Looking for something to serve on Father’s Day? Here is an idea:
Smoked Four-Pepper Beef Brisket
I had never tasted Texas Barbecue before traveling to Austin, Texas a couple of weeks ago. Did that sound a little crazy—isn't all barbecue the same? What makes Texas Barbecue different from all other barbecue?
For this Minnesotan, the biggest difference between Texan Barbecue and all other barbecue is that there is no barbecue sauce cooked with or served over the meat. For flavor, the beef is rubbed with a simple seasoning mixture of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder and a little cumin. Someof flavor comes from the smoke-cooking too.
It’s almost always made with beef rather than pork, with the brisket being the most common cut of beef used. (The shoulder “clod” is also a common cut because it is leaner than brisket. Ribs are popular too, of course.)
Our first stop in Central Texas was to Louie Mueller’s BBQ in the small town of Taylor. Would you ever go into a restaurant that looked like this on the outside? I’m sure glad we did!
The menu at Mueller’s BBQ hasn’t changed much since they opened the doors, in 1949.
At Mueller’s, the beef is smoke-cooked in large ovens which are heated by burning post oak. Other woods commonly used for smoking include live oak and pecan.
Associate Pit Boss, Tony White, sliced BBQ samples for us to taste.
We sampled the brisket, ribs and even turkey breast at Mueller’s. In the photo below, you will see a cup of sauce—something they have ready for visitors from the north. Texas BBQ is always served with white bread, soda crackers, sliced pickles, raw onion slices and jalapeño peppers and nothing else. Salads are not usually served with this BBQ, and that means: no coleslaw, no potato salad, no cornbread, no beans and no biscuits.
The beef I tasted was delicioius, moist and very tender—you could even cut it with a plastic fork.
Here’s another recipe for Texan-Style Barbecued Brisket by Steven Raichlen, from his book, The Barbecue! Bible 10th Anniversary Edition. ©1998, 2008 by Steven Raichlen . Workman