Stopped by a new smokehouse in Austin and saw something wild

They had a custom offset smoker built from an old propane tank, and the pitmaster was using pecan wood he cut himself. The brisket was good, but the real show was how he managed the fire with just a shovel and a spray bottle. Anyone else seen a setup like that, or is it just a Texas thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

richardfox5d ago

Man, that's the real deal right there. Takes me back to my uncle's place out near Lockhart. He ran his whole operation off a rig he welded up from a diesel drum, just him and a pair of heavy gloves. There's something special about that kind of cooking, where the pitmaster is so tied to the fire. You don't see that level of hands-on control much anymore, with all the fancy temp controllers. It's a dying art, honestly.

verab284d ago

Yeah, that "dying art" thing hits home. My buddy tried to learn from an old timer who just used touch and smell, but he said you can't really teach that feel, it's just in your bones.