Pitmaster T
Babbling Farker
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2011
- Location
- Texas
To my Dear Nephew Austin from your Uncle Donnie… aka Pitmaster T,
Roy Perez of Kreuz Market
Roy this weekend with my Son Jake
Me and Austin in the 1990s.
I am glad you like your PBC and now that you have learned about enhanced meat (I warned you but even the best of us accidentally pick some up or get some given to us), it is time for me to turn you on to the true Texas Mojo. So that means set all that Rub I gave you aside.
I went to Kreuz Market and BBQ in Lockhart this weekend to get inspiration for this letter. At times we BBQ pitmasters evolve and cannot find our way back. In comparing Smittys to, say Kreuz, there are a couple of quotes and considerations I think are noteworthy. John Fullilove of Smittys likes to say “we like to stay about 25 years behind the times.” The other is regarding either place, or Blacks, as these guys have been around for many decades (I include Smittys in that equation purposely). In fact, about the only thing that has changed in their process in the last half century is the shift from whole cuts to boxed meats (briskets). One has to remember that these places in Lockhart have been at the top of their game as far as public and journalistic opinion for close to a century. Does anyone realize how hard it is to make a product that revered and that consistent NEVER to slide back? The urge to change something (Blacks finally made a sauce years ago) has to be strong.
So, here is both your starting point, and any other person that wants to find their mojo again… for some, it may be a MOJO they determine they never had.
The rub is simple. Deviate from it and just ignore this article from this point on. Go ahead and waste meat then come back when you lost your way. Or…. Start here and now.
Days Before - Two things
Pick a CHOICE brisket. You are not ready to make a “Select” cut a Jewel yet. Nor are you good enough to waste money on Prime… which most of them in Lockhart don’t use either. Choice includes some CAB… which is its own propaganda nightmare and be careful of the so-called “Prime” tags too. Not all Prime listed is actually prime. So… stay with choice-right in the middle.
MIX Rub Ahead (Seriously) the rub is better mixed ahead.
Mix up the Lockhart Rub
1-1/2 Cup Morton’s fine sea salt (helps with ring a bit too) – seriously, no substitutions. No they do not use it but I am adjusting the rub ingredients because of your equipment. This is a good salt for UDS and PBCs which expose the meats to high radiant temps and tend to cut off the smoke-ring process too soon.
1/3 Cup coarse black pepper - seriously, no substitutions
1 Tablespoon regular grind black pepper - seriously, no substitutions
2 Tablespoons Cayenne - seriously, no substitutions
Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add flavor. Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add flavor.
Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add a flavor profile you like.
Trimming and Hooking
I prefer a more minimalist method of trimming than Pit Barrel recommends (they trim too much for a Texan) – so skip Noah’s trimming video and trim mostly hard fat and a little bit of the vein between the point and flat. He literally pulls the brisket nearly apart in his effort to defat.
I can’t stand this guy in this video. We have a personal history and he is a real piece of ****… he did some unkind things to my family at a bad time just because I was slow at reviewing his BBQ Rub (which is not bad at all) but he has a great trimming style – just like mine, and his video is better. God Damn I hate his ****ing guts.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI7qbQk7zDU"]J$ competition brisket trim - YouTube[/ame]
Hooking (skip for UDS)
Here is how to hook a brisket right with two hooks. Remember the flat and point have two grains that cross one another so that is why you are doing it – so it won’t fall.
[ame]https://youtu.be/wPOn7ifxm48?t=3m23s[/ame]
Forward to 3:23
My video on this is here…
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=6m31s[/ame]
Forward to 6:31
Another good segment showing hook placement
[ame]https://youtu.be/sooslUQZIdQ?t=1m37s[/ame]
Forward to 1:37
Two things… ignore my rub application in my videos… ignore my rub, ignore my Grace Jones Rubber Grabber. Do not try anything that sounds like a good idea. No oil! No slathers! You are not dealing with heavy rub so you do not need it. You will be using ONLY the Lockhart Rub. If you feel adventurous…. After you use this rub a few times….And you want to experiment on something awesome that mimics Angelo’s BBQ on Camp Bowie – I can tell you a secret if you ask… to find their rub, think back to what was available in 1957 at a bar when it opened. It was a beer joint… the brisket both made drinkers thirsty and gave a reason to stop in to bring a meal home to the wife. Write me after 4 briskets and 5 racks of ribs using the Lockhart rub.
One last thing about the trim and Rub Process. DO NOT FORGET TO CUT THE NOTCH!!!
In the case of these briskets, and these rubs, you CAN do overnight. In fact, ignore the advice to let the meat get to room temp. This is another equipment adaptation. The PBCs burn hot and the UDS have radiant issue to get around so putting the meat on COLD helps with the ring by keeping the meat temp down longer.
Rubbing It
Watch John Fullilove of Smitty’s BBQ in Lockhart rub this simple rub on:
[ame]https://youtu.be/7i8sZJkidIs?t=2m44s[/ame]
Forward to 2:44
Due to equipment differences, I’d put about ¼ more than John does in this video. Remember, we are not using large grains like mine so you cannot just dump it in a vat of Dirty Dalmatian like I do.
Okay one deviation – just before you put the meat on….. add more coarse pepper to your preference.
Pit Prep
Fill the charcoal basket about 2/3 full with REGULAR Kingsford BLUE BAG Charcoal ONLY, place the basket in the bottom of the cooker, then fill charcoal chimney with Kingsford, and light it. Go ahead and plop about three wood chunks on top of the basket of coals OR you could place them on the bottom of the coal grate before you would have filled the basket. Use Oak… or if you cannot find that… Pecan. Do not use Hickory or Mesquite.
Once the coals on the TOP of the charcoal chimney are white, dump the hot coals into the charcoal basket in the barrel. No problem if some coals end up on the base out of the basket as long as they do not block the vent. WAIT 20 FULL MINUTES WITH LID OFF BEFORE EVEN THINKING OF PUTTING THE BRISKET ON!!!
Times…
Check at 2 hours to make sure the hooks are not unsetting (rare).
Three to 4 hours – check again. I typically pull at 3 -4 hours and rack fat down until I wrap.
When do I wrap?
At about 4-5 hours I wrap. If all moods are equal (pitmasters know what that means) and I am not trying to speed things up… and I am anywhere between an internal temp of 140 and 160, I wrap when I like the color. This means where I would like to freeze the color… from umber to black.
I sincerely think foil wrapping with liquid is silly. In fact, those at Kreuz would say my wrapping in paper grocery bag or butcher paper is un-needed but we are not using the same equipment. Wrapping in paper preserves more of the bark than foil. Foil, since ALL the liquid is retained like a soup, you end up removing a lot of flavor you built up – which goes into the broth left in the foil. Some like that.
Do you need foil around the paper to prevent burning? No.
Also, foil causes ALTZHEIMERS and here is proof -
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=15m20s[/ame]
Forward to 15:20
Fat Up and When – the only time in a UDS or PBC I flip to fat up is either if I am Lockharting it and it needs to be flipped or in the wrapped mode. In other words when I put it an oven to hold, an ice chest or Cambro to rest, or back in the smoker to continue slow cooking, the fat is up.
Here is a bit about Fat up or Down -
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=21m45s[/ame]
Forward to 21:45
From this point on… it is less about time, partly about internal.. but mostly about feel. What you do from now on matters. You see, you should be slowing your cook down a bit. In Lockhart, they cook very hot.. in the 400s. But they can… but like Schmidt says, “you can’t just leave it and come back in six hours.”
The Hot and Fast joints are very intimate with their meat along the way. They know their hot spots, they flip when the color is right, they essentially smoke/grill the meats on both sides and when their rods go into the cuts just right, they know to move them.
When is it Done?
The first thing that gets done is of course the Point. The flat you will keep probing, often through the point, and noticing resistance. Many pull at this point, slice, and think they have over cooked it because it is tough and dry. Actually, what has happened it most of the water is out and the collagen has not broken down yet, which BOTH tenderizes and re-saturates the meat in collagen, moisture and fat.
This is where what you do is crucial… you can throw a probe in and choose a 205 IT and pretty much can guarantee you will be fall apart tender. Alas, the bane of the brisket. Briskets are “done” at a myriad of internal temps from 175 to 205. Whatever the zenith is, you can pass it if you are not paying attention. Heck, you can pull it at the perfect moment, wrap and rest in a cooler and if you didn’t let it cool enough it COULD overcook in the cooler!
So… let’s shift to a method in another Texas town that can help us.
The TAYLOR Café Method
So let’s shift the process a bit to helping us out a little since we have different equipment than the big pits. Let’s go to Taylor’s Café technique. This place, run by Vencil Mares, has been making Q since 1948 or so. He has his crew PULL at 180. Normally I don’t suggest the temp probe but I do for novices for two reasons. One is because you learn feel at the same time. The other is, when used RIGHT, it can help make up for the lack of a Pitmaster’s “feel” which comes from cooking hundreds of briskets so long you know the sounds, smells and feel a meat relents when it is “done.” The other way is to pull the brisket when a FORK goes both in and out easy in a part other than just the fat cap of course. The only thing you need, is time. Since Hot and Fast get the brisket up to internals of 160/180 rather quickly, you have it.
So… if you pull at 180… you are guaranteed NOT to have the residual heat caught up in the brisket, overcook the meat because there is a very low chance your meat will climb more than 15 degrees. Now the only problem is that they pack a ton of briskets into one cooler. Your mission is either to cook more than one brisket, or get a smaller cooler. See this video:
https://vimeo.com/42787761#t=172s
Resting and Slicing
Now there is resting in the cooler and resting on the board or in the wrapper. Here it is complex. If the brisket is still hot from the cooler, set on the counter and let rest another 30 minutes. Complex huh?
Slicing diagram Photo by BrewNCue. WHO MUST BE FARKING LEFT HANDED!!!
In one of my videos you see the “unbooking.”
[ame]https://youtu.be/lAv7XZRXFAE?t=7m3s[/ame]
Forward to 7:03
Of course, guess who overcooked that one? But you get the idea on unbooking. At 7:45 you see me hunting for the grain on the flat which would be unnecessary if I had of left a “notch.”Unbooking makes it easier to get those lean slices like you Mom and Dad like.
For slicing, I like this video by Aaron.
[ame]https://youtu.be/sMIlyzRFUjU?t=6m44s[/ame]
Forward to 6:44
Now, after you have gotten a couple of tender, yet not too tender briskets, call me and I will show you how to get closer to Franklins or Killens with one slight change and ingredient as you cook.
Roy Perez of Kreuz Market
Roy this weekend with my Son Jake
Me and Austin in the 1990s.
I am glad you like your PBC and now that you have learned about enhanced meat (I warned you but even the best of us accidentally pick some up or get some given to us), it is time for me to turn you on to the true Texas Mojo. So that means set all that Rub I gave you aside.
I went to Kreuz Market and BBQ in Lockhart this weekend to get inspiration for this letter. At times we BBQ pitmasters evolve and cannot find our way back. In comparing Smittys to, say Kreuz, there are a couple of quotes and considerations I think are noteworthy. John Fullilove of Smittys likes to say “we like to stay about 25 years behind the times.” The other is regarding either place, or Blacks, as these guys have been around for many decades (I include Smittys in that equation purposely). In fact, about the only thing that has changed in their process in the last half century is the shift from whole cuts to boxed meats (briskets). One has to remember that these places in Lockhart have been at the top of their game as far as public and journalistic opinion for close to a century. Does anyone realize how hard it is to make a product that revered and that consistent NEVER to slide back? The urge to change something (Blacks finally made a sauce years ago) has to be strong.
So, here is both your starting point, and any other person that wants to find their mojo again… for some, it may be a MOJO they determine they never had.
The rub is simple. Deviate from it and just ignore this article from this point on. Go ahead and waste meat then come back when you lost your way. Or…. Start here and now.
Days Before - Two things
Pick a CHOICE brisket. You are not ready to make a “Select” cut a Jewel yet. Nor are you good enough to waste money on Prime… which most of them in Lockhart don’t use either. Choice includes some CAB… which is its own propaganda nightmare and be careful of the so-called “Prime” tags too. Not all Prime listed is actually prime. So… stay with choice-right in the middle.
MIX Rub Ahead (Seriously) the rub is better mixed ahead.
Mix up the Lockhart Rub
1-1/2 Cup Morton’s fine sea salt (helps with ring a bit too) – seriously, no substitutions. No they do not use it but I am adjusting the rub ingredients because of your equipment. This is a good salt for UDS and PBCs which expose the meats to high radiant temps and tend to cut off the smoke-ring process too soon.
1/3 Cup coarse black pepper - seriously, no substitutions
1 Tablespoon regular grind black pepper - seriously, no substitutions
2 Tablespoons Cayenne - seriously, no substitutions
Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add flavor. Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add flavor.
Do NOT deviate. Seriously. You seriously should not deviate from this. Put in about 10 cooks with this before you add something… then write me and I will tell you HOW to add a flavor profile you like.
Trimming and Hooking
I prefer a more minimalist method of trimming than Pit Barrel recommends (they trim too much for a Texan) – so skip Noah’s trimming video and trim mostly hard fat and a little bit of the vein between the point and flat. He literally pulls the brisket nearly apart in his effort to defat.
I can’t stand this guy in this video. We have a personal history and he is a real piece of ****… he did some unkind things to my family at a bad time just because I was slow at reviewing his BBQ Rub (which is not bad at all) but he has a great trimming style – just like mine, and his video is better. God Damn I hate his ****ing guts.
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI7qbQk7zDU"]J$ competition brisket trim - YouTube[/ame]
Hooking (skip for UDS)
Here is how to hook a brisket right with two hooks. Remember the flat and point have two grains that cross one another so that is why you are doing it – so it won’t fall.
[ame]https://youtu.be/wPOn7ifxm48?t=3m23s[/ame]
Forward to 3:23
My video on this is here…
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=6m31s[/ame]
Forward to 6:31
Another good segment showing hook placement
[ame]https://youtu.be/sooslUQZIdQ?t=1m37s[/ame]
Forward to 1:37
Two things… ignore my rub application in my videos… ignore my rub, ignore my Grace Jones Rubber Grabber. Do not try anything that sounds like a good idea. No oil! No slathers! You are not dealing with heavy rub so you do not need it. You will be using ONLY the Lockhart Rub. If you feel adventurous…. After you use this rub a few times….And you want to experiment on something awesome that mimics Angelo’s BBQ on Camp Bowie – I can tell you a secret if you ask… to find their rub, think back to what was available in 1957 at a bar when it opened. It was a beer joint… the brisket both made drinkers thirsty and gave a reason to stop in to bring a meal home to the wife. Write me after 4 briskets and 5 racks of ribs using the Lockhart rub.
One last thing about the trim and Rub Process. DO NOT FORGET TO CUT THE NOTCH!!!
Here is why, courtesy of Thirdeye –
In the case of these briskets, and these rubs, you CAN do overnight. In fact, ignore the advice to let the meat get to room temp. This is another equipment adaptation. The PBCs burn hot and the UDS have radiant issue to get around so putting the meat on COLD helps with the ring by keeping the meat temp down longer.
Rubbing It
Watch John Fullilove of Smitty’s BBQ in Lockhart rub this simple rub on:
[ame]https://youtu.be/7i8sZJkidIs?t=2m44s[/ame]
Forward to 2:44
Due to equipment differences, I’d put about ¼ more than John does in this video. Remember, we are not using large grains like mine so you cannot just dump it in a vat of Dirty Dalmatian like I do.
Okay one deviation – just before you put the meat on….. add more coarse pepper to your preference.
Pit Prep
Fill the charcoal basket about 2/3 full with REGULAR Kingsford BLUE BAG Charcoal ONLY, place the basket in the bottom of the cooker, then fill charcoal chimney with Kingsford, and light it. Go ahead and plop about three wood chunks on top of the basket of coals OR you could place them on the bottom of the coal grate before you would have filled the basket. Use Oak… or if you cannot find that… Pecan. Do not use Hickory or Mesquite.
Once the coals on the TOP of the charcoal chimney are white, dump the hot coals into the charcoal basket in the barrel. No problem if some coals end up on the base out of the basket as long as they do not block the vent. WAIT 20 FULL MINUTES WITH LID OFF BEFORE EVEN THINKING OF PUTTING THE BRISKET ON!!!
Times…
Check at 2 hours to make sure the hooks are not unsetting (rare).
Three to 4 hours – check again. I typically pull at 3 -4 hours and rack fat down until I wrap.
When do I wrap?
At about 4-5 hours I wrap. If all moods are equal (pitmasters know what that means) and I am not trying to speed things up… and I am anywhere between an internal temp of 140 and 160, I wrap when I like the color. This means where I would like to freeze the color… from umber to black.
I sincerely think foil wrapping with liquid is silly. In fact, those at Kreuz would say my wrapping in paper grocery bag or butcher paper is un-needed but we are not using the same equipment. Wrapping in paper preserves more of the bark than foil. Foil, since ALL the liquid is retained like a soup, you end up removing a lot of flavor you built up – which goes into the broth left in the foil. Some like that.
Do you need foil around the paper to prevent burning? No.
Also, foil causes ALTZHEIMERS and here is proof -
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=15m20s[/ame]
Forward to 15:20
Fat Up and When – the only time in a UDS or PBC I flip to fat up is either if I am Lockharting it and it needs to be flipped or in the wrapped mode. In other words when I put it an oven to hold, an ice chest or Cambro to rest, or back in the smoker to continue slow cooking, the fat is up.
Here is a bit about Fat up or Down -
[ame]https://youtu.be/rczuSyIRmK4?t=21m45s[/ame]
Forward to 21:45
From this point on… it is less about time, partly about internal.. but mostly about feel. What you do from now on matters. You see, you should be slowing your cook down a bit. In Lockhart, they cook very hot.. in the 400s. But they can… but like Schmidt says, “you can’t just leave it and come back in six hours.”
The Hot and Fast joints are very intimate with their meat along the way. They know their hot spots, they flip when the color is right, they essentially smoke/grill the meats on both sides and when their rods go into the cuts just right, they know to move them.
When is it Done?
The first thing that gets done is of course the Point. The flat you will keep probing, often through the point, and noticing resistance. Many pull at this point, slice, and think they have over cooked it because it is tough and dry. Actually, what has happened it most of the water is out and the collagen has not broken down yet, which BOTH tenderizes and re-saturates the meat in collagen, moisture and fat.
This is where what you do is crucial… you can throw a probe in and choose a 205 IT and pretty much can guarantee you will be fall apart tender. Alas, the bane of the brisket. Briskets are “done” at a myriad of internal temps from 175 to 205. Whatever the zenith is, you can pass it if you are not paying attention. Heck, you can pull it at the perfect moment, wrap and rest in a cooler and if you didn’t let it cool enough it COULD overcook in the cooler!
So… let’s shift to a method in another Texas town that can help us.
The TAYLOR Café Method
So let’s shift the process a bit to helping us out a little since we have different equipment than the big pits. Let’s go to Taylor’s Café technique. This place, run by Vencil Mares, has been making Q since 1948 or so. He has his crew PULL at 180. Normally I don’t suggest the temp probe but I do for novices for two reasons. One is because you learn feel at the same time. The other is, when used RIGHT, it can help make up for the lack of a Pitmaster’s “feel” which comes from cooking hundreds of briskets so long you know the sounds, smells and feel a meat relents when it is “done.” The other way is to pull the brisket when a FORK goes both in and out easy in a part other than just the fat cap of course. The only thing you need, is time. Since Hot and Fast get the brisket up to internals of 160/180 rather quickly, you have it.
So… if you pull at 180… you are guaranteed NOT to have the residual heat caught up in the brisket, overcook the meat because there is a very low chance your meat will climb more than 15 degrees. Now the only problem is that they pack a ton of briskets into one cooler. Your mission is either to cook more than one brisket, or get a smaller cooler. See this video:
https://vimeo.com/42787761#t=172s
Resting and Slicing
Now there is resting in the cooler and resting on the board or in the wrapper. Here it is complex. If the brisket is still hot from the cooler, set on the counter and let rest another 30 minutes. Complex huh?
Slicing diagram Photo by BrewNCue. WHO MUST BE FARKING LEFT HANDED!!!
In one of my videos you see the “unbooking.”
[ame]https://youtu.be/lAv7XZRXFAE?t=7m3s[/ame]
Forward to 7:03
Of course, guess who overcooked that one? But you get the idea on unbooking. At 7:45 you see me hunting for the grain on the flat which would be unnecessary if I had of left a “notch.”Unbooking makes it easier to get those lean slices like you Mom and Dad like.
For slicing, I like this video by Aaron.
[ame]https://youtu.be/sMIlyzRFUjU?t=6m44s[/ame]
Forward to 6:44
Now, after you have gotten a couple of tender, yet not too tender briskets, call me and I will show you how to get closer to Franklins or Killens with one slight change and ingredient as you cook.
Last edited:
