Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue. (Credit: Andy Sharp FOR THE AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
The editors at the illustrious James Beard Foundation eat a lot of great food each year. A lot. The Foundation held more than 250 events this year around the country. They recently compiled a list of 15 of their favorite dishes from those meals. The winners include small bites and hearty plates. Included on the list is the “Texas-Style Oven Brisket” from Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. The editors sampled the luscious beef as part of its testing for the America’s Classics cookbook.
Here’s what James Beard Foundation special projects manager Anna Mowry had to say about Wayne Mueller’s brisket:
“Barbecue aficionados may blanch at the thought of cooking brisket in an oven, but this home-kitchen-adapted brisket from Louie Mueller Barbecue, a 2006 America’s Classic, is so credible, so reliable, and so delicious, I’ve stopped worrying about what the purists might say. You can try it for yourself when our forthcoming James Beard’s All-American Eats, a cookbook and tribute to our America’s Classics winners through the years, drops in March. Yes, the recipe calls for an eye-popping amount of black pepper, and parts of the method are a bit quirky, but don’t hesitate: this is one of the most successful recipes I’ve ever made, and I’ll be keeping it in my back pocket for football games and poker with friends.”
