ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue banner
2015 marks the seventh year of ANSC 117, Texas Barbecue. The class has had many different prefixes, but the course name has been the same, and the purpose of the class has never wavered: to help freshmen make the difficult transition from high school to college, to know that each week they will learn about Texas Barbecue and will enjoy a great meal, and they will interact with faculty and students who care about their success and will serve as mentors to them during and after the class. Ray Riley and I are blessed to get to work with such great students, the 27 freshmen in this year’s class, the Super Sophomores, and the Jazzy Juniors and Snazzy Seniors who all make this such a great experience for all of us.
ANSC 117 students
ANSC 117 2015 students
Hillary Henderson checking pork loins
ANSC 117 teaching assistants
Pork loins cooked using indirect heat
Here is the class schedule for this year’s class:
Date |
Topic |
September 4 |
Introduction, expectations, brief history of barbecue, food safety overview |
September 11 |
Cooking methodology: pits, kettles, water smokers, barrel smokers |
September 18 |
Types of fuel (charcoal brickettes, charcoal chunks, wood coals) and smoke (hickory, oak, pecan, mesquite) |
September 25 |
Adding flavoring: seasonings, marinades, rubs, sauces |
October 2 |
Pork: Southeastern-style pulled pork, Hawaiian-inspired pork loin |
October 9 |
Ribs, ribs, ribs: baby back versus St. Louis-style; Memphis-style (dry) versus Kansas City-style (wet); Asian-inspired rubs and sauces |
October 16 |
Chicken: smoking, cooking by rotisserie; whole or pieces |
October 23 |
Barbecuing lamb and goat |
October 30 |
Briskets: To wrap or not to wrap, that is the question! |
November 6 |
Smoking other cuts of beef: shoulder clods, sirloins, ribeyes, and tenderloins |
November 13 |
Cooking beef South American style: Brazil and Argentina |
November 20 |
Thanksgiving Turkey: brining recipes; smoking, frying, cooking by rotisserie |
December 4 |
Cooking whole pigs: Hawaiian, Cuban, Cajun |
December 7 |
Course wrap up |
