Franklin Barbecue

Lucky for us, collagen can be broken down into gelatin, that soft and silky substance that makes sauces thick and glossy. In its melted form, gelatin provides the meat with texture and richness. Our goal, then, is to break down that collagen into supple goodness, which will render the meat tender and flavorful. But the fascinating thing about collagen is that it requires specific conditions to break down in the way we want it to. (Location 2326)

My barbecue science friends at Texas A&M describe the Maillard reaction as “when the amino acids in foods react with reducing sugars to form the characteristic brown cooked color of foods.” But we laypeople know it as the sweet, irresistible flavors that come from searing steak in a pan, toasting bread in the oven, roasting coffee, or, yes, cooking brisket in a smoker. (Location 2357)

That’s why it’s crucial to keep a water pan in the smoker at all times, which ensures ambient humidity thanks to the slow evaporation of the water. (Location 2373)

I also directly moisten the surface of the meat further into the cooking process, using a spray bottle filled with practically anything wet. Common liquids sprayed onto meats are water, vinegar, and apple juice. But it could be wine, marinade, anything. I often spray the surface of the meats in the last half hour to hour before they get wrapped. Your goal is to keep the surface of the meat from getting hard and dried, but you don’t want it to be wet either. The surface needs to have a tacky, glistening sheen. That’s when you know you’ve gotten it right. (Location 2374)

How do you know when to wrap? I judge by color. The meat’s already to temperature. It’s looking fine; I just want to make sure that I get a really dark color on there. Some of the color will actually wash off as the meat steams in its wrapper, which is why you want to make sure that you have a good, authentic dark color before you wrap. (Location 2522)

Always cook with a water pan. If you don’t, you’ll dry out the meat and it won’t cook at a proper rate. (Location 2573)

I cook fat side up because I have more top heat than bottom heat. If it were the opposite, I might cook fat side down, as you need to make sure that the fat renders before the bottom gets overdone. (Location 2767)

If you surmise that a brisket will cook in 8 to 10 hours, you can gauge that after about 4 hours, you’ll be in the stall (depending on how hot you’re cooking), and after about 6 hours, the brisket will be pushing through the stall and starting its eventual climb to doneness. One thing to remember is this: don’t wrap during the stall. You’ll lose all the momentum if you open the lid and take out and wrap the brisket while it’s trying to sweat off the last of its moisture. Just like an athlete might find it difficult to cool down and then get back up to full speed in a game, so too with a brisket. Better to let it come out of the stall and then wrap. (Location 2784)

When the color is right—that is, when I spray the bark to remove any ash and see that the true color of the bark is dark, nearly black—I pull the meat out and wrap it. (Location 2796)

I’m looking for looseness and some flexibility. If it’s pliable and soft in my hands, it’s done. (Location 2817)

Let a brisket rest until the internal temperature is between 140°F and 145°F. At this point you can serve the brisket or continue to let it rest for a couple of hours without losing any of its character. Indeed, a good, solid rest for a couple of hours may actually improve the meat. (Location 2845)

Cook the ribs, meat side up, at 275°F. (Location 2877)

When the ribs get to the desired color (after about 3 hours), spray them with vinegar, then coat them lightly on both sides with the sauce. (Location 2880)

Tear off enough aluminum foil to comfortably wrap the ribs. Spritz the foil, then lightly coat it with the sauce. Place the ribs meat side down on the foil and wrap tightly. 8 • Return the ribs, meat side down, to the cooker and cook until tender. (Start checking after about 2 hours.) (Location 2883)