Hi pal,
How did your last barbecue turn out? Were you wondering if you trimmed your slab of meat correctly or what kind of wood you should have used to smoke it? There's help.*
I’ve found the perfect Christmas gift for the barbecue obsessive in your life. Everyone has at least one, don’t they?
Restaurateur Aaron Franklin whose customers travel from all over the U.S., indeed the world, for a taste of his Central Texas style barbecue (think smoked brisket) has written a guide to his style of barbecue: “Franklin Barbecue A Meat Smoking Manifesto.”
Are you wondering what brisket is? Don't worry. Franklin breaks it down for you in the book.
Don’t let that last bit about the book being a manifesto scare you away. Not every “manifesto” has been written by a certifiable loon and Franklin is certainly not crazy, just passionate about every aspect that touches his barbecue.
What does the book include?
- Details about cuts of meat, what to look for, what to avoid, what brands you might see at a commercial grocery and what they represent.
- How to prepare the brisket or ribs before smoking.
- How to build a smoker as well as extensive information about sources of wood and how smoke works
- A few recipes (we counted 9) for barbecue sauces and side dishes.
- Detailed instructions, with photos, for cooking a brisket, spare ribs, beef ribs and turkey breast.
- How to cut a brisket
- What kind of beer to serve with barbecue
Why buy "Franklin Barbecue?"
Franklin is a natural storyteller and his co-author, Jordan Mackay, helps him keep the narrative flowing. The barbecue master talks about the early days when he and his wife were serving friends in their backyard using a second hand smoker. Franklin built his restaurant and his following over time as money allowed and equipment and space was sourced. If you’ve ever had a dream that seems insurmountable, you’ll enjoy reading about Franklin’s path to success.
From Publisher Random House:
A complete meat- and brisket-cooking education from the country’s most celebrated pitmaster and owner of the wildly popular Austin restaurant Franklin Barbecue–winner of Texas Monthly’s coveted Best Barbecue Joint in Texas award.
When Aaron Franklin and his wife, Stacy, opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas, interstate in 2009, they had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into. Today, Franklin Barbecue has grown into the most popular, critically lauded, and obsessed-over barbecue joint in the country (if not the world)—and Franklin is the winner of every major barbecue award there is.
In this much-anticipated debut, Franklin and coauthor Jordan Mackay unlock the secrets behind truly great barbecue, and share years’ worth of hard-won knowledge. Franklin Barbecue is a definitive resource for the backyard pitmaster, with chapters dedicated to building or customizing your own smoker; finding and curing the right wood; creating and tending perfect fires; sourcing top-quality meat; and of course, cooking mind-blowing, ridiculously delicious barbecue, better than you ever thought possible.
JORDAN MACKAY is the wine and spirits editor of 7×7 magazine and the author of Passion for Pinot. He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and has written for Food & Wine, Gourmet, Decanter, and Wine and Spirits.
I received a review copy of "Franklin Barbecue" from Blogging for Books.
*This post may contain affiliate links. See disclosure statement.
