecules to interact properly, so you cook all of the moisture out of the meat leaving a dry meat texture. You won’t necessarily allow the fat in the meat to render at the right pace and temp leaving no room for the fat to create that juicy, buttery meat.
The Flavor: You will not get that smokey taste that we all associate and look for in good barbecue. Each meat is different, and each meat absorbs seasoning and smoke at a different rate. So when you cook it hot and fast, you may not be giving the meat enough time to adequately absorb the smoke, leaving the color and the flavor off. It now tastes like ribs you cooked in the crockpot; great texture but no smoke or fire flavor.
Here is a great example of meat that you can certainly cook hot and fast: sausage can be cooked hot and fast but it will have no smoke flavor and will be lighter in color. But if you slow down and take your time, the sausage will plump up, have a nice color all the way through and will have the smoke and fire flavor in every bite.
Personal, Intentional Growth - Low and Slow
When it comes to life and our personal growth, personal development or any type of intentional change in our lives, the same concept applies. We want things to happen and expect change to happen overnight and that simply isn’t the case. To see the right results or get the reward we are after, it takes time. It takes intentional actions on our part. It takes patience and consistency in the regular, repetitive motions that move us a little bit closer to the goal every time.
The American author, Charles Warren Stoddard, said "Rapidity does not always mean progress, and hurry is akin to waste. The old fable of the hare and the tortoise is just as good now, and just as true, as when it was first written."
New York Times bestselling author and world-renowned transformation speaker, Marci Shimoff, says "To make the quickest progress, you don't have to take huge leaps. You just have to take baby steps-and keep on taking them. In Japan, they call this approach kaizen, which literally translates as 'continual improvement.' Using kaizen, great and lasting success is achieved through small, consistent steps. It turns out that slow and steady is the best way to overcome your resistance to change."
Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the founding fathers and known as a writer, scientist and inventor, said "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning."
The low and slow mindset is also true with each of the 10 lessons from the pit that I teach. That is why I made the “low and slow” concept the intro to all of the lessons. None of these changes happen overnight. They all require time, repeated effort and energy, diligent thinking and actions, patience and sometimes just plain hard work. They don’t come easy, but the reward and results are worth it.
Lesson one’s personal time / personal growth will be a lifelong journey. You will need to have repeatable actions every day to build the habits mentioned in lesson three. Getting through the stall in lesson five takes patience and learning to stop and the rest in lesson seven takes effort and persistence. And what about building connections in lesson ten? Yes, we can often hit it off with some folks right off the bat, but you won’t have any type of lasting, impactful and true connection or community with others unless you allow them to cook over weeks, months and even years. The friendships I have with the group of men that I consider my closest friends, were built over the past 25 years through time together, experiences together, working hard together and even facing some of our hardest life challenges and loss together. Those were formed through a low and slow cooking process.
When you think about it, all of the good things in life take time to achieve. Building relationships takes time, making career changes takes time. I didn’t move into being a professional pitmaster after my first cook, it was after several years. Changing your money habits is a progression with repeatable actions and choices you make. Learning anything new is a process. Building your dream house takes planning and patience.
American film producer and photographer, Jennifer Young, said "Pause and remember - Slow and steady will get you where you want to go. If you put too much pressure on yourself for results too quickly, you will quickly give up."
Jim Rohn, the famous entrepreneur, writer and motivational speaker, said "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." - Jim Rohn
And finally, the Biblical Apostle Paul wrote in the book of Philippians “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.”
So, take the time needed to provide the right results. Take the time to live intentionally knowing that in the end, low and slow wins the show. Press on toward the goal, don’t give up. Slow down. Enjoy the cook. Enjoy the time. Enjoy the aromas and the flavors. Again, take the time!! And remember the famous question and answer: “How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time.”
TIP OF THE WEEK
This week’s tip of the week is this: each type of meat cooks at different speeds, and that includes pork belly, or bacon burnt ends. Next time you cook them, try placing them further away from the heat, and lowering your fire temperature so that you can slow the cooking time down. Pork belly does much better with a longer, lower temp cook than it does at a faster, shorter time. That extra time allows the smoke flavor to penetrate the meat at a better pace and allows the fat to really render down making a perfect bite of bacon every time. Trust me, you will want to do this. Low and slow wins the show every time with pork belly! Click to get the Simple Bacon Burnt Ends recipe show below:
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We will be launching our men’s community soon where we will dive into these types of stories and lessons and encourage each other on the low and slow processes of life. I want you to be a part of it. It will be game changing for everyone that is a part of it. Go sign up for the “Pit Room” community waitlist so that you are the first to hear when it launches and can join me and other men in the pit! You can sign up by visiting www.lifearoundthepit.com/community.
Click HERE to download the free10 Lessons From the Pit Infographwith the 10 lessons, intro and conclusion along with a quick tip on each lesson to get you moving on that lesson.
And remember to listen to our Lessons From the PIt Podcast show. You can listen to us through our website or on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify and any of the other places you listen to podcasts. We are also on all the socials as well.
Until next time: season some meat, start a fire, and make an impact!
IF YOU HAVE NOT LISTENED TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE, YOU CAN LISTEN TO IT AT THIS LINK PIT003
