Smoked meat

[moda0306]

I just smoked my first brisket today. What a coincidence.  I'm a good griller, but have nothing but questions when it comes to smoking. It's so much touchier.

[moda0306]

Wow, that's a ridiculous coincidence! 

I agree that smoking is a bit touchier.  What sort of grill/smoker did you use?

Btw, I can already see what the official food is gonna be during our first annual PP gathering.

When I grill I use a gas grill.  The smoker is one of those horizontal black ones with the little cubby container on the side for the wood.

I've only recently started smoking. I couldn't believe it when I read your post as today has been quite the adventure for me .

I still think my all-time favorite is just a simple steak. But smoked meat is quite a treat.

[Xan]

Hey, I'm in Austin next week on a work-related trip.  Based on the recommendation of a good friend who went to UT for grad school (and who still ventures down there periodically), I persuaded my colleagues to try Franklin Barbeque for lunch (it is pretty close to the hotel we're staying at).  Will it be worth the hassle?

Franklin is delicious, no doubt, and might be the best, but you have to be up for the experience, which consists of waiting in line for several hours.  We were there a little after 8 one time, and it was touch and go whether they'd have brisket for us for lunch.  (I think that was a Saturday, though, which will be worse of course.)  It's a tailgate atmosphere: everybody's there for the same reason, you get to know your line neighbors, you're outside, you've got coolers with drinks and umbrellas and folding chairs.  This time of year it's likely to be pretty hot.

There's another option for more of an experience: The Salt Lick.  It's out in Driftwood, probably a half hour from downtown.  That's where you and your buddies go "family style", and they bring out heaping plates of brisket, sausage, and ribs, all-you-can-eat.  Be hungry.  You walk right past the pit as you go in (well, depending which building they seat you, but while you're waiting you should wander past the pit).  It's a stone circle about 12 feet in diameter chock full of deliciousness.  This is the place for a big group: one time I was there and four huge buses pulled up.  They contained, we found out, the UT football team.  The guys all went into the event building and the restaurant didn't miss a beat.  I shudder to think how many cows they went through that night!

Salt Lick is BYOB which is part of the schtick.  If you go during a meal time, particularly on a weekend or holiday, you'll be waiting a while, and the beer helps.  Otherwise you should be able to sit right down.  Another Salt Lick option is their other location in the parking lot of the Round Rock Express up north.  It's not quite the same (not BYOB) but it's very convenient if you're going to a game.

But overall, you might fare best with Rudy's.  There are three locations in town, and they all make just about the most delicious brisket in the world.  Right up there with Franklin, but no waiting in line for hours.  There might be a line when it's busy, but it'll be indoors, and not crazy long.  MAKE SURE TO GET THE EXTRA MOIST BRISKET.  That's the real brisket.  They sell the "lean" and "normal" to get rid of the dregs from when they make the real brisket, which is the extra moist.  It melts in your mouth and is just about the most wonderful thing in the world.  The leftovers go into scrambled eggs the next morning and are a dream.

Rudy's isn't walking distance like Franklin is, but since the restaurant itself isn't a requisite part of the experience, you can send one guy to go pick up the food.  (Just don't let it get cold!)  And they make a big deal of their sauce, but you don't need it with the extra moist.

https://www.google.com/maps/?q=rudy%27s ... -q,+austin

[Mountaineer]

Thanks Xan.  I'll look into Salt Lick and Rudy's.

FWIW, I lived in San Antonio 20 years ago, and we made quite a few trips to Rudy's in Leon Valley (I think this is the original location).

We have a friend in San Antonio.  Her husband (now gone) was on a quest to find the best barbecue in Texas; we visited several establishments (joints  ) when visiting a while back.  Has been several years, but I remember Rudy's in Leon Valley, absolutely the best barbeque I've ever had.  I used to have my friend ship me bottles of Rudy's sauce.  Now I just buy Stubbs at the local grocery store; it is reasonably close to Rudy's.

... Mountaineer

[hoost]

Looks like I'm a couple of weeks late to this conversation, but as a fellow smoking enthusiast, I would recommend checking out amazingribs.com. 

I do quite a bit of brisket, pork butts (pulled pork), some turkeys (best turkey ever), pork tenderloins, beef roasts, etc. 

For the brisket, if you're not cooking a whole packer, look for the "point".  This is the thicker, pyramid shaped part of the brisket that has a lot more fat and connective tissue than the "flat".  The flat is very lean and tough.  If you buy a whole packer, it will have both point and flat, but with smaller cuts you can usually find them separately.  I imagine that is how Rudy's is serving the regular, lean, and moist, with regular just having point and flat mixed together.  Go for the cream corn at Rudy's too.

[Greg]

Reviving an old thread here, this may well be the worst article on grilling I've ever read:

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/ ... html?wpsrc

This guy needs some time away from his liberal friends.

But I’m uncomfortable with the pleasure I take in something so conventionally masculine. Looming over the coals, tongs in hand, I feel estranged from myself, recast in the role of suburban dad. At such moments, I get the sense that I’ve fallen into a societal trap, one that reaffirms gender roles I’ve spent years trying to undo. The whole business feels retrograde, a relic of some earlier, less inclusive era.

What the heck did I just read? Who cares? Just grill if you want to, you can leave your friends behind, cause your friends don't grill because they feel bad about the thrill well they're no friends of mine.

[Pet Hog]

Reviving an old thread here, this may well be the worst article on grilling I've ever read:

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/ ... html?wpsrc

This guy needs some time away from his liberal friends.

But I’m uncomfortable with the pleasure I take in something so conventionally masculine. Looming over the coals, tongs in hand, I feel estranged from myself, recast in the role of suburban dad. At such moments, I get the sense that I’ve fallen into a societal trap, one that reaffirms gender roles I’ve spent years trying to undo. The whole business feels retrograde, a relic of some earlier, less inclusive era.

What the heck did I just read? Who cares? Just grill if you want to, you can leave your friends behind, cause your friends don't grill because they feel bad about the thrill well they're no friends of mine.

Men without (saturated) fats?

[Greg]

Reviving an old thread here, this may well be the worst article on grilling I've ever read:

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/ ... html?wpsrc

This guy needs some time away from his liberal friends.

What the heck did I just read? Who cares? Just grill if you want to, you can leave your friends behind, cause your friends don't grill because they feel bad about the thrill well they're no friends of mine.

Men without (saturated) fats?