Friday's Report (from deep in the heart of Texas) #1

So SXSW was last week down here in the 512. Seeing as how I didn’t go to any official SXSW shindigs I don’t have much to say on the subject. Let’s just say I was at one point wearing a glow stick necklace thingamabob. Yes, beer was involved. Followed by roller-skating. Which doesn’t sound like a good combination, but I came away unscathed. And my daughter finagled two free cd’s out of struggling bands who could’ve probably used the gas money had they been able to sell the cd’s instead.

I did however eat a lot of brisket over the same seven day span. My barbecue purveyor of choice these days is Mann’s Smokehouse. (Those of you who know me, please don’t be alarmed. The Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX is still my favorite. But it is a 45 minute drive away.) The owners, Jim and Sallie Mann, (no, photography buffs, not Sally Mann) always greet you with big smiles and a friendly word. They make over a dozen homemade sides a day, which makes it very hard for me to choose just two. But the real reason to go is their brisket.

To properly judge a barbecue joint in Texas, you have to try the brisket. Ribs, sausage, and various feathered creatures are tasty as well, but brisket is what Texas barbecue is all about. And Mann’s passes the test with flying colors (which is a strange phrase that apparently derives from the practice of hanging colorful flags on sailboats in a race. I learned this through the magic of the global interweb, so who knows how accurate it is). The brisket has a beautiful smoke ring that shows it has been slow smoked for many many many hours. And juices flow out with each pass of Jim’s blade. There is lots of lovely fat on there that Jim will cut off for you but I prefer to keep on. I read a Texas A&M study that said brisket fat was actually good for you and I believe them. Sauce is served the proper way, on the side. If the brisket is truly Texas standards good, you shouldn’t need any. And at Mann’s, you don’t.

I have never been totally comfortable with the phrase “melts in your mouth” when used in reference to food unless you’re talking about ice cream or some other food that literally melts. But the brisket at Mann’s comes as close as I can imagine to melting as I’ve found. Chewing is still necessary, and enjoyable. The brisket is nice and smoky. And it isn’t overpowered by too much dry rub. Just enough spice to bring out the natural flavors of the meat. It’s delicious and (according to A&M) nutritious.

I do have one issue with Mann’s. I favor a more traditional approach to smoking meat. Meaning a big ol’ smoker powered by wood and wood only. Mann’s uses one of these new fangled gas powered industrial smokers. They use wood too. And they certainly make things easier on the pit master. But there’s no true replacing the heart and soul that go into more traditionally smoked meats. That being said, the true test is taking that first bite. And as I said before, Mann’s passes that test with flying colors.