Revolutionary BBQ
There is a quiet revolution taking place in the world of BBQ. It started in Texas and appears to be spreading to other parts of the South. To understand the nature of the upheaval, let’s first provide a bit of background….
BBQ began in the deep south with the simple concept of preparing good food with affordable but difficult-to-cook cuts of meat (usually, pork butts). This is achieved through a long cooking process at low temperatures in wood-heated ovens. This “low-and-slow” cooking process, along with the smoke flavor from the wood, can transform fatty, tough proteins into some pretty darn good eating. All that is needed is a delicious sauce and some tasty sides. Pretty soon, every town south of the Mason-Dixon had at least one BBQ joint to brag about. And because they start with cuts of meat that are less desirable and hence more affordable, lots of folks in the community could afford to eat there.
And this gets to one of the best parts of BBQ: in addition to being “good eats”, it brings people from all walks of life together. Go to these places in Chattanooga or Jackson, MS or Columbia, SC, and look around, and ask yourself, is there any other type of eatery that attracts this type of racial and economic diversity? No. BBQ is unique in its appeal to all walks of life.
So far, so good. But now something is changing. If you go to some of the most popular BBQ places in Texas, especially in the Austin area, a new style of BBQ is emerging. No longer content to offer good food at a good price, these pitmasters aim higher. Much higher. For example, Franklin BBQ in Austin, Texas. A great place, owned and run by one of the best pitmasters in the world, Aaron Franklin. If you go, expect to wait three hours in line before being served. But when the wait is over and you are finally served, you will be eating some of the best brisket on God’s green earth. Aaron Franklin has perfected the art of preparing and cooking brisket and taken it to a whole new level. He, and others like him in the Texas BBQ community, are no longer content with making good eats out of cheap meats. Instead, they want to serve you the best meal of your life. If that sounds audacious and arrogant, so be it. But having eaten at Franklin’s and other Texas BBQ joints, I am here to tell you that they might be on to something. It is good. And not a guilty-pleasure, bag-of-Doritos kind of good. My meal at Franklin may have been one of the best meals I have ever eaten. Anywhere.
Are there some shortcomings? Sure. The wait seems unnecessary (hire another cashier please!) but I think that is part of the marketing strategy (long waits make for good internet copy). And the sauces and sides are not always great. But I think that misses the point. Something is happening here. Just as Starbucks absolutely revolutionized the way we drink coffee in this county (think of all the different coffee houses and the different coffee drinks that exist now that were nowhere to be found in the pre-Starbucks world), these pitmasters are trying to change the world of BBQ. These folks believe in cooking real food with real ingredients. They want to knock the socks off their customers with their food (and their service). And for the record, I love it! I love the food, I love the ambition….heck, I have a major man-crush on Aaron Franklin and recommend his YouTube videos to anyone and everyone. And yet….
I fear we are losing something here. I recently returned from a road trip to South Carolina where I ate at Lewis BBQ. John Lewis worked with Aaron Franklin in Austin and completely buys into this “new Texas” style of BBQ. And the meal was absolutely fantastic. I mean, really, really good. But when I looked around, I noticed that this didn’t really look like the big, wide, wonderful swath of humanity that I am accustomed to seeing at a BBQ place. To be blunt, it was almost completely white and appeared to be pretty well-heeled. Which kind of makes sense. These places tend to be more expensive (in large parts because everything is ordered a-la-carte), and as a result t is difficult to eat a full meal there for less than $20. But equally important, not everyone has the luxury of being able to wait in line for one, two or three hours.
In other words, there may be some unintended consequences to this BBQ revolution. Yes, the food is unbelievable. And the service at these places is great as well. But I fear when all is said and done, when we have waited in line and been served our food, and we take a moment to scan the community of patrons with whom we are sharing a meal, it looks like just another upscale eatery in America. Not the worst outcome in the world, but something has been lost.
So where does Satchel’s stand? No question about it: we absolutely buy into many of the tenets of this new revolution. We aspire to cook brisket the way it is being done in Austin and other parts of Texas. And we believe in using real ingredients to cook real food from scratch (no canned baked beans or jugs of store-bought BBQ sauce). But we don’t aspire to make anyone wait three hours (!) for their food. And we want to offer a menu for the working people in our community who are hoping to spend around $10 for a meal. In other words, we seek a middle ground between the old and new guard of BBQ. Wish us luck.
