That one pitmaster in Lockhart who told me to stop using sauce as a crutch

I was at Smitty's Market last fall, and this old guy working the pit saw me drenching my brisket in sauce. He just shook his head and said 'you're covering up bad cookin', son' - has anyone else had a random stranger change how they approach a whole cook?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomasgonzalez14d ago

Read somewhere that Franklin's folks don't sauce their brisket either because the meat should stand on its own. That old pitmaster was right, you really just need better technique not a bottle of sweet stuff.

abby_morgan1814d ago

Sauce is the great equalizer, it can hide a lot of mistakes in a cook and most people don't have the time to dial in a perfect brisket. A good tangy sauce cuts through the fat and brings its own layer of flavor, it's not about fixing bad meat it's about adding another thing to enjoy. Some of the best spots in Texas serve their brisket with a side of sauce because they know people like options. Purists are missing the point, barbecue is supposed to be messy and sloppy and a little bit sweet is part of that.

violag8013d ago

Quit acting like sauce is some kind of culinary cheat code.