When Aaron Franklin and his wife, Stacy, opened up a small barbecue trailer on the side of an Austin, Texas, interstate in 2009, they had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into. Today on Eat Your Words, host Cathy Erway gets Aaron on the line to talk not only his critically lauded, award winning barbecue but also highlights from his debut book, “Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto.” Unlocking the secrets behind truly great barbecue along with years’ worth of hard-won knowledge, Aaron shares that this book is his resource for the backyard pitmaster, with chapters dedicated to building or customizing your own smoker; finding and curing the right wood; creating and tending perfect fires; sourcing top-quality meat; and of course, cooking mind-blowing, ridiculously delicious barbecue, better than you ever thought possible! What’s next for Aaron? Tune in for an essential summer episode! This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.

“If you follow your heart and do something that you’re proud of, who cares if you’re busy or not?” [18:00]

“There is no recipe other than barbecue sauce that will actually work for barbecue… it’s more of a craft than being able to follow a black and white recipe.” [20:00]

—Aaron Franklin on Eat Your Words