At the risk of overgeneralizing, the staple of Tennessee barbecue is pork. Ribs, pulled pork, chopped pork, roast pork ... the pig is the thing. As for sauce, it's usually on the sweet side.
In Texas, beef is king. And the prize cut, at least for BBQ aficionados, is the brisket. Add a Texas-style sauce on the side -- tangy, vinegar based, with just a hint of heat -- and you've got a meal fit for a king.
Which brings us to today. In their infinite wisdom, someone -- I'm not sure who, but whoever they are certainly deserve our gratitude -- has designated May 28 as National Brisket Day. If ever a food was worthy of its own day, it is brisket.
Why do we love brisket above all other barbecued meats? Is it because of its resonant beefy flavor, its exterior as shiny as black patent leather, its rivulets of fat moistening every mouthful and staining the eater’s shirt? Yes. The very nature of brisket is to be delicious. Yet there’s more to it than that. We love brisket because cooking it is a spiritual path, a quest that, as a wise man once said, begins with a single log. The steps toward enlightenment are threefold. The seeker of Brisket Truth must first embrace mental discipline, immersing himself in the craft of tending the fire and minding the meat. Second, the seeker must practice physical discipline, to be capable of wielding and slicing a twelve-pound brisket after having consumed a six-pack of Shiner Bock. Finally, the seeker must exhibit spiritual discipline, neither napping beside the smoker, nor wandering inside to catch the game on TV, nor sneaking off to update his Facebook page. The person who does these things is granted true knowledge of the brisket’s essence. He who honors this ritual is prepared for life. (Source)I know what I'm having for lunch...
2 comments:
I smoked one in the pit last week. Still munching on that thing!
Good stuff!
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