My Father, My Foundation, My Best Friend

I have been blessed to have this opportunity to share my story with you. I am hoping my journey down memory lane will bring happiness to your heart and bring you closer to your loved ones and family friends. I just want to provide a few simple suggestions on how to smoke a Texas-style barbecue brisket with confidence, but at the same time, make the process simple and direct.

I am not going to talk about the history of brisket, but I will mention that brisket originated as a Jewish cuisine. The history of brisket is fascinating to me and something every BBQ connoisseur should know.

We all can learn so much from so many other cultures. This is what makes America such a great nation. The cooking methods for cooking brisket have changed over the years in so many ways. Barbecue brisket has become one of the star dishes in the barbecue world. If you can smoke a brisket to perfection, you can cook anything.

The history of brisket is especially important, and every BBQ lover should look at the history to see how this style of cooking was created. The bottom line is beef brisket is here to stay, and people love eating great smoked brisket. My background is simple.

I have learned through trial and error how to cook many barbecue dishes. My dad, my inspiration and foundation, was a cook, among other duties in the Navy. My dad would survive World War II and stay in the Navy for over twenty (20) years. I will talk more about my dad, Howard Lee Davis, later in this book. I learned at an early age how to cook. It was normal for me to help prepare breakfast, lunch, or dinner for my foster brothers and sisters at the Davis residence.

I learned at an early age not to overcook steak. My dad always cooked his steak to medium rare and would tell me, “If you cook a steak over medium rare, you’ve just ruined a good steak.” This was my father’s philosophy. In general, if you purchase a steak, you can prepare it any way you want—you are the one eating the steak.

My father’s tools of the trade were a black, cast-iron skillet over a high flame. The pan had to be hot, and the oil had to be hot. The pan was so hot I could hear the steak being seared at a high temperature. A pinch of salt, some A1 steak sauce, and that was it. I watched my father cook on many occasions.

My Dad. Howard Lee Davis.

All I remember were the functions and many gatherings after church that normally involved cooking on Saturday and serving meals on Sunday after church. Every Sunday, we would go to Bethel Baptist Church on Clay Street. Reverend Hampton was our preacher. I was always dressed in my Sunday best. Black dress shoes, collared shirt, and a jacket with a tie. We would head to church around 7:30 am.