Thirty or so years ago a friend gifted a collection of recipes on 3×5 cards she collected while at military bases around the world. Subsequently, anther friend gave me a typewritten collection of recipes from cooking classes he instructed. Further, I have a copy of a mincemeat recipe written on a penny postcard addressed to my mother from her aunt. With the onset of “pretty” cookbooks and recipe blogs containing more photos and words than ingredients, we have lost much of traditional recipe exchanges. As the third in a five generation line of bakers, all I need are the ingredients and a couple measurements. You can keep the wordage and pictures. However, there is one exception- Franklin Barbecue, a Meat Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin and Jordan MacKay (Ten Speed Press). My son, an obvious pictures guy, gave me the book as a guide for smoking brisket.

My widow friend wanted to serve a whole brisket for her family’s Christmas dinner. Having sampled my efforts in the past, she and her son asked if I would smoke it for them. After agreeing, the challenges suddenly compounded.

• The special importance of Christmas dinner
• A 15 pound/$65 piece of meat
• Prep/smoke time to meet a one o’clock meal
• A miserable day- wind, rain, and cold temperature
• A Weber grill versus ¼” plate steel smoker

As is my routine, I reviewed Franklin’s step-by-step guide before deciding my course of action. Once again Mr. Franklin and the photographed instructions helped immensely. I have never experienced a sample of his brisket, but the borrowed 22-inch Weber produced an exceptional meal. The family was happy with the results. And I am thankful for this guide to successfully smoking meats.