Upper School Intensive Learning Spotlight: Low and Slow

Upper School students in the Intensive Learning unit “Low & Slow: The Science, Culture, & Practice of True Barbecue” dove into the many aspects of preparing a homemade, smoked, barbeque feast. Dan Sussman – English Teacher, barbeque-lover, and group advisor – led the group from initial research about the process of setting up a smoker and properly smoking meat to meat and recipe preparation, cooking, and presentation. 

Throughout the week, the group grilled and smoked a number of items including burgers, donuts, pineapples, and ribs as they learned how to set up a charcoal chimney, trim, and properly season food. Their grand finale took place on Thursday afternoon with a barbeque feast for faculty and staff members, as well as the Low & Slow chefs. The feast consisted of pulled pork with two homemade barbecue sauces (Memphis and Western North Carolina styles), macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and biscuits with honey butter. Each of the items was carefully prepared and cooked over the 24 hours leading up to the event (The group even stayed overnight at school to check on the smoker as the pork cooked!). The feast received rave reviews and the students gained lasting knowledge of how to create a delicious, perfectly-cooked, barbecue meal. 

You can read much more about this experience at the 2023 MFS Intensive Learning blog, where you can also read about all other Upper School Intensive Learning trips and experiences. 

This is one in a series of 2023 Intensive Learning Spotlights. For one week each March, regular classes are suspended for “Intensive Learning,” when Middle and Upper School students and teachers engage in an in-depth study of a specific subject, often involving off-campus research. This long-standing MFS tradition — which dates back to the mid 1970s — allows teachers and students to break out of the structure of formal class periods and traditional study for a time of experiential learning. Both students and teachers are encouraged to view themselves as life-long learners and students of the world around them.