Franklin Steak: Dry-Aged. Live-Fired. Pure Beef
The be-all, end-all guide to cooking the perfect steak–from buying top-notch beef, seasoning to perfection, and finding or building the ideal cooking vessel–from the team behind the acclaimed and bestselling book Franklin Barbecue.
Aaron Franklin may be the reigning king of brisket, but in his off-time, what he really loves to cook and eat at home is steak. So, in this follow-up to his New York Times bestselling book Franklin Barbecue, the pitmaster extraordinaire teaches readers how to cook his favorite food to absolute perfection. With their trademark rigor and expertise, Franklin and coauthor Jordan Mackay go deeper into the art and science of cooking steak than anyone has gone before. They demystify cattle breeds, explore the technique of dry-aging, explore globally-inspired techniques like the reverse sear and hibachi-style cooking, and even teach readers how to build a custom, backyard grill setup. For any meat-lover, backyard grill-master, or fan of Franklin’s fun yet authoritative approach, this book is a must-have.
Review
“Much in the same way that a barbecue spot isn’t exactly a restaurant, and a pitmaster isn’t exactly a chef, Franklin Barbecue isn’t exactly a cookbook. There are only eleven recipes: the brisket, of course, plus instructions for making pork ribs, beef ribs, a turkey breast, four sauces, beans, potato salad, and a remarkably good coleslaw. That’s okay, though. Much like a book of Ono explaining nigiri, or Starita explaining a margherita pie, Franklin’s recipes are meaningless without the man behind them. And so the bulk of his book is devoted to him explaining himself, in the good way: it’s a book that unpacks his obsessions, his thought processes, his extraordinary focus on detail and technique.”
— Eater (Cookbook of the Year)
“Aaron Franklin makes the finest barbecue I’ve ever had, barbecue worth waiting for. His work and his words express a truly rare level of commitment and expertise. With Franklin Barbecue, he shares it all–in a book that, fortunately, you don’t have to wait for.”
— Anthony Bourdain
“I used to think Aaron Franklin was a genius: There was his rise from backyard dabbler to king of Texas pitmasters; his mind-altering brisket that made normally rational people (myself included) wait hours for the chance to eat it; and his insistence that game-changing barbecue doesn’t come from miracles but rather elbow grease. Then he wrote this book and gave all his secrets away. Now everyone–from me to you to your neighbor who can’t grill a chicken breast–will be able to make award-winning barbecue. He’s not a genius anymore; he’s a god.”
— Andrew Knowlton, restaurant and drinks editor, Bon Appétit
“The most refreshing barbecue book to come along yet. Rather than preaching about ‘one true way, ‘ Aaron Franklin guides you through all the wood and smoke so that you can find your own style. And instead of just listing ingredients and rattling off generic recipes, these pages tell the story of a place and a barbecue tradition steeped in history. This isn’t just a book about barbecue;
this book is Central Texas barbecue.”
–Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor, Texas Monthly, and author of The Prophets of Smoked Meat
