Has Texas Brisket peaked?

[smokin fool]

Far from it, S&P will always be king, but there is something to be said for innovation.
Hell I love radial tires on my car.

[Mosca]

Bias ply will always be king.

[Clark]

I disagree with those that think brisket needs to be 'fused' with other styles of cooking. Look at the LONG lines for the "Texas BBQ" joints! They are there because it is what they want. If you have a good thing going, then don't change it!

TV cooking shows have lost me in the last few years because the "chefs" all want to make 4-5 flavors on any and everything.
There is not much demand for Raspberry Chipotle Carmel Cinnamon Jalapeno pork chops, for example. Just cook a GOOD pork chop and stop trying to invent something nobody else wants.

[STEbbq]

Hi, I would like to eat that pork chop. Please share recipe.

[Clark]

STEbbq Sorry, I left out the bourbon/maple marinade and the apricot/tabuli glaze.

[STEbbq]

All good. Still eating it.

[Texas Larry]

If the YouTube viral "Texas brisket" overload is to be believed, "true" Texas brisket was only ever S&P. It’s become a boring meme. To the point that folks will put S&P on anything and call it "Texas." Really?

[GolfGeezer]

I heard that Panhead John uses S & P as a body rub (and exfoliant) trying to show the gals in Houston he is a "real" Texan. Doesn't seem to work real well for him, so he says.

[Troutman]

It's funny but I'm not sure what salt and pepper have to do with the overall theme of the article. First of all I don't care if you throw the kitchen sink onto a brisket and smoke it. It's window dressing. The seasoning doesn't penetrate the meat anyway, just sits there and helps create a thin 1/8" of bark in a 1-1/2" slice of meat. To me it's all about the way it's smoked, the wood that is used, the type of cooker employed, knowing when the fat and connective tissue are fully rendered without turning it into post roast, proper resting and holding at the end and consistency in cooking 100 of them for service that day. Those are the essential ingredients to good Central Texas brisket.

I think the point is that a lot of people have now figured out what that formula is give or take. That means barbecue in general is maturing and the formula will need to mature or it will become complacent. Bottom line, you don't need to stand in a 6 hour long line at Franklin's or Snow's to enjoy great Texas style brisket if you live in the Lone Star State, or any number of places throughout the country. Personally I'm looking forward, and beginning to find, next level barbecue.

And that's a good thing

[realdocBBQ]

Bottom line, you don't need to stand in a 6 hour long line at Franklin's or Snow's to enjoy great Texas style brisket if you live in the Lone Star State, or any number of places throughout the country.

Truer words have ne'er been spoken. I haven't, and I won't. Just not going to happen.

[rickgregory]

Yeah, I didn't read the article as saying we should abandon traditional Central Texas BBQ, but that high quality is now common so reviewing it and eating it isn't about a search for the relatively rare really good examples.

That means it either stagnates or evolves. I don't think evolution means that places stop doing the traditional style but that they also do new things, either in sides or other ways to cook the meat in addition the standard.

BUT... there's only so far you can take something before it becomes something else. If you inject a brisket with bulgogi marinade and smoke it, it might taste great but is it BBQ? If not, why not?

PS: There are two ways to look at a 'need to evolve', also.

One is from a customer point of view. If you are someone who just wants some great BBQ, there's little need to go beyond what these high quality places already do. In this sense, it's like a really good steakhouse. Get good ingredients, prepare them with care and boom, you get a good, reliable experience of a certain kind.

Second, though, is from the restaurant's viewpoint... and that has to account for the risk of being just one of a number of places that all do basically the same thing at the same high quality. You can't set yourself apart on quality anymore (like a plainly grilled steak, brisket is only going to get so good) so why should people spend money at your place vs any one of several others in the area?

This is a 'problem' mostly in Texas, though and is NOT an issue in many other states where top quality BBQ is relatively rare. So if people are willing to move to other states and do BBQ there, they can likely become known as one of the only places in that area to get great BBQ.

[Troutman]

Good observations Ric. Nice to be on the cutting edge of an exciting trend.

[BluesDaddy]

I think the point is that a lot of people have now figured out what that formula is give or take. That means barbecue in general is maturing and the formula will need to mature or it will become complacent. Bottom line, you don't need to stand in a 6 hour long line at Franklin's or Snow's to enjoy great Texas style brisket if you live in the Lone Star State, or any number of places throughout the country. Personally I'm looking forward, and beginning to find, next level barbecue.

And that's a good thing

Absolutely. My folks and a brother live in San Antonio. Last time I was out there we went to Kruetz's. I'm way too old to stand in line 6 hours for brisket when good brisket can be had in MANY places in Texas. Ran across a little local joint in cinder block building San Antonio one time that had tremendously good food.

[Uncle Bob]

Well, even Chipotle restaurants have gotten in the game of offering "smoked brisket". If the ad video was accurate it looks fairly straight forward presentation (modest bark) rather than any sort of ethnic treatment.

[Brisket Syndicate]

As a native Texan I will say something that will definitely get under a lot of people's skin..."Texas Style BBQ is a myth." It is an overused term that has been thrown around since BBQ TV shows became popular. Add in the explosion of Central Texas BBQ joints being blown up on social media platforms, the masses start to believe that everyone in Texas eats the same old salt and pepper BBQ that is mostly prevalent in Central Texas and BBQ joints that are trying to mimic that style in order to go along with the trend. I've eaten at many places in Central Texas, and their BBQ is just good, not outstanding, not life changing, just good. Most people that think these types of places are "outstanding", and consider them a "religious experience", think so because they don't BBQ. I actually think that Cooper's, in Austin, has a better brisket than any of the Lockhart joints, and I will never stand in line for something that I can cook at home and probably do a better job at. Texas is a huge state. Our BBQ is regional. Central Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas, RVG, in each region you will find some type of difference and wide range of flavor profiles. You can get way better BBQ at a Texas backyard cook out than almost any BBQ joint can turn out.

[Spinaker]

BBQ Tex-Mex is my favorite thing to make. And I live in MN. LOL.

[CandySueQ]

I never get tired of brisket! Love cooking it, love eating it! I admit that I had to try the mustard/pickle juice, basic SP rub. Couldn’t find Season salt in the pantry, so subbed with Fruge seasoning, which is better, IMO! Next time, I’ll cut the pepper back to 6 T.

[Panhead John]

My guess would be a cut she made in the meat before cooking, to help show for cutting against the grain later when slicing.

[TripleB]

realdocBBQ - I'm betting that it is the point. That brisket is well trimmed.

[CandySueQ]

That's the point. It was an odd shape! Wish I'd taken a photo after I cut it.

[jhoskins]

I think this is a really interesting question...

[BluesDaddy]

Okay, so who fed Harry Soo the Lewis brisket rub recipe I posted? I want credit! :-D Seriously, Harry's latest video on his Youtube channel is a comparison of the "Franklin" S&P only with a mustard schmear to the Lewis recipe. Lewis' got a slight nod for "complexity" of flavors, but over all he really thought it was a tie. He did something I'd not seen before, and brushed his butcher paper with melted beef tallow before putting the brisket on it and then brushed the top with it after it was all wrapped.

[Uncle Bob]

Yeah, that tallow "trick" has been making the rounds of the highly watched YouTube bbq'rs for a few months now. Fad or fancy, time will tell............

[BluesDaddy]

I confess I don't spend that much time on Youtube watching BBQ videos, but I do subscribe to Harry Soo's channel. I don't cook much brisket so I watch even less of those, but that one had me watching.