In a city where BBQ is sacred on a Jesus level, it’s a bold ambition for General Electric to try to define the perfect barbecue. But the energy giant has leaped into the brisket and rib game with both feet in Austin, offering attendees at SXSW free grub at GE’s BBQ Research Center.
Located kitty-corner to the Convention Center in Austin, the central hub of SXSW, the GE pod’s main visual grab is a web-connected smoker standing 12 feet tall. Rigged with sensors linked to screens monitoring the temperature and other chemical actions taking place inside, the smoker keeps visitors fascinated in the process as they learn the human’s unconscious mental reactions to various kinds of food.
Head inside the adjacent tent for BBQ workshops, and visitors can see how their brain reacts to eating smoked sausage. They can even learn the delicate art of liquid nitrogen ice cream. But ultimately, the most important detail is the BBQ. We were there to eat.
We circled in for a quick hunger fix on Monday afternoon, and the brisket certainly delivers on quality. A jovial atmosphere with informative signs and assistants at every turn, the BBQ Research Center delivers more than a freebie snack en route to the next noisy stage or panel jabber session.
GE’s BBQ immersion is an attempt to expand beyond light bulbs and jet engines in the public eye, and within one small radius of the hyper-distraction marathon of SXSW. They commissioned a small Oakland, California outfit called Sheet Metal Alchemist to deliver a gravitational brand point with Texan flare at SXSW, and they’ve succeeded.
But let’s not go chugging the kool-aid on GE being a BBQ player. We like to keep our electricity and smoked meats in separate boxes. All the same, it was a wildly appreciated bit of delicious BBQ to help kick off Crave’s insane SXSW 2015 experience. By the way, catch our free show on Saturday at the Vulcan, featuring Doomtree, Action Bronson, Smallpools and more! Details here.
