A Dallas professor is working to combine barbecue and science.
Jeremiah Gassensmith, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, has some tips on how to smoke and grill the perfect brisket using the science of chemistry.
While barbecue has long been a staple of cuisine in the Lone Star State, there is just something special about the smoked beef brisket.
John Bates, owner and pitmaster at Austin’s Interstellar BBQ, says that brisket is one of the reasons Texas barbecue is often considered the best in the nation, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Gassensmith earned a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Notre Dame in 2009 and teaches chemistry and biochemistry at UTD. The professor typically works his magic — or, rather, his science — on 10- to 15-pound cuts of prime brisket.
In a June demonstration to students, he smoked a brisket for eight hours and transferred it to an oven for two more hours before wrapping the meat in a Texas Crutch for it to reach a temperature of 200 degrees.
During an honors class called “The Science & History of BBQ” Gassensmith taught last semester, he explained to students that cooking brisket is tricky due to it coming from some of the most heavily used muscles on the cow.
“Hardworking muscles tend to have a lot of collagen, which is important for holding muscles together while in use so they do not tear easily,” said Gassensmith, according to UT Dallas Magazine. “Collagen is also what makes meat tough if it isn’t cooked right.”
Forming the right texture with this meat is a delicate operation requiring a lot of attention.
Gassensmith advised his UTD students that the application of too little heat during cooking will not melt these collagens, resulting in chewy meat, while too much heat will strain them, pushing out moisture and making the meat dry.
He noted that it is important to understand not only the temperature required to make the perfect brisket but also the science behind the interactions between smoke, water, proteins, and oil.
Overall, he described the process as a “complicated circus of chemicals.”
“There is also the fat in the meat and myriad other factors that go into turning brisket into something amazing,” said Gassensmith. “The simplicity of brisket, being just a few ingredients, often fails to capture how complicated the resulting flavors are once it’s cooked. That is not science; that is art.”
To achieve a properly cooked brisket, Gassensmith recommended cooking the meat at temperatures between 160 to 180 degrees to allow the meat to cook but maintain moisture.
During the cooking process, the professor recommended spritzing the meat with water instead of oil.
This is because water interacts more favorably with roasted wood particles, creating a smoky flavor while aiding in the creation of a flavorful crust.
Gassensmith also advised against allowing the meat to rest afterward, as it does not aid in the reabsorption of moisture.