Welcome to Brisket.com. I'm Bill Cannon — born and raised in Texas, where barbecue isn't just food, it's a way of life. My son Blake and I have spent decades perfecting the art of brisket, and this site is where we share everything we've learned along the way.
About Brisket.com
The story behind the site — and the pitmaster
Where It All Started
My love for barbecue goes back to my childhood in Houston. My dad and I built a brick BBQ pit in our backyard, and that pit became the center of every family gathering. I spent years learning the fundamentals — managing fire, understanding smoke, and developing a feel for when meat was done. Brisket was always the ultimate challenge: the cut that separates the casual grillers from the real pitmasters.
The Challenge That Changed Everything
In 1995, my friend Leon issued a challenge: create a rub that truly stands out. It sounds simple, but that challenge sent me and my son Blake on a three-year journey of testing, tweaking, and perfecting. We set seven criteria for what the perfect rub had to be: great flavor, versatile, easy to use, made with quality ingredients, cost-effective, adaptable to different meats, and simple enough for anyone.
We tested our creations where it mattered most — the Houston Rodeo BBQ Cook-off, one of the biggest barbecue events in the world. We were serving over a thousand people a day, getting real-time feedback from folks who knew their barbecue. That kind of testing is something you can't replicate in a backyard.
After three years of refining our recipes, we founded Real Texas BBQ Rub, Inc. in February 1998 and launched TexasBBQRub to share our rubs with pitmasters everywhere.
Building the Rub Line
Our first product, the TexasBBQRub Original, hit the market in 2001. It was the all-purpose rub we'd spent years perfecting — versatile enough for any protein, but with that unmistakable Texas flavor profile.
But brisket always held a special place for me. In 2004, we released the Old No.2 Brisket Rub — a blend crafted specifically for the unique demands of brisket. It's designed to build a deep bark, complement the beefy flavor rather than mask it, and hold up through a long smoke. This is the rub I reach for every single time I fire up a brisket.
We continued expanding: Texas Wild Rub came in 2007 for game meats, and more recently the Grand Champion Rub — a competition-grade blend for pitmasters who want that edge on cook day.
Crafted specifically for brisket — the rub I reach for every cook
Old No.2 Brisket Rub
Robust formula for brisket and pork butts. More spice, larger pieces, less sugar. One 2lb bag seasons ~30 lbs of meat.
Shop Old No.2 Brisket Rub →
Why Brisket.com?
After years of answering the same questions from friends, customers, and fellow pitmasters — What temperature? When do I wrap? How do I know it's done? — I realized there needed to be one place with honest, tested answers. Not the generic advice you find everywhere online, but the real techniques that come from decades of cooking brisket in Texas.
Brisket.com is that place. Here you'll find step-by-step guides on smoking, trimming, temperature management, wood selection, and everything else that goes into turning a tough packer brisket into something extraordinary. Every guide on this site is based on what Blake and I have learned through real experience — not theory.
Our Mission
To honor the Texas barbecue tradition while making great brisket accessible to everyone — whether you're a first-time smoker or a seasoned competitor.
You don't need a competition rig or years of experience to make great brisket. You need the right knowledge, a little patience, and a respect for the craft. That's what we're here to share.
If you're ready to take your brisket to the next level, you're in the right place. Browse our guides, try our recipes, and if you want the same rubs we use — they're all available at TexasBBQRub.com.
Thank you for stopping by. Let's get cooking.
— Bill & Blake Cannon, Founders of TexasBBQRub