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BBQ
brew chef - a note from Sam Healy of Austin, TX
As I type, I can look up and out my window
at my homemade "pit" smoking away while the beer baste mop simmers on
the stove. It is 7:30 pm on a Thursday night and I am one hour
into a 20 hour overnight smoke (Brisket, Sausage - beer infused - and
Fish will go in tomorrow) and it will all be ready for Friday Memorial
Day happy hour picnic.
My name is Sam Healey and I am a professional
brewer here in Austin, Texas. I have worked for several breweries
in town and am about to start as the head brewer for a very small
tap bar and brewery downtown. Truthfully though, BBQ has taken
over as my primary home hobby. I certainly get plenty of
Brewing hours at work. I am not sure I have any special
recipe secrets for ya'll (not to say I am without a trick or
two) but what I do have are wonderful pictures. My smoker is
home made, built from ceramic stones collected from the structure
of the Live Oak Brewing Company. Live Oak's building was
originally an old meat plant and when the smoke houses were demolished
I was able to rescue enough intact bricks for my BBQ Pit. The
bricks, with the aid of an attached brick firebox, a food
locker door, and a roof with a chimney, came out looking fantastic.
The aesthetics are entirely by good fortune as we were absolute amateurs.
 Also,
I have a picture of a finished "Beer can Chicken," -aka. Chicken on
a Throne- that is glorious. It is slightly disturbing but the chicken
is a beautiful BBQ color, hunching over, juices dripping over the
deeply discolored Lone Star can upon which the bird was perched.
My longwindedness is because I really love
the BBQ pit culture. It takes forever. It brings
people together. It is largely based on 'cheap' cuts of
meat. It goes great with beer in all aspects. And it is ageless.
....Even
in the waning light, I can see my smoke is thinning. I need
to add a log. Good luck, Sam Healy, Austin, TX
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