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Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto [A Cookbook] Hardcover – April 7, 2015

by Aaron Franklin (Author), Jordan Mackay (Author)

4.7 11,213 ratings

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A complete meat and brisket-cooking education from the country's most celebrated pitmaster and owner of the wildly popular Austin restaurant Franklin Barbecue.

When Aaron Franklin and his wife, Stacy, opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas, interstate in 2009, they had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into. Today, Franklin Barbecue has grown into the most popular, critically lauded, and obsessed-over barbecue joint in the country (if not the world)—and Franklin is the winner of every major barbecue award there is.

In this much-anticipated debut, Franklin and coauthor Jordan Mackay unlock the secrets behind truly great barbecue, and share years’ worth of hard-won knowledge. Franklin Barbecue is a definitive resource for the backyard pitmaster, with chapters dedicated to building or customizing your own smoker; finding and curing the right wood; creating and tending perfect fires; sourcing top-quality meat; and of course, cooking mind-blowing, ridiculously delicious barbecue, better than you ever thought possible.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ten Speed Press
Publication date

April 7, 2015
Dimensions

8.25 x 1.04 x 10.27 inches
ISBN-10

1607747200
ISBN-13

978-1607747208
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From the Publisher

frankline barbecue;aaron franklin;texas barbecue;BBQ;franklin bbq;texas bbq;franklin steak;meat

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Aaron Franklin makes the finest barbecue I’ve ever had, barbecue worth waiting for. His work and his words express a truly rare level of commitment and expertise. With Franklin Barbecue, he shares it all—in a book that, fortunately, you don’t have to wait for.”
—Anthony Bourdain

“I used to think Aaron Franklin was a genius: There was his rise from backyard dabbler to king of Texas pitmasters; his mind-altering brisket that made normally rational people (myself included) wait hours for the chance to eat it; and his insistence that game-changing barbecue doesn’t come from miracles but rather elbow grease. Then he wrote this book and gave all his secrets away. Now everyone—from me to you to your neighbor who can’t grill a chicken breast—will be able to make award-winning barbecue. He’s not a genius anymore; he’s a god.”
—Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor, Bon Appétit

“The most refreshing barbecue book to come along yet. Rather than preaching about ‘one true way,’ Aaron Franklin guides you through all the wood and smoke so that you can find your own style. And instead of just listing ingredients and rattling off generic recipes, these pages tell the story of a place and a barbecue tradition steeped in history. This isn’t just a book about barbecue;
this book is Central Texas barbecue.”
—Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor, Texas Monthly, and author of The Prophets of Smoked Meat

“Pure genius! Aaron Franklin has distilled years’ worth of barbecue knowledge into this book. In it, he exposes the sacred insights of a top pitmaster—information that can otherwise only be learned from long nights spent staring at a fire, shovel in hand, constantly prodding and pinching your meat to figure out that ‘just perfect’ point of doneness. This book is a game changer: read it, and your barbecue will improve overnight!”
—Adam Perry Lang, chef, restaurateur, and author of Serious Barbecue

“A complete meat-and brisket-cooking education from the country’s most celebrated pitmaster. More than just a recipe book, this is a master course in the fine art of meat smoking, Texas-style.”
—Library Journal

About the Author

AARON FRANKLIN is a native of Bryan, Texas, and the co-owner and co-founder (along with his wife, Stacy) of Franklin Barbecue. Franklin Barbecue opened its doors in 2009, and has since gone on to win many awards, including "Best Barbecue in Texas" from Texas Monthly and "Best Barbecue in America" from Bon Appétit. Franklin is also the host of the PBS series BBQ with Franklin. He and his wife live in Austin with their daughter.

JORDAN MACKAY is the wine and spirits critic for San Francisco magazine, and the coauthor of the James Beard Award-winning Secrets of the Sommeliers. He lives in San Francisco.
Photography by Wyatt McSpadden.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The notion of putting everything I know about barbecue into a book is a daunting one. Not because I know so much—I’m still learning—but because of the nature of barbecue itself. It’s because the printed word—definitive, exacting, permanent—is in many ways antithetical to the process of cooking barbecue, which is, for lack of a better word, loosey-goosey.

So many people want to have a recipe, but with all of the variables in barbecue—wood, quality of fire, meat selection, type of cooker, weather, and so on—there is no “magic” recipe. It just doesn’t operate with absolutes of temperature, time, and measurement. In fact, there are no rights or wrongs in barbecue (well, that may be a stretch), no “just one way,” and certainly no simple “black and white.” You’re much better off with general knowledge of what you want and an arsenal of tricks to have up your sleeve.

So unlike most books that you may flip through a few times and then place on the shelf to display with the others, I hope this one will live a good portion of its life out in the field, be it in the kitchen or out by the smoker. These recipes aren’t really recipes but more of an idea of how I go about cooking barbecue and some guidelines.

Now, this book is not a survey of barbecue traditions across the country. While I’ve been all over the United States and have eaten lots of great barbecue, there’s really only one tradition that I know intimately: my own. My style is steeped in the tradition of Central Texas, but it’s also got some wrinkles that I discovered along the way.

So, with the greatest respect to all of the other styles around the country, in this book, all I discuss is what we do. Yes, I am wedded to the tradition of great Central Texas barbecue and the principles it holds—brisket, oak, open flame—but I’m also always willing to try something new or look into new designs that might make things cook faster and better. And my hope is that by being hyperdetailed and specific about my techniques, I will help you in your cooking and in your ability to develop your own style too. At Franklin Barbecue, the only thing we’ve got is the dedication to make the best food we can and to keep it consistently the same every day (which itself is the biggest challenge). It’s that dedication that keeps us evolving as cooks and constantly thinking about new ways to do old things.

You’ll notice that there’s a serious thread of do-it-yourself running through this book. That’s because one of the words with which I’ve been known to describe myself is cheap. For large stretches of my life, I didn’t have the cash to buy things I wanted, so I often just figured out how to make them myself. In the process, I sometimes discovered how to make them better or at least how to tailor them to my own needs. However, while I participate in DIY culture and continue to build stuff all of the time, it’s by no means necessary to take this approach in order to benefit from this book. I say, use whatever equipment you’ve got on hand; ideally, the information I present here will help you make the best of it.

Most barbecue books I’ve looked at are organized around the major food groups: beef, pork, poultry, and so on. (At least, those are my food groups.) In this book, which isn’t heavily focused on recipes, I’ve taken a different approach. It’s a more elemental and theoretical breakdown of the barbecue process. In each chapter, I drill down into some fairly technical information with regard to how the process of barbecue works. It can get a little geeky, but I hope that in a way the geekiness keeps you engaged. I include this information because I myself love the technical details. Understanding how something works is the first step toward successfully replicating and improving it.

The first chapter is an extended telling of my own story. I include it at this length not for the purpose of vanity, but the opposite—so that everyone can see how you don’t have to have much money, history, training, or even time to become proficient at barbecue. I really just want to show how a love for barbecue coupled with enthusiasm can equal really good-tasting smoked meat. If I can do this, you can too.

The second chapter is all about the smoker. In Texas, this piece of equipment might be called a smoker, cooker, and pit all in the same sentence, but whatever you call it, barbecue practitioners have no end of fascination with these clunky steel constructions. Everyone who designs and builds his or her own smoker does something a little bit different, always looking for that tweak that will improve its performance. In this chapter, I talk about various kinds of smokers and various modifications you can make to improve the performance of an inexpensive off-the-rack smoker you might buy at an outdoors store. I also give a very basic template for how to build your own smoker from scratch. It’s by no means a blueprint but rather intended to give you an idea of what to think about if you undertake such a project. While smoker construction sounds—and is—fairly ambitious, I can tell you that I’ve built very heavy smokers in my backyard with a cheap welder, rope, and a tree branch to hoist pieces up.

Chapter three is about wood. Wood is our sole fuel, but it’s also arguably the most important seasoning in the food. Without wood, barbecue wouldn’t be barbecue, so we have to take the wood we use as seriously as we would any ingredient in any dish. Just as you wouldn’t sauté meats and vegetables in rancid butter, you want to use good-quality firewood in pristine condition whenever possible. In this chapter, you’ll learn all about seasoning, splitting, buying, and judging wood for barbecue. After reading it, you’ll definitely be wanting your own little woodpile in the backyard. Just keep it dry.

It’s no big leap from wood to fire and smoke, the subjects of chapter four. Most people don’t realize there are gradations of smoke and fire. But a good fire and the fine smoke it produces are two of the most fundamental elements to producing superior Central Texas barbecue. In this chapter, I get into the nitty-gritty of what good smoke and fire mean and how to produce them in various conditions. It’s a bit sciencey, but it also tends to be pretty interesting, so hopefully you’ll get a lot out of it.

Chapter five is about meat. One of things I do differently from most other barbecue joints is use a higher grade of meat. It makes things more expensive for everyone (including me), but I think it’s worth it not only for the quality of the end product but also for the quality of life of the humans eating it and of the noble animals that were sacrificed to bring us this food. You’ll learn here what certain grades of meat mean, where they come from on the animal, and how to go about selecting the best meat for your cooking.

Chapter six is a doozy. It’s the one where I finally get into the actual cooking of the meat. If you buy this book and just want to dive right in, you could start here, though I recommend going back at some time to read all of the other stuff. This is the chapter where I do things like suggest temperatures and times for your cook, even though ultimately you have to figure out the fine details of these things for your own kind of cooker, your own conditions, and ultimately your own taste. But I do talk about other important stuff like trimming meats, rubbing, and wrapping—all the techniques that will help your meat turn out great. The bulk of this chapter is devoted to brisket and ribs, which are the two most popular meats, and cooked using the two basic methods of cooking we do. All of our other fare basically follows these methods, so to learn how to cook brisket and ribs in a smoker is to learn how to cook just about anything.

Lastly, we talk a little bit about sides, sauces, serving, drinking, and all of the stuff that goes hand in hand with enjoying the fruits of your labor. In Central Texas, sides and sauces are always considered secondary to the meat, if indeed necessary at all. So I don’t place a huge emphasis on them, even though I will admit that our beans are really good. More important is brisket slicing technique, which is something I go into detail about here. It’s hard to train people to cut brisket really well, but once you practice and repeat it, you’ll be glad to have good skill in this area, since there’s nothing worse than hacking up something you just spent a day coddling. And at last, beer, like day and night, is a fact of life for the pitmaster, and it’s something I think about a lot! So I talk a little about what I like and what I think works best with barbecue, though beer in general gets a big fat Yes.

Hopefully, while you read this book, you’ll find yourself chomping at the bit to get out there and throw a few racks of ribs or a big, honking brisket onto your smoker. And all I can say is, Go for it! The key to my own development—and it will be to yours—is repetition. Just as with anything, the more you do it, the better you’ll get. In barbecue that’s especially true, particularly if you pay close attention along the way to what you did during the cooking process and when you did it, and then you note the final results and think about how to make the next cook better. That’s what I did, and my barbecue improved steadily along the way. And I didn’t even have a resource like this book.

Ultimately, that’s the best advice I can give. Do, and do some more. Drink beer, but not so much that you lose track of what you’re doing. And pay attention. Sweat the details and you’ll end up producing barbecue that would make the most seasoned of pitmasters proud.

-----------------------------------

Fig Ancho Beer Barbecue sauce
I don’t serve this at the restaurant, but I do make fun sauces for some events—and this sauce combines a few of my favorite things.
Makes about 6 cups

4 ancho chiles, rehydrated in 4 1/2 cups hot water and the water reserved
12 figs, grilled, stemmed, and quartered
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
4 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) bottle (1 1/2 cups) stout or porter beer (I prefer Left Hand Brewing’s milk stout)
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
6 tablespoons fig preserves
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper

In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the chiles, figs, and onion in the butter for about 10 minutes, until the figs and chiles are tender and the onion is translucent. Transfer to a blender and add the sugar, stout, ketchup, both vinegars, the preserves, honey, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth, adding as much of the reserved chile soaking liquid as needed to reach the desired texture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ten Speed Press (April 7, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1607747200
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1607747208
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.35 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 1.04 x 10.27 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Barbecuing & Grilling
- #11 in Meat Cooking
- #15 in Southern U.S. Cooking, Food & Wine

Customer Reviews:
4.7 11,213 ratings

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Jordan Mackay
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Jordan Mackay is a James-Beard-award winning writer on wine, spirits and food. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Texas Monthly, Decanter, The Art of Eating, Wine and Spirits, Food & Wine, Gourmet and many other publications. His first book, Passion for Pinot, was published in 2009. His second, Secrets of the Sommeliers, co-authored with 2-time James Beard Award-winner Rajat Parr, won a James Beard award in 2011. Two in the Kitchen, written with his wife Christie Dufault, was published in 2012. Franklin Barbecue, co-written with James Beard Best Chef Southwest Award-winner Aaron Franklin, was just released in April, 2015 and spent its first 5 weeks in print on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Knife, written with chef John Tesar, was released in May of 2017. In October 2018, Jordan released The Sommelier's Atlas of Taste (with Rajat Parr). In April, 2019 Jordan's newest book with Aaron Franklin, Franklin Steak, will come into the world.
Jordan lives in St. Helena, CA and travels extensively, speaking about wine, spirits and food.
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Aaron Franklin
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Austin Texas based barbecue cook, grilling guy, restaurant owner, educator and MasterClass instructor. Aaron is a self taught bbq expert, who has quickly risen to be one of the most well known pit bosses in the barbecue world. He never cuts corners on choosing quality meats and spending the time it really takes to make the best bbq in the country. Aaron's first book, Franklin Barbecue: A Meat Smoking Manifesto has quickly become a cult classic since it was published in 2015, teaching countless budding pit-masters how to cook Central Texas style barbecue. Aaron's second book, Franklin Steak, showcases his deep love for steak by exploring dry aging, reverse searing, and other cooking methods. Franklin Smoke, Aaron's third and most recent book, addresses the mysterious area where smoker and grill intersect, describing when and how to best combine the two. Aaron is the recipient of the James Beard Award for Best Chef and has also been inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. Aaron also launched his backyard bbq pit company, Franklin BBQ Pits, in 2020.
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Customer reviews

11,213 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable, logical, and simple to understand. They say it provides insight into the process and is useful for understanding barbecue better. Readers also appreciate the recipes and story quality. They mention the spiral binding is worth the extra cost and there is value on every page.

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Readability Information quality Recipes Story quality Value for money Author's history Humor Book content

891 customers mention "Readability"877 positive14 negative

Customers find the book great, enjoyable, and easy to read. They say it's logical, straightforward, and systematic. Readers also mention the book provides a detailed step-by-step process in getting started.

"...What this book gives me is a very detailed step-by-step process in getting started. I have cooked 3 briskets following his instructions...." Read more

"...But sometimes you go with trees that died from drought. Mesquite is pretty strong. Hickory is strong, but not as strong as mesquite...." Read more

"...With detailed instructions and insider tips, this BBQ manifesto promises to elevate our grilling game to new heights...." Read more

"...For example, the book explains how the best source of clean, high-quality smoke is burning wood that is allowed to fully combust, not smoldering..." Read more

669 customers mention "Information quality"658 positive11 negative

Customers find the book amazing, useful, and a wonderful guide to upping your barbecue game. They appreciate the insight into the process and good information regarding brisket. Readers also mention the author has helpful advice on what the rub should consist of and how thick it should be. Overall, they say the book provides a starting point and is detailed-oriented.

"...With detailed instructions and insider tips, this BBQ manifesto promises to elevate our grilling game to new heights...." Read more

"It explains the whole process of bbq ,I love it" Read more

"...this book is a good mix of personal narrative, instruction, scientific explanation, and historical background...." Read more

"...He explains how to smoke meat in very simple terms. It IS simple to smoke meat...but you can totally screw it up if you don't do it right...." Read more

219 customers mention "Recipes"163 positive56 negative

Customers find the cooking section of the book great. They say the basic sauce is good and accomplishes its objective of enhancing the meat. However, some readers feel the book touches very little on recipes and different techniques. Overall, they say it's a great modern-style cook book that goes over the science.

"...At page 174, he’s on to other topics. There are also recipes for four sauces and three sides...." Read more

"...some of the seasoning that they use on a prime top sirloin and it was delicious...." Read more

"...If you wanna make TEXAS BBQ at home that tastes fantastic and is super simple to make pick this gem up." Read more

"...I think the chief complaint is the lack of recipes in this book or that Aaron left out some of his “secrets.”..." Read more

84 customers mention "Story quality"84 positive0 negative

Customers find the story interesting, entertaining, and fantastic. They say it's a complete history and technique guide to Central Texas barbecue.

"...book was actually a pleasure to read, as there are a number of entertaining stories throughout, and not just instructions or recipes...." Read more

"...It also provides a very interesting personal history of the man behind the book, worth reading all by itself as a rags to riches success story -..." Read more

"...His story is compelling and interesting and when he starts talking about firewood, how to place it in your pit, how to buy it and not get taken,..." Read more

"...And read this book because it is an interesting and impressive story." Read more

64 customers mention "Value for money"47 positive17 negative

Customers find the book well worth the money. They say the spiral binding is worth the extra cost, and there is something of value on every page. Readers also mention it's an excellent buy and very valuable for stick burners.

"Great book for the smoker in your life. The spiral bound is worth the extra cost." Read more

"...This "Manifesto" IS well worth the price. I have watched this man on you tube everything they have to offer what a great individual...." Read more

"...in great food, is probably far too difficult and expensive for the average backyard BBQ...." Read more

"...Worth every penny...." Read more

32 customers mention "Author's history"28 positive4 negative

Customers find the author's history interesting. They say it provides good insight into what makes Franklin successful and how he runs his business. Readers also mention the content is from Aaron Franklin and that he's legendary.

"...So to sum this up, the book is a good biography about a successful BBQ artist who has done very well in life through an intense work ethic, laser-..." Read more

"...I think you will also with the sincere, humble amazement of the author drifting through, like the homey, drifting smells of BBQ." Read more

"...He is a great teacher...." Read more

"...Franklin is a good writer, and he's telling personal stories as much as he is teaching barbecue technique...." Read more

29 customers mention "Humor"29 positive0 negative

Customers find the author witty, funny, and irreverent. They also appreciate the excellent photos and commentary. Readers mention the book is well-written and interesting.

"...The book is fun to read since the authors obviously have a great sense of humor...." Read more

"...It's interesting, funny, informative and honest...." Read more

"...Lots of humor and wit, not really laugh out loud but keeps it entertaining...." Read more

"...Quirky personality I think funny as hell my kind of people ..." Read more

20 customers mention "Book content"14 positive6 negative

Customers find the book content amazing, comprehensive, and funny. They say it's an inspiration for a new barbecue business and provides tips and reminders for preparing quality meat. Readers mention the story about establishing his successful restaurant is interestingly told.

"This book is not only amazing, but inspiration for a new BBQ business I have started...." Read more

"...As thoroughly enjoyable as it is comprehensive, in a richly produced book along with photos and illustrations...." Read more

"...This is NOT a cook book; rather, a how to..." Read more

"...Like pictures of delicious smoked meats? Like a good, comprehensive and funny read? Then get this book...." Read more

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Jeremy D.

Awesome! Perfect! Great for Beginners!

Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2016

Verified Purchase

I felt so compelled to write this review after reading some of the negative reviews. I think the chief complaint is the lack of recipes in this book or that Aaron left out some of his “secrets.” While the latter may be true, he’s very clear that it’s mostly salt and pepper. It’s also all about meat selection according to him. I truly believe this is a very integral part. I doubt many of us have the meat suppliers he has.

Now on to the reason I bought this book. A friend of mine helped me build my first side-by-side wood smoker. I am new to this and had no clue on how to move forward with cooking a brisket. This book has great reviews and I’ve heard a lot about his BBQ place. I don’t live in Texas, New Mexico to be exact, but I do have family in Austin. I hope to try that some day, but I really don’t think I’ll wait 3 hours of more. What this book gives me is a very detailed step-by-step process in getting started. I have cooked 3 briskets following his instructions.

My first attempt was edible, which is about all I can say. It wasn’t that great at all. I figured out that I cooked it about an hour longer than I should have before wrapping it. The bark had formed about as well as it was going to. It was hard to judge, because the pepper I used was too course. The book calls for 16 MEH pepper. I had no idea what that was. I also used hickory to cook this first one. One day at Costco I found a pepper that was slightly less course, but not fine. I’m pretty sure its 16. I used that pepper in my rub (salt/pepper) on my second brisket. I also used oak like he mentions for smoking briskets. Following his instructions, my second brisket was PERFECT. I was very impressed that I could cook something that great. My wife loved it as well. I only cooked it for me and her, as I wanted to get this somewhat perfected before inviting family and friends. Dinner and leftovers for a week were amazing. My third and most recent brisket I cooked for New Years. I did all of the same stuff, invited family and friends over, and all but 5 pieces of the brisket was left. My meat selection was just “select.” I didn’t want to spend too much money in case I messed it up. My next brisket will definitely be a prime grade.

I definitely rate this book 5 stars, because without it I would not be anywhere near where I am today in cooking briskets. As for making dry rubs for your brisket, there are plenty other books on the market to help you accomplish that. This is definitely a book worth buying if you are starting out like I am.

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Stephen Bang

My favorite book on smoking meat

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2015

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Franklin Barbecue by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you want a barbecue cookbook that has lots of unique, creative recipes, this is not your book. This book is for people who enjoy smoking and eating meat and who enjoy reading about the experiences of someone who learned how to smoke meat and soon opened an extremely popular restaurant. There are four barbecue recipes, and they don’t start until page 147. The recipes are for brisket, pork spare ribs, beef (plate) short ribs, and turkey breast. At page 174, he’s on to other topics. There are also recipes for four sauces and three sides. He winds up with recommendations for beer to drink with your barbecue.
Chapter One is Aaron’s life story – how he learned how to build and adapt things, including barbecue smokers, how he bought used equipment and started his restaurant on a shoestring budget. And he reviews some of the great BBQ restaurants in Central Texas.
Chapter Two gives a brief description of several types of smokers – the original pits, the offset smokers, and the upright drum smoker. He does not mention the Weber Smokey Mountain or any similar vertical types that have a fire chamber in the bottom, a water pan above that, and food grates above that. I suppose I could consider these to be variations of the upright drum smoker. All of Aaron’s smokers are offset. He started on a very cheap, flimsy New Braunfels Hondo. After that all of his smokers were offsets homemade from 500 gallon or 1000 gallon propane tanks. He briefly mentions the Big Green Egg and similar kamado style cookers. Not surprisingly, his cookers have names – Number One, Number Two, Muchacho, Rusty Shackleford, MC5, Nikki Six, and Bethesda. Then he tells quite a bit about how to build your own offset smoker – how to procure a used 1000 gallon propane tank, add doors, grates, legs, chimney, and fire chamber, including the necessary welding and cutting equipment. Not many readers of this book are going to take this on, I’ll bet. The most useful information here is his recommendation for a thermometer – the Tel-Tru Barbecue Thermometer BQ300. (p 62)
Chapter Three is Wood. All of Aaron’s smokers are made to burn wood, not charcoal. He likes all kinds of hardwoods but mostly uses post oak, because he likes it and it is plentiful around Austin. He started out shopping for wood in Craig’s List, and found that a lot of sellers were dishonest. They would stack wood in such a way to make to look like a cord when it was much less. Then he found a seller who was honest and dependable and stayed with him. There is a glut of oak available in central Texas because the drought is causing trees to die. It is best to cut down a live tree, cut and slit it into smaller pieces, and let it dry for 6-12 months, until it is about 20% water. But sometimes you go with trees that died from drought. Mesquite is pretty strong. Hickory is strong, but not as strong as mesquite. Fruit tree wood is milder. Wood should be dried for a few months, or it will be too green, it will have too much water in it, and won’t burn well. Green wood is heavier and you can feel that it is heavier.
Chapter Four is Fire + Smoke – how to start the fire and keep it going with good smoke. Aaron lights a few charcoal briquettes in a chimney starter, puts them in the fire chamber, and puts some wood on top of them, and they light. He only uses wood for cooking. You don’t get smoke from charcoal, gas, or electricity. You need wood for smoke. Most other books say to use charcoal plus a few chunks of wood to get the smoke. I do that with my Weber Smokey Mountain and I think it works fine. Smoke contains solids, liquids, and gases. The gases are invisible, but they do the most to penetrate into the meat and give it flavor.
Chapter Five is Meat. Aaron always gets Angus, grade prime, which is ethically raised, with no growth hormones or antibiotics, not frozen and never been frozen. Freezing breaks down fibers and makes the meat floppy and mushy. The lesser grades, in order, are choice and select, and they have less marbling fat. Aaron keeps his briskets 14 to 21 days after the packing date before he cooks them. Dry aging means hanging it or putting it on a rack to dry. Wet aging is done in a vacuum-sealed package. You don’t want dry aged for barbecue. Aaron doesn’t want a lot of rock-hard fat on the outside of the brisket – it is a sign of growth hormones and antibiotics. Yellowish, not white, fat indicates grass-fed beef. There are three cuts of beef ribs: chuck, rib, and plate. Ribs 1-5 are chuck, 6-12 are rib. He says “We go for the plate ribs 6, 7, 8 – right in the middle of the rib cage, which have the longest, widest, meatiest bones, like brontosaurus ribs.” Aaron really doesn’t like pork ribs that have been “enhanced” – injected with water and salt. He likes pork from a hybrid heritage breed – a mix of Chester White and Duroc.
Six is the cook. This pretty much puts it together and gives specific instructions for pork ribs, beef ribs, brisket, and turkey breast. He likes to cook at 275 degrees, hotter than some pitmasters that use 225 degrees. He uses a lot of rub – mostly just pepper (16 mesh) and Morton kosher salt at a 1:1 or 2:1 ratio. He doesn’t like fresh ground pepper. He wants it ground a few days or a few weeks before using, because he doesn’t want the flavor to be strong, but he wants to use a lot of pepper because it helps the smoke to stick to the meat. Before applying rub, you can optionally apply slather – mustard, water, oil, or vinegar. He uses an offset smoker, but always uses a water pan to add humidity. He explains the smoke ring on brisket. He gets slightly technical here, but don’t worry, he is always clear.
Chapter 7 is Serving + Eating, and mostly from the restaurant point of view, but helpful when you are serving friends and family.
I have read several books on barbecue and smoking, mostly borrowed from the library, and this is far and away my favorite. I liked it so much I bought it after reading a library e-book. It seems odd that I like it so much, since Aaron exclusively uses offset smokers fired with wood, and I use a Weber fired with charcoal, but so much of the information here is going to be useful with any equipment. Another thing that adds to the enjoyment of the book is that you can google Aaron Franklin and find lots of barbecue information on the web, and you can find his TV show on Public Broadcasting – so after a while you feel like you know him personally.

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N. P.

Mouthwatering Recipes & Expert Tips

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024

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As big fans of Franklin's barbecue, my family and I were thrilled to get our hands on Franklin's Barbecue cookbook. The hardcover is gorgeous, filled with beautiful visuals that help capture the essence of Franklin's barbecue. From the moment we flipped thru the pages, we could almost smell the savory aroma.

While we haven't had the chance to try any of his specific tips or receipts we're eagerly anticipating firing up the grill and diving into Aaron Franklin's expertly crafted dishes. With detailed instructions and insider tips, this BBQ manifesto promises to elevate our grilling game to new heights.

In summary, Franklin's Barbecue cookbook is a journey into the heart and soul of Texas barbecue culture. Whether you're a seasoned pit master or a novice griller, this cookbook is a must-have addition to your kitchen. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates the art of barbecue!

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La Reina de la Brasa

Un libro indispensable

Reviewed in Mexico on January 5, 2023

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Amantes de la parrilla y el ahumado lo deben tener. No solo es un libro con bonitas fotos. Tiene un gran diseño editorial y la información es extraordinaria. Detalla paso a paso las preparaciones.

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Bruna Mariano

un regalo perfecto para amantes de la parrilla

Reviewed in Spain on December 22, 2022

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Este libro es una compra excelente. Lo compré como regalo para mi novio, que es muy aficionado a hacer churrasco, y le encantó. Me dijo que el libro tiene muchas recetas interesantes y técnicas útiles para hacer churrasco de manera perfecta. Además, el diseño es atractivo y el libro está bien hecho. Sin duda, recomendaría este libro como regalo a cualquiera que le guste hacer churrasco y quiera aprender más sobre la técnica.

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Mikael Persson

Jag fick aldrig boken!

Reviewed in Sweden on October 16, 2022

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Paketen var öppnad och boken saknades!

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Amazon Customer

Best Smoking Book ever!!!!

Reviewed in Brazil on February 15, 2019

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If you want to buy the best Smoking BBQ booking ever, with lots of tricks and knowledge, not only receipts....
This is the one! Congratulations Frank, nice book, nice job!
I defenetly recomend this one!

o Melhor livro de Smoking BBQ que ja vi ate hoje. Super bem explicado, e um dos pouco com poucas receitas e muito conteudo.
Recomendo Muito!!!

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Umberto Lumber

Semplicemente entusiasmante

Reviewed in Italy on June 12, 2020

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Finalmente un vero libro sulla cucina e non un ricettario spacciato per tale: una lettura che consiglio caldamente ad ogni appassionato o anche solo curioso di barbecue: l'entusiasmo, la passione e la trasparenza con cui l'autore parla della materia risuoneranno in tantissimi di voi dandovi la fiducia per provarci anche voi a cuocere quelle costine dei vostri sogni al prossimo raduno con gli amici.
Poche e selezionatissime ricette (basta una googolata di 2 minuti per trovare tutte le altre), una tonnellata di informazioni apparentemente secondarie che vi permetteranno di ampliare la vostra consapevolezza sul tema in poche pagine.
Un vero manifesto.

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