Fire and flavor in the Lone Star State

This site started in 2007 as a record of what came off a backyard pit in Texas. It went quiet for a while. The old pages are back where they were, and there's new writing on rubs.

The old pages

• Brisket

  The long one. Trimming, fire management, and what the bark should look like.

• Pork Butt

  Bark, the stall, and pulling it at the right temperature rather than the right time.

• Pork Loin

  A lean cut that punishes you for overcooking it. Includes the stuffed version.

• Chicken

  Harder than brisket to get right, whatever anyone tells you.

• Burgers

  The patty ground entirely from bacon, and the reason anyone found this site.

• Deep Fried

  What happens when the bacon burger meets a pot of hot oil.

• Sauces

  Thin, vinegary, and built to go alongside the meat rather than on it.

Rubs

• Burger and Skillet Rub

  A low-sugar rub built for direct heat — burgers, steaks and anything going into a cast iron skillet. Coarse salt and pepper, coriander, and a little Ceylon cinnamon. Makes about half a cup.

• Ceylon vs Cassia in a BBQ Rub

  The two things sold as cinnamon behave differently in a barbecue rub. What the difference is, how to tell them apart in the jar, and when it actually matters.

• Cinnamon-Coffee Brisket Rub

  A coarse Central Texas brisket rub built on 16-mesh pepper and salt, with dark roast coffee and a small amount of Ceylon cinnamon for depth. Makes about one cup.

• Sweet Heat Pork Rub

  A brown sugar and paprika rub for pork butt, ribs and shoulder, with chipotle for heat and Ceylon cinnamon and allspice behind it. Makes about one and a quarter cups.