Book of the Week: Franklin Barbecue

02 May 2015

Since I didn’t want to pay $130 for a ticket for 2 beers, the cookbook and a plate of barbecue at the San Francisco pop-up event, I decided to read the Franklin Barbecue book instead. Even if I did want to pay for the tickets, they were sold out in seconds. This book is about Central Texas barbecue which is focused on beef brisket with no sauce. There aren’t many recipes in the book, because this book is about the process of making good barbecue. Fire + Smoke I was reminded of Alan Ada’s flame challenge when I read the Fire + Smoke chapter, where Aaron explains what happens when wood burns. It is hard to follow a recipe exactly and wind up with great barbecue. There are a lot of variables that go into making fire, especially when you are using a wood fire instead of gas. The skill lies in managing the fire. When to stoke the coals, how to select and arrange the wood and when to add more wood to the wire. Ideally, you want a lot of air for clean and efficient combustion that results in good smoke. Efficient car engines products less pollutants. You want your fire to be efficient. I wouldn’t want to operate a BBQ joint, because barbecue is a lot of work and you smell like smoke all the time.