Up-and-coming pitmaster and Tucson native Justin Johns spends almost three days straight through making, watching and selling his brisket for his food truck Jay’s Barbecue.
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Justin Johns of Jay’s Barbecue trims his brisket by hand. -
Admittedly, Johns has no professional butchery training… -
…But he does have an arsenal of YouTube videos. -
Johns says a one-quarter-inch layer of fat is standard for brisket. -
The Jay’s Barbecue smoker was custom designed by Johns. -
Johns gets the fires going at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. -
Jay’s Barbecue uses primarily pecan wood for smoking, though mesquite is also sometimes used supplementally. -
Johns aims to heat his smoker between 250 and 275 degrees. -
Time of year can effect everything from humidity to ambient smoker temperature, making barbecue a constantly changing endeavor. -
Johns checks the fire about every half hour to be sure it maintains its optimum temperature. -
Johns seasons his brisket generously with salt and pepper. -
For Johns, barbecue is about simple flavors that let the meat and cook shine. -
Johns prepares about 125 pounds of brisket to sell each week. -
Brisket cooks from approximately 4 p.m. until about 9 a.m. the following day. -
Heated and ready to smoke, Johns brings brisket to its home for the next 15 hours or so. -
Johns sprays the brisket and checks to make sure fat isn’t pooling at the top. -
For Johns, the bark of a brisket is just about the most important part, though he admits nothing will bum a ‘cue fan out quicker than dry brisket. -
The smoker offers two temperatures for Johns—hotter near the top and slightly cooler toward the bottom. -
Jay’s Barbecue has been parked off of Stone Avenue since February. -
Johns seasons pork butt for his pulled pork. -
Settling in for the night, Johns sits in front of his smoker and waits. -
Nine hours later, Johns is still tending to his smoker and keeping a watchful eye on the meat inside. -
Johns gives his brisket another spray before wrapping it. -
Johns typically uses foil when he’s cooking brisket in higher volume, though using foil is called the “Texas crutch.” -
Jay’s Barbecue brisket is wrapped for the last final hours of cooking—sometimes in foil, sometimes in butcher paper. -
Johns prefers butcher paper wrapping because he feels the bark turns out better with this method. -
Jay’s Barbecue currently offers brisket, pulled pork, ribs, baked beans, coleslaw and potato salad; Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (or until sell out).