J Hasselberger
TVWBB All-Star
There are many good reasons to live in Texas, but one of the main ones is the quality and price of the meat. Since moving here from New Jersey, I have cooked the best barbecue of my life. I'm not that great a cook, but the meat here is sooooo much better than up north. For example, to get a packer brisket in New Jersey, I had to go to a butcher in an upscale town and pay top dollar for him to get me one -- no choice, just whatever he got for me. They were usually USDA Select (he said that's all he could get) and I paid over $5 a pound. At the local H.E.B. down here, I have my choice of at least a dozen USDA Prime packers for under $4.00 -- sometimes considerably under. Salt and pepper, light a fire, and 14 hours later, I'm Aaron Franklin.
Just had some ribs today. Same thing. Natural raised pork spares for around $3. A little bit of rub, about 240 degrees of Kingsford and apple chunks (my 18.5 WSM is happy at that temp), a spritz of apple juice at around 4 hours, no foil, no fuss. Delicious.
I put a Boston butt on a couple of hours ago. It was the most beautiful butt this side of Mrs. H. Again, natural pork, trimmed for barbecue right out of the cryovac. It'll be ready tomorrow for a Texas baby shower -- a rancher friend just welcomed a new baby calf. (Any excuse for a party.)
Speaking of Franklin, H.E.B. also carries Franklin barbecue sauces -- $2.50 for 12 oz. The Texas Sauce was killer on ribs. (If you like Salt Lick, Meyer, or Black's sauces, they have them, too.) For us barbecue nuts, this place is a little bit of heaven.
Just had some ribs today. Same thing. Natural raised pork spares for around $3. A little bit of rub, about 240 degrees of Kingsford and apple chunks (my 18.5 WSM is happy at that temp), a spritz of apple juice at around 4 hours, no foil, no fuss. Delicious.
I put a Boston butt on a couple of hours ago. It was the most beautiful butt this side of Mrs. H. Again, natural pork, trimmed for barbecue right out of the cryovac. It'll be ready tomorrow for a Texas baby shower -- a rancher friend just welcomed a new baby calf. (Any excuse for a party.)
Speaking of Franklin, H.E.B. also carries Franklin barbecue sauces -- $2.50 for 12 oz. The Texas Sauce was killer on ribs. (If you like Salt Lick, Meyer, or Black's sauces, they have them, too.) For us barbecue nuts, this place is a little bit of heaven.
