Smokehouse brews

There's a big BBQ flavor cooking in Beijing's Sanlitun as Jing A brings a little slice of the Lone Star State to the Chinese capital. Li Yingxue reports.

It's 6 am. Barbecue chef Andrew Dilda is seasoning a piece of beef brisket with salt, pepper and Chinese red pepper before taking it into the smoker.

Twelve hours later, the sliced slow-smoked meat is served fresh with coleslaw, house pickles and grilled mantou (steamed buns).

The smoker Dilda uses looks smaller than the one he has back in his hometown of Dallas, Texas, in the United States.

"It's unique," he says. "The wall is thicker than we have in the US, and it works a little better."

Far from his beloved Lone Star State, Dilda found himself busy in the kitchen of the Jing A Brewpub in the heart of Beijing's Sanlitun in March.

Opened last October, Jing A Brewpub is the sister venue to nearby Jing A's 1949 Taproom and serves up a selection of locally brewed craft beers and an all-new menu of authentic Texas BBQ.

Alex Acker, co-founder of Jing A, wants to bring a taste of his home state to Beijing, since－perhaps unsurprisingly－h(huán)e has struggled to find any authentic Texas cuisine in the Chinese capital, which he notes "goes so well with craft beer".

Dilda, who has been honing his skills with a smoker for more than 10 years, specializing in that world-famous Texas delicacy, beef brisket, was introduced to Acker two years ago when he was the executive chef at Independent Bar and Kitchen in Dallas.