UPDATE: Step-by-step, cooking butcher paper wrapped brisket - See the video

Pitmaster Marshall Cooper and son Mark wrap a brisket with butcher paper. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse) 

By Marshall Cooper

Six years ago, we wrote about cooking brisket wrapped in butcher paper. It continues to be one of the most read posts on this blog.

As anyone who cooks knows, the more you cook the more you learn. So since that initial post, I've made some refinements to my butcher paper technique that I'd like to share with you in this Posse cooking update and accompanying video.

For me, the major benefit of using butcher paper instead of foil, or leaving meat unwrapped during an entire cook, is that you end up with a better texture of barbecue, very moist and tender and less potential for over steaming. The butcher paper, which is used near the end of the cook, seems to breath, keeping the brisket from drying out while shielding the meat from too much smoke.


Butcher Paper Wrapped Brisket from Gary Barber on Vimeo.

Cooking butcher paper wrapped brisket is really simple if you stick to basics and don’t try to complicate things by using countless techniques you hear about or see at the barbecue joints. Here's how you just keep it simple:

1. Start by buying a choice or prime grade 12-14 pound brisket. Trim the thick fat off the bottom side down to 1/4” or so. Trim the sides as well to 1/4”. Trim the heal off the top side. If you don’t want to bother with trimming, don’t worry about it.  Then, use whatever rub you like. A simple rub for brisket is 1/2 cup coarse ground (16 mesh or butcher grind) fresh black pepper, 1/4 cup of kosher salt and a 1/4 cup of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. Or 1/2 cup of black pepper and 1/2 cup of kosher salt & throw in 1-2 tablespoons of granulated garlic. That’s it. Now season the brisket, sprinkling the rub from a red plastic cup, applying a light even coat, not too heavy. You want to be able to still see the meat.

2. Now fire up your smoker so it will burn fairly clean, and bring it to it’s ideal cooking temperature so that it won’t burn up your brisket while it cooks for 10-12 hours, unwrapped. This will probably be 225-250 degrees (F) for most backyard stick burners or charcoal pits. Use whatever wood you like -- hickory, post oak, pecan or a mix of whatever you like. Just get it burning clean and even. Someone once told me if the smoke doesn’t smell good while it’s burning, the meats gonna taste terrible.

3. Place the brisket on the pit cold. On most backyard stick burners, it should probably go fat side up. Fat side down on charcoal pits if the fire is directly below the meat. You decide what works best on your pit.

4. Cook the brisket at a steady temperature. After 4-6 hours you will see water starting to puddle on the top. This is when it’s in the “stall." If you don’t know what the stall is, you can read more about it on Amazing Ribs web site. Basically it’s when the internal water in the brisket begins to evaporate and the meat stops cooking until the water has evaporated. The stall will take around 4-6 hours to complete if you do not wrap. And we are not going to until later. So be prepared to let the brisket cook unwrapped for 9-12 hours. If it looks like the meat is burning, slow the pit down.

5. Once the puddles of water on top of the brisket start to dry up, the brisket is coming out of the stall. The internal meat temperature should be around 175-185 (F).

6. Let the brisket continue to cook until your index finger will sink into the fatty end about an inch. Then wrap the brisket in the pink butcher paper like I show you in the accompanying video. Use this butcher paper available from Amazon, it’s what Aaron Franklin uses in Austin.

Follow the directions in the video by letting the brisket cook 1 to 3 more hours until the butcher paper is saturated. Check for doneness by feeling if it’s floppy. If it is, then check the internal temp if you must.

7. Let the brisket rest for at least 1 to 4 hours! Repeat, because it's so important: Let the brisket rest!

Then enjoy!

Posse member Marshall Cooper is a leading backyard pitmaster with more than 40 years of experience smoking meats. He is a commercial real estate broker at Capstone Commercial Real Estate Group in Dallas.

Inflation watch: Franklin's barbecue and Austin home prices on same track

All sold out at the original Franklin Barbecue trailer in Nov. 2010. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins sent me a photo the other day from a trip we made to the original Franklin Barbecue in November of 2010.

It shows the front of Aaron Franklin's little trailer in Austin and his barbecue prices at the time.

"Sweet memories," Wilkins said in his email subject line.

Indeed.

Franklin then sold his terrific brisket for $13 a pound. Now it's $20 a pound, a nearly 54 percent increase.

Ribs were $11 a pound then; now $17, also a 54 percent increase.

Franklin, of course, has since moved to a permanent building near downtown, which increased operating costs. And there was a huge jump in the price of raw brisket a while back.

Still, that 50 percent barbecue increase occurred over a period when overall consumer prices in the country rose by only about 10 percent.

But compared to another staple of life, shelter, Franklin's prices appear right in line. Since 2010,  the median price of an Austin-area home has jumped more than 50 percent, from about $179,000 to about $275,000.

So, Austin not only has one of the hottest residential real estate markets around but also one of the hottest barbecue markets.

More Franklin price comparisons:

Pulled pork, $11 a pound in 2010, $17 now.

Sausage, $9  vs. $12.

Tipsy Texan sandwich, $4.95 vs. $8.

Single serving sides (potato salad, slaw or beans),  $1.35 vs. $2.50.

Quart-size sides, $8  vs $9.

I'm certainly not an economic expert. But I would think that there is still some upside to both Franklin's prices and Austin homes.

Gary Jacobson carries the Posse's first-ever Franklin brisket to the table in 2010. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

The top 10 posts in the history of the Texas BBQ Posse Blog

Our first trip to Snow's BBQ in 2009 was a life-changing event for a group of friends. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

If a milestone occurs and no one notices, is it still a milestone?

That question certainly doesn't rank with the great philosophical barbecue debates -- i.e., foil or butcher paper? -- but it is something we're pondering this week.

Why?

This is the 400th published post since we launched the Texas BBQ Posse blog in March of 2010, six and one-half years ago.

The initial post in our Barbecue Chronicles is still one of my favorites. It was about our first trip to the Central Texas barbecue heartland. We ate at Snow's, Louie Mueller Barbecue, Smitty's Market and Kreuz Market the same day.

"Think of the fullest you have ever been at a Thanksgiving meal, then multiply by two," Posse member Gary Barber said at the time.

And the trip coined what has become the guiding principle in all our travels: "Let the meat speak for itself," Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins said.

For barbecue fans, such wisdom is worthy of Socrates.

In the years since, the Posse has roamed a good portion of the state in search of great barbecue and found plenty, including a trip to Aaron Franklin's original Austin trailer operation in the autumn of 2010.

"Is this the best brisket in Texas?" we wondered then. In a close vote, yes, it was. Re-reading the post now makes me nostalgic. Eating at Franklin's little trailer was a truly wonderful experience.

That Franklin post remains the sixth most read in the history of the blog, which has totaled nearly 1.4 million page views overall.

The two most popular posts by far were by Marshall Cooper and Wilkins. They explain, in words and photos, how to smoke a great backyard brisket and how to use butcher paper to wrap brisket during a cook.

Together, those posts account for roughly 10 percent of the blog's total traffic. Weekends and holidays, as people get ready to fire up their smokers, they still get lots of readers.

So, on this milestone that someone is noticing, here are the top 10 posts (with links) in Posse blog history:

1. Pit talk: How to smoke a great backyard brisket.
2. Butcher paper wrapped brisket.
3. Tips for choosing a backyard smoker.
4. The thrill is gone from New Zion Missionary Baptist Church BBQ.
5. Road trip to Llano.
6. Franklin Barbecue -- Is this the best brisket in Texas?
7. Barbecue Chronicles: Back to East Texas.
8. First trip to 3 Stacks.
9. Map of the Posse's favorite joints.
10. Hipster pitmasters...a barbecue revolution.

Backyard BBQ guru Marshall Cooper has shared his smoking techniques with thousands of Posse blog readers.
(Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

In praise of the Cornell Recipe and Bob Baker, the Aaron Franklin of chicken

Cooking Cornell Recipe chicken at the Rochester Canoe Club in the early 1980s. Photo: Gary Jacobson

Within our great barbecue family, none of us stands alone. We're all influenced by someone or something else. Friends, relatives, pit masters, other cooks, experts, bloggers, books and all the joints we've ever visited, good and bad.

One of my main influences occurred almost 40 years ago when I first encountered the Cornell Recipe.

For fans of Texas barbecue who love dry rubs and post oak smoke, this may be a bit jarring. The Cornell Recipe is for a sauce -- a vinegar and oil marinade, if you prefer -- used on chicken.

The recipe is wonderful in its simplicity (see below). And it allows for some great barbecue theater.

On a long, cement-block pit, I've helped cook chicken for 100 guests, periodically splashing the sizzling quarters and halves into a pot of the sauce and then returning them to the grate. As the charcoal burned down, we lifted the heavy grates and kicked out a layer of blocks to get the chicken closer to the heat.

Labor intensive, yes. But lots of fun to cook…and to watch. It can be barbecue as performance art, even when you're using the Weber in your back yard.

Dr. Robert C. Baker
Photo: Cornell University

Dr. Robert C. Baker, a college professor, developed the sauce recipe while at Penn State after World War II. He took it with him to Cornell when he moved to the Ithaca, N.Y., school, and served it for decades at his Baker's Chicken Coop at the New York State Fair in Syracuse.

I "discovered" the Cornell Recipe in the late 1970s while working in Rochester, N.Y., about 90 miles from Ithaca. Ever since, the sauce has been a barbecue mainstay for me. Even hard-core barbecue fans like it. Meathead Goldwyn praises the sauce on his Amazing Ribs Web site.

While the recipe alone would be enough to put Baker in my culinary pantheon, he created many other food innovations, including poultry hot dogs, turkey ham and chicken nuggets, long before McDonald's. The New York Times once called Baker "something of a chicken Edison."

To translate that into Texan, we might call Baker the Aaron Franklin of chicken.

There's even a humorous song about his exploits:

O, Nugget Man
O, Nugget Man
Headin’ on down to that old Promised Land
Happy the meals all have been since the day
That the Nugget Man came our way

Baker died in 2006 at age 84. Before his memorial service, they held a chicken barbecue in his honor at his church.

In our great barbecue family, that rates among the highest forms of tribute.

Cornell Chicken Barbecue Sauce Recipe
From the Cornell Web site:

(enough for 10 halves)
1 cup cooking oil
1 pint cider vinegar
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg

Beat the egg, then add the oil and beat again. Add other ingredients and stir. The recipe can be varied to suit individual tastes.

Note:  I use kosher salt.

On an eating pilgrimage to Austin, a Californian meets Aaron Franklin and the Posse, and tastes 'the love' of Texas BBQ

Steven Hecht visits with La Barbecue pitmaster Dylan Taylor, 21, who was trained by the legendary John Lewis. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

Posse Note: During our barbecue tour of Central Texas last weekend, we met Steven Hecht, born in Texas who now lives in California. He said that he's a regular reader of this blog and he used it to plan his Texas BBQ tour. Of course, after learning that, we asked him to write about his experience. Here is his story:

I just returned from my first BBQ Pilgrimage to Austin, Texas and it was a life-changing experience.

My name is Steven Hecht and I was born in Dallas.  Though my family moved to California when I was 13, the love for barbecue has forever coursed through my Texan blood.  I had returned many times to Dallas to visit family and eaten “chain prepared” BBQ, but what my BBQ-lovin’ friend Steve Barnes and I found on our road trip was a nirvana of indescribable tastes, smokey scented air that made our mouths water, and new friendships with fellow BBQ lovers from all over the USA.

Steve Barnes at Snow's BBQ. (Photo ©Steven Hecht)

Steve had been pestering me for years to take a sojourn to Texas barbecue country.  We had sampled any and all southern California barbecue joints through the years. Of course, my backyard ‘cues were the best of all!  When I learned my in-laws were coming cross country for a week-long visit, the opportunity suddenly revealed itself.

We arrived on a Thursday late afternoon and from the airport car rental spot we called ahead to Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor to get the status on what barbecue was still available.  Disappointed but not unexpectedly we learned that the prized beef ribs were long gone and what was left was rapidly dwindling.  Undeterred, we made a beeline over to La Barbecue.  With our hunger rapidly increasing we were dismayed to find only pulled pork and turkey remaining as the sun was beginning to set.

We had organized our dining destinations and timing using the Texas BBQ Posse's blog.  I had spent many hours reading Gary Jacobson’s stories reveling about the great times he, Chris Wilkins and the whole Posse had on their Texas barbecue road trips and utilized their advice on timing, days, wait lines, etc.

With no backup to our backup plan we figured that Salt Lick would still have plenty of food.  We made the pleasant drive east of Austin on the country roads as the sun set and our stomachs rumbled.  We were quickly seated and ordered the beef rib, pork ribs, sausage, and brisket.  We were so hungry and this being our first taste of “real” Texas BBQ we were satisfied with tasty beef rib, the rural setting, and the blazing rotund BBQ pit.  Even though the brisket was chewy we were satisfied to having crossed off a fallen BBQ star and were ready for sleep, as an early Friday morning line at Franklin Barbecue awaited us.

Aaron Franklin with Steven Hecht.
(Photo ©Steven Hecht)

The hotel alarm sounded at 6:30 a.m. and we were pulling into the Franklin parking lot at 7:20 a.m. There were nine hardy souls ahead of us and we huddled in against the just above-freezing cold and the biting wind.  After Steve made a quick walk to a place behind the parking lot for some coffee and hot chocolate we started to settle in and get acquainted with the barbecue lovers ahead of and behind us.

Around 9 o’clock a Franklin employee brought out some of their folding chairs and a much appreciated heat lamp.  The restaurant doors were unlocked, the bathroom was available, and the feeling was slowly returning to my hands as a small, ever changing group warmed themselves surrounding the heat lamp.  Spirits were picking up and the smoke wafting through the air was ratcheting up our anticipation.

Steve rejoined me at the heat lamp and showed off his selfie with Aaron Franklin!  The man, the myth, the legend!  The proprietor and leader of the Austin, Texas barbecue renaissance was leaning on the counter talking to his meat cutter as they were preparing the day’s preorders.  I got my own selfie with Aaron, who was smiling, gracious and as nice as could be.

We met people from New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Minnesota, Kentucky, North Carolina, and California.  There was even Eddie from Austin who took his birthday off from work to spend four hours in line to eat Franklin barbecue.  He was a great source of knowledge about all the region’s BBQ restaurants and we enjoyed his experienced opinions.  Tip: One easy way to start up a conversation with anyone in Austin is to ask them about their favorite BBQ places.

Working the pits at Snow's BBQ on a cold Saturday morning. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

When Aaron Franklin opened the screen door to let the line move inside we were thrilled.  We ordered brisket, pork ribs and sausage.  As we had three days and four BBQ tastings planned, we figured that a half pound of each would be about right.  But, when the oakwood fired smoke hits your nostrils and you see the shiny sauce reflecting off the ribs and juices pouring out of freshly cut brisket, well, you’ll know what to do!  We ordered a pound of brisket and ribs each and four links of sausage.

Line mate Eddie joined us at our table and we chowed down.  The brisket had a great bark and was so tender and juicy.  So good!  The ribs were fall of the bone and the best I have ever had.  The sausage was real good but not to Steve’s tastes.  As we ate and licked our fingers, line mates who were waiting to order looked on with anticipation.  Franklin was the bomb!

Well, it was about noon and we were stuffed, tired and what do visitors do in Austin after that?  Nap.  LOL.  Then drink.  We were staying at the Westin on E. 6th St. and had a good time that night.  Snow’s Barbecue in Lexington, Texas was awaiting us and we set the alarm for 6:30 a.m.

Saturday morning is the only time you will find Tootsie Tomanetz shoveling hot coals into her barbecue pits at Snow’s.  The Texas BBQ Posse has praised Snow’s.  In one blog post, six Posse members rated their personal top-five picks in the state and Snow’s was at the top on three of the lists.  A must-eat, only an hour east of Austin.

The line at 8am at Snow's BBQ in Lexington. (Photo ©Steven Hecht)

Just about a quarter before 8:00 a.m. we pulled up to Snow’s and were about twentieth in the mist-filled morning line.  As we waited, the wonderful smell of smoked meat filled the air.  About 45 minutes later we were ordering at the counter.  This time we intended to stick to our original plan of half a pound of brisket, ribs and sausage.  No.  Once again our senses were overwhelmed by the sights and smells.  One pound of brisket and ribs each and 5 sausage links (these looked a bit smaller than Franklin’s.)

We couldn't believe how good it was.  We whispered conspiratorially, “This brisket is more tender than Franklin’s.” It literally fell apart in our hands before we could lift it to our mouths.  Dripping with juices.  The ribs were sensational, not quite quite as good as Franklin, maybe, but certainly right up there.  The regular and jalapeño sausage links were good but I didn’t finish mine as I gorged on the brisket and ribs.

Snow’s brisket has less bark than Franklin’s.  I prefer the heavier bark.  After finishing I approached Tootsie and owner Kerry Bexley to thank and compliment them.  I asked Kerry how he cooks his brisket and he told me that it cooks about 8-10 hours and that they wrap it in aluminum foil the last few hours to increase the juiciness. That foil wrap is why the bark is less than at Franklin, he explained. Franklin uses butcher paper.

“Look out, now”, Kerry said as Tootsie carried a shovel full of hot coals to keep her chickens smoking.

As Steve and I took some photos we met a group of five or six guys from Chicago.  Like us, they had pre-printed their own T-shirts for the special pilgrimage.  I didn’t think anyone could be as nutty as we were.  They informed us they were going to another four joints that day, had planned on hitting about 15 in all on their trip and invited us to tag along.  It sounded real fun but our bellies were full again and we started back toward Austin.  But, they had planted a seed in my mind.

As Steve drove and I tilted back the seat in our rental car I mentioned that these Chicago guys were following the guidelines that the Texas BBQ Posse recommends.  Eat small and hit a lot of places. That wasn’t my style. I don’t have that kind of self control.  But I suggested that we head over to La Barbecue and finish this road trip with one more experience for comparison’s sake.  He agreed and I closed my eyes.

Patrons enjoy a sunny afternoon as they dine at La Barbecue in Austin. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

I woke up as we exited Cesar Chavez Boulevard back in Austin a few minutes from La Barbecue. We parked and got in what seemed to be a relatively short line. We were in luck! In front of us was Greg with a cooler full of IPA’s and a 40-year history of local barbecue stories to share. He imparted some new knowledge and reinforced some old talk we had heard about what we were calling the Austin, Texas BBQ family tree.

Lockhart, Texas is regaled for being the origin of Texas barbecue, but Austin is now the showplace, thanks in part to descendants of Louie Mueller. Two of his grandchildren run joints in Austin. John Mueller has John Mueller Meat Co. (Aaron Franklin once worked for John) and LeAnn Mueller owns La Barbecue.  The LA stands for LeAnn.

Our wait was about 90 minutes before we ordered. Greg’s old high school friend and La Barbecue regular Larry joined in with his daughter, son-in-law, and other friends.  Up ahead a group of young women joined in and Steve whispered that he wished La Barbecue observed Franklin’s Manifesto about cautioning people in line not to let in too many “joiners.” But, the IPA’s were flowing, we were still full from Snow’s and they were so nice and friendly we really didn’t mind at all.

As we got close to the ordering window we recognized from Snow’s earlier that morning a character with a blue knit cap tilted on his head and a Berkeley sweatshirt.  Steve talked with him and he told us he was Bruce Tomaso and he was with the The Dallas Morning News.  I instantly perked up and excitedly asked him if he knew Gary Jacobson (co-founder along with Chris Wilkins of this blog).  He answered, “Sure, he is right back in line”.

I was so pumped up to learn that the Texas BBQ Posse was HERE. We had read their blog and everything we were doing was because of their stories and now they were actually at La Barbecue. I went back to introduce myself and thank him profusely for all of their stories and insight.

La Barbecue pitmaster Dylan Taylor with Steven Hecht.
(Photo ©Steven Hecht)

Gary smiled and seemed almost as happy as I was to meet. He brightened even more when Chris told him I had offered to order their food for their small group to save them two hours more of waiting in the growing line.  We were best friends now!!  Meeting Gary, Chris, and the rest of the Posse was the highlight of my trip.  Chris gathered up the order and we jumped back into our spot near the window. Hey, everyone else had joiners.

This time Steve and I had to curtail our portions and just had a few ribs, brisket and sausage.  The brisket was the best tasting of the whole trip.  So juicy and buttery and amazing!  The ribs and sausage were super but we were stuffed.  I was dismayed that we didn’t order the renowned beef rib but at 1.5 pounds we had to say no.

I went into the La Barbecue smoker where 21 year old Dylan Taylor was tending to the brisket.  He was so friendly and so level headed and grounded for a young guy.  Just two years ago he had been delivering pizza.  He told me he cooks the brisket at 250 degrees for 16 hours and wraps them in butcher paper about the last quarter of the cooking time.  I could taste the love and time he puts into his cooking.

We spoke and I recounted our trip: Salt Lick,  Franklin, Snow’s…Miss Tootsie isn’t a spring chicken anymore.  Aaron’s fame, fortune and the pressure it takes to run that kind of operation where people wait four hours in line can’t last forever.

I imparted my vision on Dylan:  La Barbecue was the future of Texas BBQ.  Their brisket was the best tasting, now.  They have a promising future ahead.  Good luck to them!

As our trip was ending, I looked back at all the great memories we had. The outstanding food, the smokey joints, the lines.  But, the best part was the people.  The like-minded folks who all shared a love and passion for great BBQ.  That was the uniting tie that bound us all.  From Aaron to Tootsie and Kerry, to LeAnn and Dylan, to Gary and Chris and the rest of the Posse, to Eddie and Greg and Larry, to Steve and I.  We love barbecue and good barbecue means good times and good friends!!

I will be back to Austin for BBQ Road Trip II.  After all, there is still that beef rib at La Barbecue I must try.

Steve Barnes, left, with Steven Hecht at Snow's BBQ. (Photo ©Steven Hecht)

Famed writer John T. Edge pens an ode to barbecue in Parade magazine

In Sunday’s Parade magazine, John T. Edge, the noted Southern food writer, weighs in on the nationwide barbecue renaissance. (By the way, if you haven’t seen Parade in a while, you might be stunned to see it today. It’s a deathly shadow of its former self, with a much smaller format and far fewer pages – more like a pamphlet than a magazine.)

Edge writes that Americans have “adopted barbecue as our national folk food. … The new question is, how high can barbecue go?”

It will come as no surprise to anyone who’s read one of these rebirth-of-barbecue articles that Aaron Franklin is featured prominently in Edge’s piece – as well he should be:

Posse winner talks about growing up with Aaron Franklin and the future of barbecue in Texas

Aaron Franklin, right, and his bandmates in Those Peabodys.
(Photo courtesy of Post-Parlo Records)

Please pardon our tardiness, we're a bit late with this post.

Neil Gallagher of Bryan won last month's Texas barbecue giveaway offered by FoodyDirect in partnership with the Posse. FoodyDirect, an online food marketplace, randomly selected his name from among more than 200 entries.

When I contacted Gallagher, 35, to congratulate him, the conversation ranged widely, from his win to even pondering the future of barbecue in Texas.

He said he grew up in Bryan with Aaron Franklin, now the reigning barbecue baron of the state. Franklin runs Franklin Barbecue in Austin.

Gallagher is an accountant at St. Joseph Catholic Church. He said his wife, Jenny, lived next door to the Franklin family in Bryan, where Aaron's father ran a barbecue place.

"I would have never guessed that he was going to be a barbecue mogul," Gallagher said of Franklin. "I always figured that if he was ever going to make it in something, it would be in the music industry. I guess he found something else he loved."

Before barbecue, Franklin played drums for a band called Those Peabodys.

Dallas BBQ history made at Daniel Vaughn's book party with the first briskets ever cooked in Big D by Aaron Franklin

Aaron Franklin, center, works the serving line while Justin Fourton works his smoker "Lurlene." (Jim Rossman photo)

Friday was an historic night in Dallas barbecue.

The book party for Daniel Vaughn's Prophets of Smoked Meat at the home of Steve and Anne Stodghill brought together four of Texas' best pitmasters: Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge in Dallas, Tim Byres of Smoke in Dallas and Will Fleischman of Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas.

Hipster pitmasters? Young guns of BBQ? Resurgence of Texas tradition? There's a BBQ revolution happening and we don't know what to call it

Pecan Lodge pitmaster Justin Fourton and his infamous "Slim Pickins" sign. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves)

As Posse member Jim Rossman and I ate at Pecan Lunch Thursday, we talked about how to characterize what's happening now in Texas barbecue. Something big is going on and it needs a name.

We had just heard BBQ Snob and new Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn call it a "resurgence." He referred to young pitmasters, like Justin Fourton at Pecan Lodge, adopting the old school ways and using only wood to cook for a new generation of barbecue fans.

(Note: To hold our place, Rossman arrived at 10:45 a.m., 15 minutes before opening, and was about 40th in line. Vaughn, by coincidence, was about 10 people ahead. So, we chatted.)

Previously, in Posse circles, we've talked about the new "young guns" of barbecue redefining how we eat the national food of Texas. Nice term.  Good for headlines. But does it really describe what's happening?

Then Rossman said: "Hipster pitmasters."

The 10 top posts of all-time on the Texas BBQ Posse blog

Posse members toast at Loco Coyote Grill in Glen Rose during our Brazos & Beyond BBQ Tour. (Photo©R.J. Hinkle)

We missed a couple of important Posse milestones recently. So, forgive us a few moments of backslapping as we catch up.

The very first item on this blog was posted March 7, 2010, just over three years ago. It likely will never be a trivia question, like "what was the first video played on MTV?" (Answer: Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.)

But, still, it's kinda sentimental to us. The item was about our first trip to the Central Texas BBQ Heartland, which began with brisket for breakfast at Snow's. Until then, we didn't know what good barbecue was.

The secret to avoiding those long lines at Franklin Barbecue in Austin

The line was over 100 deep at Franklin BBQ on a recent Saturday. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Even now, four weeks later, we're still complimenting ourselves for our nifty navigation of the long lines at Franklin Barbecue in Austin during the Posse's Best of Texas Tour. People can begin queuing up two hours before the joint opens and the number can quickly grow to a hundred or more.

We took advantage of Franklin's advance-order service and had Posse members and Austin residents Libby Jacobson and Mike Gagne pick up our food before the place opened for regular business.

"It was a glorious feeling," Libby said of walking past the line and directly inside the restaurant to the pick-up counter. "You feel like you're someone special."

Portraits of the great pitmasters, from Best of Texas BBQ tour

Herschel Tomanetz, Snow's BBQ, Lexington. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves)

Check out this amazing set of portraits by Dallas-based editorial and commercial photographer Daniel Goncalves, featuring the pitmasters behind the BBQ we ate last week on our Best of Texas BBQ tour. Daniel and his wife Magda recently moved to the area from Jacksonville, Florida.

His love for both photography and barbecue led him to get in touch the Posse, which is mainly made of photographers, writers and editors from The Dallas Morning News. We invited Daniel to come along and help us document the trip, while eating the best BBQ that Texas has to offer. You can see more of his work at www.fotobia.com.

Lines, lines, everywhere we go there are BBQ lines

Long lines at Franklin BBQ in Austin, top, and Pecan Lodge in Dallas. (Photos © Daniel Goncalves)

Aaron Franklin has made it cool to stand in a long line for barbecue. That has been the norm at his joint in Austin going back to its trailer days in 2009.

Now, the phenomenon appears to be spreading, as we discovered on our recent Best of Texas BBQ Tour.