Some barbecue cooks brag about the length of their smoking times and the thickness of their spice rubs as if barbecuing is a virility test. Slow Hand's Dan Frengs believes in low-and-slow cooking, too, but the man has his mind on the meat, taking a more minimal Texan approach to barbecuing. That black crust on his ribs? It's just salt, pepper, and concentrated smoke and beef juices. Frengs smokes them over white oak for only four or five hours, so the color of the pork is still the pink of blood-tinged juices, the smoke alloys to the flavor of the pork instead of dominating it, and the texture of each rib is similar to a brined pork chop, perfectly cooked.