More than its cowboys, country music, and independent spirit, Texas is perhaps best known for its mouthwatering barbecues.
From small towns to big cities, professional pitmasters to back garden barbecuers, Texans continually produce culinary delights to tickle the taste buds. The battle for the best brisket and beef ribs heats up every year, just like the famous Texan summers when everyone is turning on the air conditioner.
Whether you spell it BBQ, bar-b-q, bar-b-que, barbecue, or barbeque, it’s all delicious. And while it’s an almost impossible task to select the best BBQ in Texas, it is possible to learn all about this tasty tradition and then head out to sample some of the finest food that ever did see wood charcoal.
So prepare your stomach for a few rumbles as we guide you through the swirling smoke that is all part of the Texan smokehouse tradition and find the best BBQ in Texas this summer.
What Are the Basics About Texas Barbecue?
Many smokehouses house their smokers outdoors because of regulations on indoor smoke. The meat is cooked slowly — often overnight — so don’t be surprised if your nostrils catch a waft of roasting meats on streets close to bar-b-q joints.
Make sure you eat early. Texas BBQ joints often sell out of meat during the lunchtime rush. Daytime eating also gives the body a chance to digest all that hearty food.
Most barbecue restaurants sell meat by the pound, and traditionalists usually eat their BBQ with their hands. Some places won’t offer cutlery, so smuggle in a fork if you don’t want to get your digits dirty.
Finally, remember that good things come to those who wait. It’s not unusual for popular Texas barbecue joints to have queues lasting two to four hours — or even longer, as is the case with the world-famous Franklin Barbecue in Austin. People often show up early to grab spaces in queues, called “tailgating.”
But fret not; there are always ways to get food from the good BBQs in Texas this summer. Some places rent chairs, some BBQ joints hand out free beers, or you can bring your own! (Always check beforehand.) And some let you order online and ship nationwide.
How Did the Texas Barbecue Tradition Start?
Spanish and European colonizers brought livestock to the Americas. Traditional Native American open-fire cooking techniques blended perfectly with these new food sources, and the Texas barbecue tradition took hold.
Ranching was successful in the Lone Star state, pushing beef to the top of the bar-b-q menu. Tough-to-cook cuts like brisket became popular to slow-cook over fires.
Immigrant German and Czech communities brought their influences in the mid-19th century to central Texas, between Austin and San Antonio. Their culture of smoked meat helped make barbecued meat more popular by keeping it longer than fresh meat.
Many people have heard about Texas-style barbecue, but in reality there are a few different types of Texas barbecue.
What Makes Texas BBQS Different Than Other Styles?
Texas BBQ varies depending on where you are in the state. It’s not just what gets thrown on the grill, but also the wood used to smoke the food.
East Texas barbecues specialize in chopped beef and sweet, glazed pork ribs, usually over hickory wood. West Texans cook directly over the flame, like grilling, favoring mesquite wood for its smoky notes.
Pitmasters in the north often use the locally abundant hickory to add a bit of spice.
Central Texas is where the Lone Star state’s most famous barbecue method has taken root. Here, the sweet taste of post oak (also called iron oak) infuses into meats cooked in a low and slow smoking method over indirect heat for up to 20 hours. Some smokehouses use mesquite, pecan, or hickory too.
This central Texas style is the famous “Texas-style barbecue” where taking your time is key. It’s all about “slow and low.” Cook too fast, and those tough briskets will come out tough. Most people season Texas-style briskets with only salt and pepper, although some have secret seasonings.
What Food Do You Get at a Traditional Texas BBQ?
source
The basics you should see on your plate at a traditional Texas barbecue are:
- Beef brisket or smoked brisket
- Pork ribs
- Sausage
Other meats include beef ribs, burnt-end bacon, and smoked turkey. Texans generally maintain that red meat (beef) is tastier than white meat (pork, chicken). But that doesn’t stop pork ribs, pork belly, pork chops, and pulled pork from appearing on menus.
A Cajun sausage called boudin — made with peppers, pork, and rice — is popular in the state’s southeast. Most smokehouses offer fried chicken too.
Side dishes feature coleslaw, creamed corn, potato salad, and slices of white bread.
But times change, and there has been a recent surge in new and inventive dishes with Tex Mex and Mexican influences. A Texas Twinkie — a jalapeño stuffed with brisket and pimento cheese — and jalapeño burgers are popping up more frequently. And smoked brisket leftovers often end up in barbecue tacos.
What Are Some Classic Barbecue Deserts?
If your belly isn’t bloated after all that mouthwatering food, then ice cream, banana pudding, and peach cobbler are some classic Texas barbecue desserts.
Why Is Brisket So Important to Texas Pitmasters?
“Texas ranching tradition means beef is widely available. Barbecues and the central Texas slow-cook style allowed people to take a tough piece of meat (aka brisket) and create a tasty, tender dish.
Brisket is from the lower breast or chest of a cow. It’s cooked for six to 24 hours to tenderize the meat’s collagen and connective tissues. The brisket should be blackened with a pink “smoke ring” indicating a refined barbecuing technique. Its marbled meat should be full of flavor.
While the technique sounds simple, there’s a real skill in judging the barbecue’s heat, the meat’s tenderness, and how the smoke will affect the brisket’s taste. People travel many miles to sample the briskets of the best pitmasters. Indeed, a pitmaster’s reputation hangs on their ability to produce top-quality brisket.
What’s the Difference Between Moist and Lean Brisket?
Texas BBQ joints ask if customers want moist or lean brisket. Moist is the most popular because it contains more fat and flavor. Lean brisket is harder to cook perfectly due to its lower fat content. As long as the pitmaster has perfected the art of barbecuing, both are delicious.
Does Texas Have Good BBQ Joints?
Texas is a state full of fantastic barbecue joints, from the biggest cities to small towns to food trucks. The state’s outdoor culture, warm summers, and year-round weather lends itself to alfresco cooking and dining.
What Part of Texas Is Known for Its Barbecues?
Central Texas is the most famous for its barbecues, with its simple, low temperature and slow indirect cooking method for brisket.
East Texas barbecues follow the same long cooking time ethos, and many types of meat come in a sweet, tomato-based sauce. Beef brisket and pulled pork may be served on a bun with a hot sauce and pickles.
South Texas has a more Mexican influence and is often referred to as “barbacoa,” the Spanish name for barbecue. People use a molasses-based barbecue sauce to keep the meat moist.
West Texas is much more an open flame barbecue technique, similar to traditional grilling.
Which City in Texas Has the Best Barbecue Joints?
With such a long barbecue tradition, selecting anywhere as the best place for barbecue joints is controversial. But Lockhart, a small city of 15,000 people south of Austin, lays as good a claim as any to be the epicenter of the Texan barbecue scene.
Indeed, in 2003, Lockhart legally became the Barbecue Capital of Texas. It attracts more than a quarter-of-a-million diehard BBQ fans every year to some of the best BBQ joints in the state. Classics include Kreuz Market, Black’s Barbecue, and Smitty’s Market.
That’s not to say that others sit on their laurels. The cities of Taylor and Brenham are just some that have set up barbecue trails. And for aficionados, there is a BBQ equivalent to the Oscars each year when Texas Monthly announces its “50 Best BBQ Joints” with the results eagerly anticipated and debated.
What Are Some of the Best Texas BBQ Joints?
The last few years have seen a reinvention of some of the accepted Texas BBQ customs. New smokehouses are opening up, and they’re not afraid to deviate from the traditional methods.
Here are some of the best Texas BBQ joints to test and enjoy.
Austin area
Terry Black’s Barbecue: Fourth-generation pitmasters, with restaurants also in Dallas and Lockhart.
Louie Mueller Barbecue: Probably Texas’ most famous BBQ joint, sizzling since 1949. Many pitmasters learned their craft here.
Franklin Barbecue: Aaron Franklin is renowned as the best pitmaster around. That’s probably all that needs to be said.
Dallas and Fort Worth
Goldee’s BBQ: Won the 2021 Texas Monthly Best BBQ Joint award just a year after opening. Inventive side dishes include sausages served with sticky rice and spicy-sour jeow som sauce.
Cattleack: Laid-back lunchtime meats with pioneering dishes like spicy beef boudin and Wagyu pastrami ribs. They’ve even got a North Carolina hog cooker, pretty racy for a Texas smokehouse.
Baby Back Shak: Bucks the trend with its Memphis-style BBQ options. A rub representing a fusion of Dallas and Memphis is their signature.
Pecan Lodge in Deep Ellum: A multiple award-winning traditional smokehouse that follows family recipes. They keep their fires burning 24/7 and make everything from scratch.
Lockhart
Kreuz Market: This may seem like a no-frills place at first sight. Kreuz employs a no-cutlery and no-sauce policy, but more than 100 years of success shows that it’s working.
Lexington
Snow’s BBQ: Rural, award-winning smokehouse that shot to worldwide fame on the Netflix series “Chef’s Table: BBQ.”
Houston
Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland: Top barbecue establishment selling meat by the pound. Inventive dishes include a side of blistered Brussels sprouts and a bread pudding made from croissants.
Mad Max BBQ: This food truck has been gaining attention from locals. The Mad Max Mac Attack loaded baked potato comes with chopped brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, and cheese.
Why Are Texas Barbecues the Best?
Texas barbecues are beloved by Texans and visitors alike. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the preparation, top-quality ingredients, and the Lone Star state’s commitment to good ‘cue.
What we do know is that generations of skilled barbecue chefs have made what was once a simple way to cook meat into an art form. In fact, a quick internet search for why people want to visit Texas shows BBQs almost always among the top, if not the most important, reason to visit.
What Other States Are Known for Their Barbecue Scene?
Of course, barbecue is not the sole domain of Texans. Many other proud states have their BBQ traditions and cultures too. Here are a few.
North and South Carolina place an emphasis on pork products and sauces, especially pulled pork.
Alabama loves pork shoulder and chicken with sauces optional and added after cooking. A white sauce of vinegar and mayo is the Alabama signature sauce.
Memphis is all about spare ribs, whole roast hogs, and spicy tomato sauces.
Tennessee specializes in biscuits and hot chicken.
Kansas is famous for its burnt-end briskets and complex sauces to add to your meat if desired.
What Is the BBQ Capital of the World?
Self-proclaimed or not, Kansas City, Missouri, claims to be the Barbecue Capital of the World. Just don’t say that out loud in Lockhart, Texas. Or Buenos Aires. Or Brazil. Or Australia. Or South Africa.
How Do Texans Spice Their Barbeques?
Spices or sauces — do you slather them on or respect the product as it is? This never-ending and light-hearted question will impact which restaurant you choose to visit.
In Central Texas, traditionalists use salt and pepper, letting the meat and the pitmaster’s skills showcase the products’ flavors. Some people might sneak in some garlic powder or cayenne.
And then there is the saucy brigade. Elsewhere in the Lone Star state, you may find wide varieties of Texas-style barbecue sauce, a smoky, sweet sauce, usually tomato based and often with a spicy kick. There are also molasses-based sauces. Different restaurants have signature sauces to cater to different tastes.
But really, there’s no right or wrong to sauce. It’s your barbecue. Enjoy it as you wish.
Where Can I Learn Smoking Hot Texas BBQ Skills?
Some families pass down recipes and techniques while others like to experiment to find their perfect barbeque balance.
The University of Texas in Austin holds an annual three-day Barbecue Summer Camp in honor of the traditions and practices of the best BBQs in Texas. There is a scientific breakdown of the barbecue, classes about animal anatomy, and you can learn how to grade beef. Experts, from scientists to pit builders to pitmasters, give talks about seasonings, wood, smoke, rubs, hog preparations, and marinades.
It’s Time to Enjoy Good BBQ in Texas This Summer
Whichever way you look at it, Texans loves their barbecues. Or is that BBQ, bar-b-que, barbeque, or even barbacoa?
One thing’s for sure: the traditional Texas barbecue is once again evolving. Things rarely stay the same, and a new generation of pitmasters are bringing their distinct tastes and flavors to the market.
From its basic beginnings to its current place high on the culinary table, the Texas barbecue is to be enjoyed, much like a Texas summer. So fire up the grill and enjoy some great BBQ.
Brought to you by amigoenergy
All images licensed from Adobe Stock.
Featured image: