Mr. Franklin and his peers have made some breaks with strict Central Texas tradition: cooking at a lower temperature, coaxing a lighter smoke flavor into the meat, using prime-grade beef. He has introduced outsiders to arcane trade secrets like the strategic use of butcher paper to wrap the cooked meat — and that, in turn, has liberated his northerly counterparts to develop their skills, then flex their wings and serve their barbecue with a dash or two of New York experimentalism: Pennsylvania Dutch potato rolls, Vietnamese rice paper, or biodynamic or natural wines.