A LaGrange-style Brisket for all

You may recall a column from a year or two ago on a Red Oak lady, long since deceased, who in her youth (about 1910-15) worked in a bordello in LaGrange, Texas.  She was a wholesome Montgomery County girl, so we assume her job was restricted to playing the piano.  Regardless, a movie about her former place of employment, starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, was later made and the best little you-know-what became famous.   

A granddaughter of the piano player asked if I ever went through LaGrange.  I did—twice a year.  Would I check the local library and old city directories for any record of her grandmother?   

The search for grandma didn’t pay off, but we found the Prause Meat Market and the best little brisket anywhere.  If you’re ever in the area, try it.  We’ve made it a custom to have a sandwich and a couple of pounds to go.

In this part of the country slow cooked, smoked brisket is a tradition, and if you aren’t a native you don’t know a thing about it.  

Except how to pay the tab.  They will sell to Iowans.

I have a friend, an Iowa native, who moved to Texas a few years ago to become head cook at a long-established barbeque joint.  

The smoker, recipes for brisket and side dishes, all date to the 1930s.  He does his work exactly as his predecessors.  Even so, the owner insists he stay in the kitchen lest his Midwest accent be revealed.  

I told him about the meat market in LaGrange.  By virtue of doing as many as 20 briskets a day, plus a good deal of sampling, he considers himself an expert.  Prause’s, he agreed, is good—but no better than his.  The old-time places, he maintains, all do it pretty much the same.  

Fire the smoker to 220 degrees, put in the brisket, and hold that temperature for 18 hours.  The differences are in subtleties.  Some use oak, some mesquite, some a combination.  

Some like a slightly higher temperature and a bit shorter cooking time.  Some use a rub, others do not.    

Popular though brisket is, my smoking friend claims the traditional, family-owned places are fading fast.  

Real estate prices have forced small operations out of urban areas.  In their listing of best restaurants, Dallas now has more sushi than barbeque.  

Therefore, the expert advises, those liking brisket would do well to learn how.  

This is easy enough for anyone having a smoker in which the temperature can be strictly controlled for 18 hours.  But he has another way and the results, we agree, have everything but the atmosphere.    

Buy a brisket. If you get an untrimmed one pare off the excess fat. Use a dry rub if you prefer.  Smoke, keeping the temperature low. You’re not cooking at this stage you’re smoking.  Smoke for six or seven hours with hardwood.  Oak is good, or hickory, or apple.  

After smoking the cooking can begin immediately, or the brisket can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for a day or two. About 18 hours before serving put the cold-smoked brisket in an electric roaster.  

A rack is good if you have one; if not use a turkey baster to remove excess fat during cooking.  Cook at 225 degrees.  Test after14 hours and periodically thereafter until you achieve desired tenderness.  Wrap in foil and hold at 110 degrees till serving.    

A word of caution; temperature is critical. Roaster oven settings, as well as thermometers on smokers, are notoriously unreliable.  Double-check using a thermometer you know is accurate.    

Roy Marshall is a local historian and columnist for the Red Oak Express. He can be contacted at news@redoakexpress.com.