As I wrote this week’s post about Little Miss BBQ in Phoenix, it occured to me that BBQ and sushi have something in common and I think it contributes greatly to why I love both experiences.
At Little Miss we arrived late in the BBQ day (which at hot spots means you weren’t in line before they opened) and we ended up missing out on the fatty brisket, and the pastrami was a touch dry. I told the owner it was great – I didn’t need to mention my minor disappointment in those details because it was still very good and I understood the situation. But then he ended up telling me, after my proclamation, that “It was better earlier.”
That’s when I realized – a brisket is like a fish in many ways. No two are the same. The size and muscles are slightly different in every specimen. The amount of time it’s been sitting there is always variable. And when the customer ultimately orders, you are going to get a different cut each time. Yeah, you can request fatty brisket, or specify that chutoro is your preference of tuna, but even within those sections you will get a varied representation.
There is a spot on the point of a brisket that is too fatty. There is a way for the chef to cut it in such a manner that a bit of flat and point is included, even though the grain runs in different directions (see the top photo on this post for how Snow’s in Texas does it). There are those who completely separate the flat and the point and offer individual slices if you order mixed. There are places which don’t let you specify.
The cut of beef or sushi one receives can also vary based on the skill of the chef, the quantity available, the time of day, or even how much that person likes you. It’s well known that many sushi chefs will save the better cuts for great customers whom will appreciate it. I heard a great story about (formerly of ATL, now two Michelin stars in NYC) kicking out a customer who asked for more otoro, fatty tuna. Soto told him he had enough, that he saved it for other customers to experience. The customer became upset and Soto told him where to stick it, as he was often wont to do.
The Texas style of ordering BBQ is much like sitting at the sushi counter. There’s one line, and one caring person accepting the orders, slicing, and handing your decision back to you.
How will it be? Did they have what you wanted? Did they just crack open a new brisket, or a fresh kinmedai, or had it been sitting there and you get the scrap end? Rapport certainly can help. But there’s always a bit of luck to it, and that keeps it interesting. There’s going to be disappointments along the way, but the best bite of brisket or snapper you’ve ever had is out there, and you’ve gotta stand in line or sit at the counter to find it.