Smoked a brisket at Franklin's in Austin and it changed my mind about competition vs backyard cooking

I drove down to Austin last month and sat through the line at Franklin BBQ. Tried their brisket and it was crazy good, but it got me thinking. Are competition judges looking for something totally different than what regular people want to eat? I feel like backyard cooks focus on taste and texture, but the comp guys are chasing a specific look or bark that might not even be the best eating experience. Which one matters more when you're putting food on the table for friends and family?

3 comments

3 Comments

singh.harper11d ago

Man Barbara Jenkins hit it right on the head with that bite through bark stuff. I used to obsess over getting a perfect crust for comps, but when I threw a backyard party I left the brisket on a little too long and the fat didn't render right. My buddies still loved it but I knew it was missing the mark. These days I just focus on getting a good seasoning and cooking it till it feels right in the probe, not till it matches some photo. @barbara_jenkins66 is spot on about both styles making great food, you just have to know what you are aiming for.

the_claire11d ago

You said "at the end of the day, a dry or salty brisket doesn't win no matter how pretty it looks" and that really hit home for me. I remember one time my neighbor brought over a competition brisket he'd been working on for months, all wrapped up in butcher paper with a fancy rub recipe he got from some championship team. We cut into it and it had this beautiful dark bark like a piece of artwork, but the meat itself was so salty you couldn't eat more than a few bites without reaching for water. Meanwhile I had a cheap grocery store brisket I just threw on with salt and pepper and let it cook till it felt right in the probe, and folks were fighting over the last piece. I think sometimes we get so caught up in the details that we forget the main event is the eating part. Your family doesn't care if the bark snaps like glass, they just want something that melts in their mouth.

barbara_jenkins6611d ago

I gotta push back on that "competition guys are chasing a specific look or bark" thing. I've judged a few comps and watched a ton more, and honestly the top teams are all about taste and texture too. The judges are looking for that perfect bite - juicy, tender, with a good seasoning balance. That glossy bark people complain about? It's actually just proper rendering and good technique, same stuff your backyard friends love. The difference is comp cooks have to make something that stands out after 20 other samples, so they push harder on certain things like moisture retention and bite-through bark. But at the end of the day, a dry or salty brisket doesn't win no matter how pretty it looks. I've had some of the best backyard briskets that wouldn't medal at a comp because they were a little too fatty or the bark was soft, but my family would still crush it. Both styles can make great food for your table, you just have to figure out what you're aiming for.