Anthony Bourdain went to Austin, TX a couple of weeks ago as part of his final season of No Reservations. He spent time with a guy by the name of Aaron Franklin, the chef/owner of Franklin Barbecue. Tony declared Aaron's Texas-style brisket to be the best he'd ever tasted.
So, I decided to replicate Aaron's masterpiece - Butcher Paper Brisket. This entailed not only finding everything I could about how he works his magic online and scouring the web for tips from every other BBQ source out there, but also investing in a new gas grill and learning how to turn it into a smoker.
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| New grill waiting assembly |
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| Several hours (and drinks) later... |
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| Sweet new natural gas supplied Weber |
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| 9 lbs USDA choice brisket from Iowa Meat Farms |
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| Kosher salt and pepper rub |
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| Brisket wrapped in foil and kept overnight in fridge |
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| Acadian Oak smoking chips |
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| Making wood chip packets for the smoker |
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| 10 am - brisket and wood chip packet in place |
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| 1 pm - wood chip packets replaced every 1-2 hours |
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| Watermelon Cucumber Basil Salad courtesy of Martha Stewart |
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| Jicama Slaw courtesy of Bobby Flay |
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| Aaron Franklin's Espresso BBQ Sauce (modified with two Starbucks instant medium roast packets, chipotle pepper, brown sugar and less ketchup) |
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| 8 pm - Slicing up the brisket |
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| Ming's stacked brisket sandwich |
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| Ming enjoying a fully loaded sandwich |
Very good. But, did not have enough time to let it rest properly (they all recommend resting for 2+ hours) since I had dinner guests who were rather hungry. Next time would start earlier and let it enjoy the full resting period.
