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In This Case, Yes, Don't Mess with Texas.

The game day meat you need

By Gary BunkerPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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How do I put this delicately? Texans can be kind of annoying. I mean, the whole "Everything's bigger in Texas" schtick, right?

Wrong!

First of all, if everything is indeed bigger in Texas why isn't it even the biggest state?! In case you're wondering, that honor belongs to Alaska, and it's not even close. And what about "Don't Mess with Texas!"? What's the deal with that? I remember Freshman year of college asking people where they were from as a way to learn a bit more about them. Attending a private religious institution meant meeting people from all over the country and even from other countries. But the Texans, you didn't have to ask them where they were from, all you had to do was catch a glimpse of their dorm room window. Every single one of them had a Texas flag on display as some sort of badge of honor. I hailed from Denver, Colorado, a perfectly great city in a perfectly great state. In an effort to mock what I regarded as an over-the-top and completely unfounded amount of state pride I figured if they could fly a flag, so could I. So I did. It looks like this:

In case you were wondering.

I don't even need to post the Texas flag. Chances are if you've met a Texan you already know what that looks like.

But this story isn't supposed to be about my disdain for Texas pride, it's supposed to be about game day food. And I promise that it is, I'm getting there.

Despite my feelings about Texas pride, I did manage once to visit Dallas, in the belly of the beast. If you ever make the trip, the JFK museum there is worth a stop. But my major discovery on that trip was this: there is one thing Texas does better than anyone and I can't even argue. That thing is brisket.

Perfectly Smoked

A good Texas brisket is really the best thing you can do with a smoker and is by far my number one game day treat. If your tailgate doesn't include this work of art is it really a tailgate? I'd say no. Not only is brisket the meat of the gods. One could argue it is a metaphor for the football season, the culmination of which we watch on Super Bowl Sunday.

For starters, it takes time. Lots and lots of time. Did the teams playing for the championship just show up to play once the games started? No, they put in a lot of time during the pre-season to prepare themselves for when things started to matter. Nobody sees those hours. But they are vital to any team's success. Much as with smoking a brisket. Before the party and all the praise for your perfectly smoked meat masterpiece, you likely are preparing the night before. You can't just wake up on game day and say, "brisket sounds good". No, it is a dish that demands your commitment, much as any pre-season training regimen. Long before the crowds show up to chow down, you have to get that meat into the smoke and let that smoke do it's thing. Put in that time and you'll be ready for game day.

Next, brisket is simple. Sure, you can add a rub, maybe a little salt and pepper. But the truth is that only two ingredients are necessary. A good piece of meat, and smoke. We can go on and on about blocking schemes, zone vs. man coverage, gadget plays, and anything else the football talking heads wish. But when it comes down to it, football is also pretty simple. Have the most talented players and have a team that has the strongest desire to succeed. If you have those, you win. If your tailgate has brisket, you win.

Finally, the sweet taste of victory. For players on Super Bowl Sunday, nothing can compare to hoisting the Lombardi trophy, the moment of sheer joy when all the effort and all the sacrifices throughout the season have been worth it. It may have been a year or several since you received any sort of award for your athletic prowess. But Super Bowl Sunday can still have that moment of pure bliss even if you aren't the one quite literally winning the Super Bowl. The best moment of the day comes when you finally get to dig into that succulent, smoky deliciousness that is a smoked Texas brisket. In that moment, everyone wins, no matter the score of the game.

I'd mess with Texas any day, but brisket is perfection, and I can't mess with that.

cuisine
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About the Creator

Gary Bunker

Just a fun-loving globe trotter with a bunch of jumbled thoughts that become clear when I put pen to paper.

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