Blowing Smoke
Texas beef experts host Austin 'smoke lab' to teach barbecue greatness
A photo from Beef Loving Texans' recipe for a simple smoked brisket.
As leisurely as a day of barbecuing may seem, smoking a brisket is intimidating stuff. For aspiring pitmasters who prefer to turn to the masters, there's the Ultimate Beef Loving Texans Smoke Lab on August 24, a class that will distill wisdom from the Austin-based Texas Beef Council and its recipe website Beef Loving Texans.
The four-hour experience led by grill master and pitmaster Jerry McPherson is open to both professionals and amateurs, and will include hands-on practice. McPherson's expertise is partially on the smoker, but he also uses his experience on the agricultural side to put it all in context.
Starting with a history lesson, McPherson will discuss the history of barbecue in Texas. Then the class moves onto procurement: how to pick between cuts and understand quality grades, plus "insider tips" according to a press release about what to look for at the butcher shop.
The meat of the class — pun intended — is the skill-building for smoking a brisket from start to finish. Some of McPherson's tips from online videos include how to estimate the heat of a grill with your hand and how to lay out charcoal in the perfect arrangement to grill a steak, so expect practical and detail-oriented advice.
Finally, attendees will be able to taste some barbecue, paired with alcoholic beverages.
McPherson may not have the same name recognition as many restaurant-owning Austin pitmasters, but testimonials from other well-respected barbecuers bolster his claims to expertise. One piece of praise comes from Austin-based cooking show host and cookbook author Jess Pryles, known for the book Hardcore Carnivore: “There’s a lot of ‘experts’ hosting classes out there, but Jerry is the real deal, with decades of experience under his belt," she said for the website.
This event will be held at the Texas Beef Council, located at 8708 Ranch Road 620 N. Tickets ($150) are available via Eventbrite. The class runs from noon to 4 pm.
Creative drinks at the 2023 festival included these Pineapple Upside Down cups (pineapple juice, club soda, grenadine, and Mexico Finca Muxbal Espresso) and BBGShooters (Minor Figures Oat Milk, cinnamon, honey, and steamed cold brew) by Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co.Photo by Robert Cantu
Whimsically colored coffee cups make a nice gift for a friend who couldn't make it.Photo by OlgaMedia Productions 