Jamin Bradley

I left my in-law’s house at 6:20am to catch a train into Austin, TX, so I could stand in line for three hours to get Franklin Barbecue. Restaurants like this are typically only open until they sell out, so managing to be 13th in line isn’t a bad deal.

I’ve been smoking meats for family, friends, and events for a number of years now, and I owe a lot to Aaron Franklin for teaching me how through his videos and books. I still remember the moment I latched onto him: He was about to throw a roast on the smoker and he needed to address the famous question of “fat cap up or down?” I’ve watched many barbecue enthusiasts destroy each other online over this question, but Aaron didn’t make a big deal of it. In fact, he seemed to feel the answer fluctuated depending on where the heat in your grill was coming from.

I then bought his cookbook just to find that it wasn’t much of a cookbook at all. Or at least I didn’t feel like it was at the time. There was no secret ingredient to be found as pretty much every recipe called for kosher salt, thick black pepper, and some occasional sprays of apple cider vinegar. The book was mostly about what good wood, good smoke, and good meat should look like, as well as the signs to look for during the cook: What color is the meat? How does it jiggle when touched? Other than that, it had a few techniques to try in order to prevent the meat from drying out along the way. All of this information was changing my cooking, but it took me awhile to notice.

My brother-in-law flew into Jackson, MI with an entire brisket from Franklin’s once and it was the best smoked meat I had ever eaten. As someone who doesn’t get out much, I’m excited to have visited in person today, tried a little bit of everything, and I loved every bite. And when I was all done, I got a chance to meet Aaron Franklin, had him sign my bottle of barbecue sauce, and took a tour of their smokehouse! So worth it.