Low and Slow BBQ – Intensive Learning @ MFS

Sleepover, Cubby, and The Final Meal

March 28, 2025March 28, 2025Low and Slow BBQLeave a comment

By Emmie Huynh and Jade Montenegro Right after Dan and Mary Anne headed to bed, the Low and Slow crew began the student sleepover festivities! After some playful cookie throwing fights and a failed attempt to make ice cream (the group is still unsure where the ice cream leftovers remain … ) we abandoned...

Low and Slow, Day Four: Shabd’s Crazy Hide and Seek Win

March 27, 2025March 27, 2025Low and Slow BBQLeave a comment

By Chloe Marshall and Livia Kam On Wednesday, March 26, Low and Slow started the day off strong by uncovering the barbacoa pit and unloading eight large pieces of pork that had been marinating underground all night. A group then began filling the pit. Inside, the lamb meat was hand-pulled and re-packaged for lunch...

Low and Slow, Day Three: Continuing Prep for our Barbacoa Feast

March 25, 2025March 28, 2025Low and Slow BBQLeave a comment

Organized, written, and edited by Allan Wang and Zev Smith. We started our third day of Low and Slow by preparing for our barbacoa feast. First, we uncovered the pit we had dug and built on day one. It was slightly wet, but for the most part, good. We had to spend some time...

A Slower, Rainy Day for Low and Slow IL

March 24, 2025March 24, 2025Low and Slow BBQLeave a comment

Today (3/24) was Day Two of the Low and Slow Intensive Learning. We started off today by learning how to ready ribs for cooking. Mr. Sussman taught us how to season, oil, and trim the ribs for the upcoming barbecue. After learning how to prepare the ribs, we then got a lesson on how...

Low and Slow, Day One: Prepping for Next Week’s Barbacoa

March 21, 2025March 24, 2025Low and Slow BBQLeave a comment

On our first day of Intensive Learning, we were focused on prepping for all of our barbecuing next week. Firstly, we took a tour of Van Meter Hall’s basement to get familiar with the space we would be in for the next week. Next, we split up to collect firewood from different places around...

Today? We feast.

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024Low and Slow BBQ

Cookies at midnight, an early morning Cubby Hole run (with only one kid forgotten in a closet) and a whole day of food prep for the staff-appreciation lunch. This was our final day of Low and Slow IL. After all the cookies were baked, homemade of course, and games were played, we all ventured...

Low and Slow: Preparing for the Feast

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024Low and Slow BBQ

Today was a big preparation day for the feast on Thursday for all of the school staff, as well as the day for our sleepover. Firstly, we trimmed pork butts (which is actually meat from a pig’s shoulder) by cutting off all the excess fat and bits of hard bone around the outside of...

Low and Slow: Lamb Tacos on Homemade Corn Tortillas for Lunch

March 26, 2024March 27, 2024Low and Slow BBQ

To start the day we went to the pit and uncovered the meat that was cooking overnight. We unwrapped the lamb to find three perfectly cooked cuts. After bringing the lamb inside, we then filled the hole with dirt and started to prepare the lamb for lunch. To prepare the lamb, we pulled apart...

Day Two of Low and Slow: Ribs + Barbacoa Prep

March 25, 2024March 26, 2024Low and Slow BBQ

We arrived at Van Meter this morning to discover that our pit that we dug over the weekend had collapsed due to the rain. All the walls had caved inwards, leaving soil and bricks where the firewood was supposed to go. Not to be disheartened, the crew rushed to the rescue and saved the...

First Day Low and Slow: Digging and Rib Prep

March 22, 2024March 22, 2024Low and Slow BBQ

Itinerary for Day One We arrived to Van Meter Hall at 8:30 a.m. and went over the plan for the day and set up our Remind app to communicate with each other. Then we gathered materials to dig our hole for the lamb to cook in. Unfortunately, the digging posed some difficulties. The bottom...

Low and Slow, Day Five — A Feast for the Ages

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023Low and Slow BBQ

We started the day off by having breakfast at Cubby Hole after the sleepover (which had featured movies, several rounds of hide ‘n seek, and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies). We then walked back to Van Meter to prepare for the big feast at 12:40 pm. We had to finish cooking and pull the pork...

Low and Slow, Day Four — A Long Day’s Journey Into Night

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023Low and Slow BBQ

Today we all sat around and enjoyed an episode of The American Barbecue Showdown on Netflix for the morning. After the episode was finished, Matt and Molly had to prep some vegetables for the collard greens. Matt cut onions, and Molly prepared the garlic. Then Mr. Sussman realized that we didn’t have a saucepan,...

Low and Slow, Day Three — Ribs, Ribs, Ribs!

March 29, 2023March 30, 2023Low and Slow BBQ

We started off Tuesday before the school day even officially began by taking the ribs out of the fridge and lighting up the smoker. By about 9 o’clock, the ribs were in and smoking away. To get them all to fit, we stood them up on end, curled each rack into a spiral shape,...

Low and Slow, Day Two — Sharp Knives and Sharp Wits

March 28, 2023March 30, 2023Low and Slow BBQ

So today we started the day off prepping the ribs. Mr. Sussman told Ted and Myles to get the ribs out the fridge and put them on the table. Earlier, as we had covered the tables with brown paper, someone pointed out that the paper made it look like a solid table when in...

Low and Slow, Day One — Setting up, the low and slow way

March 24, 2023March 25, 2023Low and Slow BBQ

Low and Slow: The Science, Culture, and Practice of True Barbecue got off to a slightly “low and slow” start on a grey, rainy day of orientation, background learning, and prepping to start serious cooking on Monday. We set up our space in Van Meter Hall, inventoried our kitchen items, researched recipes, assigned responsibilities,...