UPAS 181 Texas Barbecue

Fall 2009

Meeting times and location: Fridays, 4:10 PM, MSTC 100

Course Description

Survey, demonstration, and participation class celebrating the rich heritage of Texas Barbecue; preparation techniques include types of meats, seasonings, and cooking methods with emphasis on food safety, costs, and availability; regional (e.g., Carolinas, Kansas City, Memphis, Cajun) and international (e.g., Brazilian, Argentine, Cuban, Asian) methods to be explored and compared. Prerequisites: First-year student.

Learning Outcomes or Course Objectives

Common Student Learning Outcomes include:

Student will identify and articulate her/his educational goals
Student will be able to identify facts
Student will be able to identify unanswered questions
Student will be able to articulate own opinion
Student will be able to articulate the principles of reflective writing

Instructor information
Name	Jeffrey W. Savell	Ray R. Riley
Office telephone	979-845-3935	979-845-5651
Mobile telephone	979-255-6676	979-255-0730
Email address	j-savell@tamu.edu	r-riley@tamu.edu
Office hours	Variable	Variable
Office location	Room 348 KLBG	Room 101 MSTC

Teaching Assistant information
Name	Will Wiederhold	Dan Genho	Ashley Haneklaus
Office telephone	979-845-0415	979-845-3957	979-845-4408
Mobile telephone	254-760-5461	801-419-5860	713-542-8343
Email address	wawz71@aol.com	dangenho@yahoo.com	ahaneklaus@tamu.edu
Office hours	Variable	Variable	Variable
Office location	Room 101 MSTC	Room 322 KLBG	Room 348 KLBG

Textbook and/or Resource Material

Walsh, Robb. 2002. “Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook.” Chronicle Books, ISBN 0-86450-110-3 (http://www.robbwalsh.com/books/book5/).

Grading

Points Allocation
Item	Points
Attendance and participation	130
Writing assignments	130
Contribution to workbook	140
Total	400

**Grading Description**
Item	Description
Attendance and participation	Students will receive 10 points per class for attending and participating. Because this will be a hands-on class, students will be evaluated on their help with the cooking demonstrations including preparations, servings, and clean up.
Writing assignments	Each week, students will be asked to summarize in an E-mail message to the instructors their key learnings from the previous week to include: (1) what they learned, (2) what questions they still have, and (3) how they can use the information. Students are requested to write more formally in their E-mail assignments. Each E-mail assignment is worth 10 points.
Contribution to workbook	Each member of the class will receive a three-ring notebook with labeled dividers for each topic. Students will be required through their research and experimentation to prepare recipes and/or instructions to include in this notebook. Each student will be required to prepare at least 7 recipes/instructions for inclusion in the notebook, and each recipe/instruction form

**Grade Breakdown**
Letter grade	Points
A	360 and above
B	320 to 359
C	280 to 319
D	240 to 279
F	239 and below

**Course Topics, Calendar of Activities, Major Assignments**
Date	Topic
September 4	Introduction, expectations, brief history of barbecue, food safety overview
September 11	Cooking methodology: pits, kettles, water smokers, barrel smokers
September 18	Types of fuel (charcoal brickettes, charcoal chunks, wood coals) and smoke (hickory, oak, pecan, mesquite)
September 25	Adding flavoring: seasonings, marinades, rubs, sauces
October 2	Pork: Southeastern-style pulled pork, Hawaiian-inspired
October 9	Ribs, ribs, ribs: baby back versus St. Louis-style; Memphis-style (dry) versus Kansas City-style (wet); Asian-inspired rubs and sauces
October 16	Chicken: smoking, cooking by rotisserie; whole or pieces
October 23	Barbecuing lamb and goat
October 30	Briskets: To wrap or not to wrap, that is the question
November 6	Smoking other cuts of beef: shoulder clods, sirloins
November 13	Cooking beef South American style: Brazil and Argentina
November 20	Thanksgiving Turkey: brining recipes; smoking, frying, cooking by rotisserie
December 4	Cooking whole pigs: Hawaiian, Cuban, Cajun

Integrative Learning

This course will use encourage students to:

1. Connect skills and knowledge from multiple sources and experiences. An example of this will be to learn barbecuing techniques and recipes from books, websites, and instructors. In addition, there is no better teacher than applying what has been learned through actually doing it. Our successes or failures in barbecuing reinforce what we have learned or how to do it better next time.

2. Apply theory to practice in various settings. Not only will students learn more about barbecuing, but they will be able to actually make barbecue using a variety of methods, products, and seasonings.

3. Utilize diverse and even contradictory points of view. No subject brings about more passion, discourse, and debate than how to barbecue or which barbecue is best. Do you use sauce or not? Do you wrap briskets to finish cooking them or not? Which cut is best for barbecuing beef? These are just a small sample of the types of questions that are asked each day about barbecuing.

4. Understand issues and positions contextually. Barbecuing involves meat and poultry products: (1) that may or may not be seasoned, (2) that may or may not be smoked, (3) that may or may not be cooked at low temperatures, (4) that may or may not be cooked with expensive equipment, and (5) that may or may not have sauce served with the product. Somehow, the myriad of combinations from the points above demonstrate why the discussions of what is great barbecue can be so passionate at times and so difficult to really define.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu

Academic Integrity

For additional information please visit: http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor

“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.”