Has Texas Brisket Peaked?


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
Has Texas Brisket peaked? Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly magazine says yes...but it's not a bad thing.

 
I feel that brisket is a crap shoot, way too much fat, overpriced & hard to find either a decent cut (prime vs, choice) or price depending on where you live, not to mention the time involved to cook. It works for a large gathering, but if I feel like serving beef, I will usually opt for steaks, roast, TT, or beef ribs etc. Just my .02.
 
The two fellas from Houston, who do the Tales From the Pits podcast, have not only been bored with brisket for some time now, they're also bored with ribs. They talk a lot about sides and desserts, or using barbecue in TexMex , or other creative ways to use smoked meats.

So me, being a backyard barbecue guy, I became bored with their podcast and no longer listen. I still smoke central Texas style brisket, I smoke my ribs more KC style. I love to smoke pulled pork which is relegated to a second class citizen in Texas, and chicken is a staple . Not bored with any of it.

What barbecue joints do , doesn't matter much to me.
 
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I don't see how it gets any better. I've been to several joints that are close to Franklin and I don't hit nearly as many joints. At the same time I don't get super excited about sides or deserts.
 
The two fellas from Houston, who do the Tales From the Pits podcast, have not only been bored with brisket for some time now, their also bored with ribs. They talk a lot about sides and desserts, or using barbecue in TexMex , or other creative ways to use smoked meats.

So me, being a backyard barbecue guy, I became bored with their podcast and no longer listen. I still smoke central Texas style brisket, I smoke my ribs more KC style. I love to smoke pulled pork which is relegated to a second class citizen in Texas, and chicken is a staple . Not bored with any of it.

What barbecue joints do , doesn't matter much to me.
I'm with you Lynn. What they write doesn't mean anything to me.
 
Not for me, since I get to TX on average once every five years. :)

I typically make RWC brisket about once a month or so, and I'm not tired of that either.

Though, if this ends up being true, maybe that will mean that TX won't keep hoarding all the good briskets! :)

R
 
Franklin has become passe' , he's yesterday's news.

The new joints have gone " cheffy " , lots of different dishes.
 
I have to wonder, if Vaughan is not preparing Texas Monthly readers for their new Top 50 that will be released next month. On that it won't be based on brisket ..... and probably not ribs either. They might rate a joint high if it has great birra tacos and a great side of elote ;) . And after reading Texas Monthly for a couple of years, they might also give a joint extra credit if they have vegan items on the menu :p.
 
Texas Monthly is getting ready to post their "50 Best" list and Daniel Vaughn posted a preview article talking about how excellent the briskets were wherever they went. It's an interesting article and worth a share:


Jeff
 
<shrug> I got attached to Texas brisket in '95, and I started learning how to smoke it about 10 years ago. It's been a long road, with some some not-so-successes along the way. Don't really care how the world feels about it, I'm gonna continue making, and our friends here would be not happy if I just up & stopped smoking it. And I'll continue to hone how I fix it.
 
I can only speak to my own experience and I'll say brisket is NOT good everywhere I go in the midwest. I would not take good quality brisket for granted. Given the amount of information and technique sharing, I would agree that finding good brisket at BBQ restaurants should be easier. I generally don't order brisket unless I'm at place that specializes in BBQ and is known for brisket.

As far as my own cooking goes, if I'd ever stick to one technique, or just tweaking one rub recipe, I'd probably be making progress by now. My best Brisket was definitely made by following one of Kosmo's videos... I should really just do it like that every time. I tried the foil boat, and it didn't really work all that great for me.
 

Chris posted on this a little earlier and there is some conversation going on.
 
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Well I certainly hope it has so the price will come down and I can cook more of it!

During MNF last night, I saw a Chipotle restaurant ad featuring brisket, sliced brisket. And I think they said something about a sauce, but I just caught the tail end.

This can't be a good thing for the price of brisket.
 

 

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