Met a pitmaster in Lockhart who told me to stop using sauce as a crutch

He grabbed my brisket, took one bite, and said 'if you need sauce, you cooked it wrong', then walked off without another word, has anyone else had a pitmaster call them out like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

jenkins.reese1d ago

Wait, did you ever even get a chance to ask him why he thought that? Because I've always heard the opposite advice from old school guys, that a good sauce is part of the craft, not a cover up. It feels like that pitmaster was stuck in his own little bubble and forgot that taste is personal, you know? Some people genuinely like a wet brisket, and that's fine. His rule might work for his own style, but calling someone out in public like that is just rude, not helpful. Honestly, I'd rather eat a sauced brisket from a friendly guy than a dry one from a snob any day.

lucasw8220h ago

I actually looked into the history of Texas barbecue a while back and found out that pre-1950s, pretty much every joint in Lockhart served sauce on the side as standard. It was only later that the whole "no sauce" thing became a badge of honor for places like Kreuz and Blacks. So that pitmaster was following a tradition that's maybe 70 years old, but acting like it's been the rule forever. Funny thing is, I've read old menus from the 1920s where they literally advertised their sauce recipe as a main selling point. Seems like both sides have valid roots in Texas history.