Cooking BBQ “Cowboy Style”
It’s a well-known fact that the different parts of the country are particular about their different styles of barbecue: chicken and mayo-based sauce in Alabama, pork shoulder and vinegar-based sauce in North Carolina, pork ribs and tomato-based sauce in Memphis, the list could go on and on. But in Texas, it’s beef that reigns supreme. Since the Lone Star State has been synonymous with “cowboys” since the 19th century, this should hardly be surprising. While Franklin in Austin is known for attracting obscenely long lines and selling out of brisket every day since it first opened without fail, it isn’t the only smoked meat heavyweight in the state. About an hour and a half outside of Austin is the small town of Llano, where an old-time joint called “Cooper’s” has been preserving an historic style of barbecue since first opening in 1953.
The different regions of Texas are astoundingly varied when it comes to their barbecue; in the eastern part of the state, there’s a good amount of sauce, and pork ribs are just as popular as brisket. In central Texas, the emphasis is on brisket and pork sausages (a reminder of the region’s German and Czech heritage), and using sauce is considered a major insult. Cooper’s, on the other hand, uses “cowboy-style”, which originates in west Texas, though even there it’s rare. It originated with the cowboys of yore who would let their fires burn down before hanging meat across them. While most of Texas slow-cooks their meat over indirect heat at low temperatures, cowboy-style calls for using direct heat. Since it’s such a hard method to do well, it’s also extremely rare; out of a list of the 50 best BBQ joints written by Texas Monthly, there are only three that use direct-heat pits, and Cooper’s is the only one that solely relies on that method of cooking.
Cowboy-style cooks the meat over direct heat high above the heat source in a large pit. There’s always a risk of burning the meat, but well worth the risk if it’s done well. Cooper’s burns mesquite wood until it turns into coals, then transfers them into a large metal pit before placing the meat on grates about two to three feet above the heat source, cooking it at about 300 degrees. It takes about 5-6 hours to cook, compared to the 12-18 hours it takes with indirect smoking. While it’s faster, it also means there’s a lot less room for error. Cooking brisket like this can be tricky; if it isn’t done perfectly, you’ll be left with a tough, dry piece of meat.
In addition to Llano, Cooper’s can be found in Fort Worth, New Braunfels and Austin. If you’re curious to learn more, you can click here!
Trump Unveils Plans
In a speech he plans on delivering tonight in Ohio, Donald Trump will focus on what he calls “foreign policy realism”, arguing that the country needs to destroy extremist groups such as Daesh and work with anybody who shares that mission, regardless of their ideological and strategic differences. While you can’t choose your friends, Trump insists that you need to recognize your enemies. This comes after Clinton’s campaign slammed Trump’s campaign manager for ties to Russia, alleging that he received $12.7 million from Ukraine’s former pro-Russian president.
Trump will also be expected to outline a new immigration policy proposal, under which the US wouldn’t issue visas whenever they couldn’t perform adequate screenings. This will be the latest version of a policy that started with Trump calling to ban Muslims from entering the US late last year. In the aftermath of what happened in Orlando earlier in the year, Trump introduced a new standard, temporarily suspending visas to regions with a history of exporting terrorism. He’s proposed a new “ideological test” for admission into the country, which would use questionnaires, social media and interview friends and family members of candidates to see where their political views lie. The candidates, he insisted, would be vetted to see whether or not they support values such as tolerance and pluralism.
In the speech, Trump is also expected to call for a declaration that the United States is at war with radical Islam. This goes against what Clinton and top US officials have advised, saying that such language plays into the hands of political militants. While Trump has gone under fire for not giving a straight answer about his political views, this speech is expected to remedy that, especially as Trump has faced criticism for some more controversial remarks. Trump has blamed the media for much of this criticism, saying that they chose to focus on his smaller statements as opposed to his ideas on policy.
If you’d like to learn more, you can click here!
About Nelson Lewis
An exposure to politics at a young age had a profound effect on media maven Nelson Lewis, who worked as a volunteer for numerous Republican politicians in and around his native Savannah. Nelson worked as a reporter and eventually anchor at two Savannah television stations growing up, WJCL ABC-22 and WTGS FOX-28, also recording voice teasers for airing on Fridays on WJCL-FM KIX 96 and previewing his upcoming stories, which aired on the Sunday evening news.
One of Nelson’s favorite experiences at WJCL was reporting live from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade (America’s second largest) from 1998-2000. Continuing in the spirit of his grandfather’s pioneering and trailblazing footsteps (he was the first to bring all-color television and stereo to the Savannah market), Nelson became the first person in Savannah market to bring a kid’s perspective to local news as its first youth reporter. In fact, one of the competing stations, WSAV NBC-3 hired their own youth reporter, Sean Champion, 18 months after Nelson began his reports and WJCL/TGS’s ratings dramatically increased.
Work In Political Media
While a sophomore and junior at Lynn University, Nelson Lewis hosted “Politijam”, a lively political debate show that became well known across the university campus and served as the media editor of the univeristy’s weekly EPulse newspaper. While at Lynn, Nelson was selected to represent the entire undergraduate student population as a member of Lynn University’s Academic Task Force, charged with the duty of streamlining the core curriculum of the universities.
While attending Lynn’s College of International Communication, Nelson developed a friendship with Irving R. Levine, a well-known and nationally recognized correspondent for NBC News who became the network’s first full time economics correspondent, and was the creator of the precursor to CNBC. After a 45-year career in journalism, Levine went on to become Dean of Lynn’s communication program. After finishing college, Nelson Lewis followed Levine’s suggestion and moved to Washington, DC where his first job was as a press intern for a Republican congressman, which then led to a job booking at the Fox News Channel from 2006-2010. Here, he was able to put his love of politics and interest in the Republican Party to good use.
Upon the suggestion of Mr. Levine, Nelson Lewis enrolled in the Masters of Professional Studies in Journalism (International Politics) program at Georgetown University in 2009, where a special emphasis was placed on the dissolution of America’s Fairness Doctrine and on the major player in its demise, Bruce Fein.
Nelson was honored to be invited to speak at a roast honoring Levine’s 2009 death at the National Press Club, where he spoke alongside Levine family members and contemporaries such as former Meet the Press Moderator Marvin Kalb. He subsequently wrote a letter to the editor published in The Hill newspaper eulogizing Levine as a “top-notch raconteur” who many others have tried to emulate.
From his work at Fox News, Nelson Lewis was able to take a firsthand role in the DC journalism scene, and was blessed with the opportunity of meeting entertainment, political, and academic luminaries on a daily basis, including numerous sitting and former representatives, senators, governors and cabinet secretaries. These unique experiences gave Nelson a front row seat to many historic events and gave him a firsthand experience of how the Washington system works, from how laws are created to how news is made.
Through Nelson Lewis’ work creating Her Golf Network, coupled with his extensive booking experiences in segment producing gained at America’s highest rated cable news channel and through his time performing key internships at places such as WPBT’s Nightly Business Report in Miami, where he honed his scriptwriting skills, and at WTOC in Savannah, where he provided copyediting and on-site production assistance at the 2004 Sea Island G-8 summit, have provided him with a solid foundation and understanding of the news business. His time as a reporter/anchor growing up prior to his undergraduate studies helped him get an early start at doing what he loves most, reporting.
