Aaron Franklin's BBQ book

[Mosca]

After seeing many allusions to this, and figuring it is only $10 for a lot of knowledge, I picked it up. I have never eaten at his restaurant, but let's call it a given that his brisket is awesome.

Is it just me, or is there a lot of "There's no real answer, but this is how I do it" in there? Is it kinda Zen? As in, "The science behind all of this is pretty simple, but there are all these little things and they seem to make a difference"?

Do they? Or is it as simple as picking out good meat and following a plan, repetitively, as outlined in the book?

I mean, I sort of get it: follow the rules, but be aware that they might need to be broken, but you'll need to know how to break them in which direction. And I absolutely wasn't expecting a cookbook, and I'm glad I didn't get one. And the book is worth the $10 (Kindle edition)--the prose is engaging, and it's fun to read about cooking bbq.

It's almost like the antithesis of the way Amazing Ribs is presented, but at the same time touches all the same bases. Very odd.

And, relating to a discussion on AR from a couple days ago, here is ANOTHER book of advice that needs to be adapted for kamados: "Always use a water pan." Yeah, except for kamados, where your brisket will never set a bark if you use a water pan, or if you constantly spritz it.

Last, a question for those who have read this far: After reading both Amazing Ribs and Aaron Franklin, would you do your brisket at 225* or 275*? Or some other temp? What? 250*?

[Craigar]

Geez, even after watching some of the BBQ shows you can go anywhere from 225-275. I have no patience so I smoke chuckies and I try to keep them in the 275-300 range with a water pan.

[_John_]

Haven't read it yet myself, but seems to make sense, there are rules such as 203 but they are not set in stone, if it is not tender then it isn't done. I don't usually wrap, but I do know that things happen and sometimes I need to, if I hadn't practiced wrapping then I would have no idea that I need 2 hours at 275 to get 30 degrees.
Personally I like the challenge of not knowing exactly how the cook will go, it isn't anything like baking.

The cookers all work slightly differently, some dry, some humid so there really is no set way that works in every 'oven'. I guess this is why given the same ingredients so many people can't produce the kinds of results others can.

More art than science sum it up?

[jlazar]

I have read the book and found it interesting. A lot of the info is available on PBS channel shows with Franklin or by googling youtube and Franklin BBQ.

I enjoyed the book. Not necessarily for getting a lot of answers; but for the insight in how one very successful pitmaster approaches his art and thinks about different topics. Like Amazing Ribs, it has info that makes me think about how to approach my cooking and helps me grow as a cook.

Based on what I have seen/read, I will continue to go with 225 in the WSM. That is with Kingsford and chunks. If I ever get a stick burner and use straight wood, I might try to emulate how Franklin does it and go higher. Personally, I don't think there would be a big difference on the WSM if I went 225 or 275.

[DeusDingo]

it takes me AWFULLY long to cook anything at 225 in my smoker. i kept hearing how everyone was getting butt and brisket done in less than 18 hours at 225 but i didn't start getting times like that until i bumped it up to 275. the outcome is the same, maybe a little better, and everything is done sooner. it all depends on your equipment

[Huskee]

Aaron's book's title contains the word Manifesto, which according to Merriam-Webster means "A written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group."

I found his book to be exactly that- an excellent story book on how one guy went from 'regular Joe' to who many consider the brisket king (my words not his), and all his little mini steps along the way. His opinions, goals and personal & professional policies are shared with us in an entertaining, informative and honest way, including his many failures en route. Nope, it's not a cookbook although he does share his techniques. He's not telling us what to do but telling us what he does. I respect that. There's no one right way to make a brisket or ribs no more than there's one right way to take a shower. Lol.

[CeramicChef]

Huskee - you've hit the nail squarely on the head. Very nice succinct review that is spot on.

Has the Manifesto changed the way I do BBQ? Not one bit. But I lived in South Texas and ate my ways through the Hill Country and adopted that way of BBQing years ago when I had hair. That said, I've eaten several times at Franklin's down in Austin and it is a real experience. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

[Mosca]

Yep. I did notice the use of that word, too!

I like the book, and even after reading about half of it, I think I got more than $10 worth out of it. And I think you are spot on:

"I found his book to be exactly that- an excellent story book on how one guy went from 'regular Joe' to who many consider the brisket king (my words not his), and all his little mini steps along the way. His opinions, goals and personal & professional policies are shared with us in an entertaining, informative and honest way, including his many failures en route."

It's not really anything about Franklin and his book, because we agree on that. We both like it.

I suppose I am asking about why so many people talk about the book as if after reading it they've seen the light. All it says is relax, keep an eye on your cook, and watch for a few things like bark forming, moistness, color, stall, doneness. Everything else is relative based on what size roast, what equipment, outside temp, etc etc etc. Well, yeah. Experience trumps all. Heck, even Aaron Franklin says there are many paths to great brisket, and every roast is different. Okay, so if that's the case, then no sentence about brisket should ever start with, "Aaron Franklin says..." unless it finishes with, "...there are many paths to great brisket, and every roast is different."

I know. You don't know why people say that, because you didn't say it. But still, it makes me wonder. Aaron Franklin isn't the guy working on this brisket in question, and all his advice boils (smokes?) down to is get some experience and figure it out. And that is good advice. But is it more useful than the way information is presented here? Or is it just wonderfully entertaining, with some tidbits of useful insight from a master? As much as I like it, I lean toward the latter. Great book, worth twice what I paid for it, not something I would consult if a cook is going sideways. (Instead I would figure it out.)

[Huskee]

I think we're in total agreement, and I too think it's the latter. Between his book and Kenji's Food Lab book, they are two of my favorites for sure.

[LA Pork Butt]

Mosca and others thanks for the reviews of Franklin's book. I thought reading it myself, but Imam working my way through Chris Grove's book The Kamado Smoker and Grill. CeramicChef I've eaten in the Hill Country and especially like the joints in Lockhart and their beef clod. If you make it to Dallas give the Pecan Lodge a try. Their beef ribs are off the charts.

[Ernest]

I saw his PBS show, he's out having fun. That's what BBQ is all about.
As for cooking temp, my target is always 225 but I do not stress if the cooker wants to cook at 275 on that day. I wouldn't intentionally shot for anything higher than 250 unless I was cooking a bird.

As far as BBQ books go, I almost pulled the trigger on Adam Perry Lang's charred and scuffed.

[CeramicChef]

APL's Charred and Scuffed is a pretty good book. You can certainly do MUCH worse.

[TheSmokingYeti]

APL's books are always good. I pick it up and look at it, then head to the store and start the prep for something delicious.

[CandySueQ]

Adam Perry Lang is an amazing cook! I was lucky to be on a BBQ team that was APL's neighbor at the contest in Huntsville, AL years ago. Cooking on borrowed equipment he got a perfect score in brisket that Saturday and that was when 180s were severely curtailed (judges started at 6 and judged up or down). I'm pretty sure that his 180 was the first in a meat category after that judging technique went into effect.

Just got Franklin's book yesterday and have scanned it quickly. His story is interesting. Not a bad buy, I think. Really disappointed that The Food Lab is shrink-wrapped!

[David Parrish]

Just got Franklin's book yesterday and have scanned it quickly. His story is interesting. Not a bad buy, I think. Really disappointed that The Food Lab is shrink-wrapped!

It's worth opening and buying another copy for a gift. Much of Kenji's science agrees with AmazingRibs, but not all. It's interesting to read his take on steak, for example.

[Mosca]

Since The Food Lab has been brought up, I'll add that it is very much a hybrid of Aaron Franklin's Manifesto and Amazing Ribs: a story of a journey through cooking and food, all the while explaining the science of food and taste along with recipes that illustrate the point being made. It makes you want to read it in the kitchen, with the stove and oven on while chopping and dicing and sautéing!

[Yno]

I just started reading it yesterday. I knew it wasn't just a compilation of recipes, and that is why I bought it. I can get a zillion recipes from here and the rest of the internet. So far I am enjoying his journey. Cooking is part science and part art. Three people can follow a recipe and get three different results. Even baking, when using scales instead of measuring cups, little differences can sneak in and change the end product. I don't often read cookbooks cover to cover, but this book I will.

[Burntend]

Loved his book. Yep, lot's of Zen in there, but I appreciated it. As an earlier poster mentioned, it made me think about the art behind cooking. It is interesting to see a lot of vagueness in some of his cooking techniques and approaches to meat and then contrast that with when he gets all engineer anal about thermometer placement, smokestack placement and wood.

Personally I'm on the Franklin side of the cooking temperature scale. I'll usually run between 250-275 for most of my cooks.