BBQ schmo to BBQ pro

Fette Sau

Like most city folk, Joe didn’t grow up among the old-school pitmasters of the American South and West. Instead he learned by trial and error, buying a $30 home smoker and testing different woods, cuts of meat and methods.

With no allegiance to any specific region, he perfected his method of New York barbecue, focusing primarily on what he calls the “trinity of barbecue cuts: ribs, brisket, and shoulder.” Fatter cuts with a lot of intermuscular fat and connective tissue work best at these long-cooking times at a low temp. The fat and tissue slowly break down to give that fall-off-the-bone tenderness that’s ambrosia to barbecue addicts.