From House To Home

My delayed epiphany might come as a surprise to the southern portion of the country, perhaps, but it’s only recently that I’ve come to regard brisket as one of summer’s tastiest pleasures.

I’d never had barbecue brisket until I went to Texas for the first time three summers ago to visit my future husband. In fact, I probably never had real barbecue before then, much less what was sure to be the most authentic barbecue in the country, in a setting that I was completely unaccustomed to as a New Yorker.

I’ll never forget feeling like I had a spotlight shining on my black-clad self as Jon and I would visit one down-home, cafeteria-style barbecue joint after another, pushing our trays past a selection of meats and sides behind glass. Intimidated by the oversized-buckle lunchtime crowd who clearly knew what they were doing, I panicked. What do I choose? What comes on a combo plate? What’s a half order? I masked my fear by pushing Jon ahead of me, insisting that I was “still trying to decide,” then proceeded to order exactly what he was having, right down to the sweet tea and peach cobbler.

In spite of my completely misguided anxiety about ordering food cafeteria style, it was an instant connection between brisket and myself. It was smoky, it was tender, and it wasn’t dressed up with superfluous garnish. We were meant to be together—why did it take so long?

Anyway, I’ve come a long way since then. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I strolled casually into Underwood’s Cafeteria in Brownwood, Texas, with my in-laws and, independent of my husband, ordered up some brisket and sausage with cherry cobbler for dessert without even the least bit of self-consciousness. I even wore the Lucchese cowboy boots my father-in-law had given me as a gift, though I suspect my brother-in-law may have been secretly snickering at my attempts to blend.

Now a summertime barbecue all the way back home in New Jersey would be incomplete without Jon’s signature brisket. He bought a smoker before leaving Texas and spent the better part of last summer perfecting his recipe. Whenever he makes it, family, friends, and neighbors dive into it like a pack of greedy hyenas, and for good reason. Though I’m admittedly biased, it’s still the best I’ve ever tasted (outside of Texas, of course).

Jon’s Brisket

• Pick a brisket with some fat. (You can cut most of the fat off after cooking.)
• Using an outdoor smoker, choose a type of hardwood for smoke: pecan, apple, oak, or mesquite, for half the cooking time only.
• Dry rub brisket with Cavender’s Greek Seasoning.
• Set in cool temperature for a few hours.
• Cook brisket one hour for each pound at a temperature in the low 200s.
• Cook the brisket with the fattest side up most of the cook time; the longer the cooking time and the lower the temperature, the more tender the meat.
• Turn the brisket only once in the first few hours.