Meat + Poultry - June 2017 - 8

C O M M E N TA R Y

Catching fire
As a fortunate attendee of this year's
Camp Brisket at Texas A&M Univ.
(see "Pursuing Pitmaster Status," Page
24) it was enlightening and inspiring
to rub shoulders (no pun intended)
with some of the most accomplished
barbecue cooks and operators of
some of the most iconic restaurants
in Texas and beyond the borders of
the Lone Star State. While the event
was held during a chilly weekend
in January, I hoped the experience
would provide interesting and useful
information and resources for one
of my favorite issues of the spring:
MEAT+POULTRY's Annual Barbecue
Report. My hopes were more than
fulfilled and included a brush with
barbecue greatness when I got to
meet one of my idols: Aaron Franklin,
one of the featured pitmasters at the
event who shared his experiences and
advice openly with attendees.
Franklin got his foodservice
career started in Austin, Texas and
made his food business debut by
opening a food truck in an obscure
location surrounded by a chain link
fence, kicking off his meteoric rise
to barbecue fame. The founder of
Franklin Barbecue, which has evolved
to a unique, yet more traditional

sit-down restaurant where customers
routinely wait in lines around the block
hours before it opens for business and
closes by about 2:30 when they sell out
of food.
Franklin is one of many A-listers
in the barbecue world quoted in
M+P's Barbecue Report. This year's
report also includes input from other
barbecue icons including Tuffy Stone,
Chris Lilly and Jess Pryles. The
report spotlights some of the success
stories of these and other people who,
through the smoke and fire, heard
opportunity knocking and have made
enviable careers from what started out
as hobbies.
Most of these experts have gone on
to become regulars on one of the many
competition-based cooking shows
dedicated to barbecue and broadcast
on TV while others have become
restaurateurs, cookbook authors and
some have created successful branded
products including rubs, sauces
and even smokers and instructional
cooking classes.
Dedicating the June issue to this
segment of the food industry began
about five years ago when barbecue
had already evolved to much more than
a niche and it was a timely opportunity
for M+P to highlight it just after the
Memorial Day holiday.
As many of the sources quoted in
this issue will attest, the appetite for
barbecue information and resources

is hearty among consumers and the
growing number of people manning
pits, whether in their back yards or
as part of a business venture. Being a
part of a competitive barbecue team
for the better part of 18 years, I can
attest to the hard work, time, expense
and commitment required to create
low-and-slow cooked meats. I can only
fathom what it takes to make a career
of it and I have the utmost respect
for people like these who risk it all to
compete in this space.
Realizing the opportunity in this
segment, Smithfield Foods is leading
the pack among meat processors
in capitalizing on the potential. The
company has partnered with many
pitmasters and is sponsoring events
all over the country to promote the
barbecue culture at the competitive
level while promoting its retail
products designed to appeal to current
and aspiring pitmasters.
Spotlighting the expertise of
barbecue celebrities like Chris Lilly
(who won top honors at the coveted
Memphis in May cook-off this past
month) at events where promoting
grilling and slow-cooking of Smithfield
pork is the focus (see "Lessons
Learned," Page 54) could be the secret
sauce for even more partnerships
promoting a segment that continues
to be a red-hot sensation for many
grilling seasons to come.
J O E L C R E WS, E D I TO R | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d .c o m

This year's barbecue report includes input from
barbecue icons including Aaron Franklin, Tuffy
Stone, Chris Lilly and Jess Pryles.

8

MEAT+ POULTRY | 06.17 | www.meatpoultry.com
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Meat + Poultry - June 2017

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