San Antonio rabbi sanctifies Shabbat with Texas-style BBQ brisket

When Rabbi Natanel Greenwald learned that a Jew visiting from Los Angeles needed someplace to dine for Shabbat, he extended an invitation to his home, where he was smoking a beef brisket Texas-style — and Talmud-style. Greenwald, originally from Monsey, New York, is experimenting with a kosher version of the cut that some say defines Texas BBQ. Greenwald and his family practice Orthodox Judaism and strictly follow the dietary restrictions of their faith that demands certain foods be consumed separately and that every animal bound for the table be slaughtered according to rules set forth in Jewish law.

One of the guests remembered the tale of kosher Texas-style barbecue pioneer Sruli “Izzy” Eidelman. “The story is probably hyped up,” the guest cautioned and then recounted how, before Eidelman opened his popular Crown Heights, Brooklyn, smokehouse (“First kosher smokehouse in the heart of Brooklyn!” according to its website), he toured barbecue pits across Central Texas, ordering Texas barbecue, smelling Texas barbecue and prodding Texas barbecue but, keeping kosher, never tasting Texas barbecue. Greenwald moved to San Antonio to run a young professionals’ organization for the Jewish community at Congregation Rodfei Sholom. He sees barbecue as part of his outreach as a rabbi: Slow-cooked brisket proves to be a valuable means for bringing Jews to his table for Shabbas. “There’s a lot of Jews in San Antonio,” he reflected, “but not a lot of Judaism.” Greenwald said he’s not the only Texas rabbi in the city who indulges in the time-consuming process of smoking brisket long and low, with a minimal rub of salt, pepper and paprika. The senior rabbi at his Rodfei Sholom also smokes meat, and he’s heard of other rabbis who have caught the bug. Prior to the pandemic, San Antonio even featured an annual Texas kosher barbecue championship.