Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Barbecue
Make no bones about it - Texas barbecue is an obsession. It's the subject of countless
newspaper and magazine articles, from national press including the
New York Times
to re-
gional favorite
Texas Monthly.
Some of central Texas' smaller towns - Lockhart and Elgin,
to name only two - maintain perennial reputations for their smokehouse cultures, and
routinely draw dedicated pilgrims from miles around.
No self-respecting Texan would agree with another about who has the best barbecue,
since that would take the fun out of it. But most do see eye to eye on a few things: brisket is
where a pit master proves his or her reputation; seasoning is rarely much more than salt,
pepper and something spicy; and if there's a sauce, it's probably made from ketchup, vineg-
ar and the drippings of the wood-smoked meat.
The best Texas barbecue often comes from famous family dynasties that have been dish-
ing up the same crowd-pleasing recipes for generations. Telltale signs that you've located
an authentic barbecue joint include zero decor, smoke-blackened ceilings, and laid-back
table manners (silverware optional). At most places, you can order a combination plate or
ask for specific meats to be sliced by the pound right in front of you. Of course, there are
variations on this nowadays, but in Texas, where barbecue baiting is a bit of a pastime,
some swear this down-home style is the only way.
However you like it - sliced thick onto butcher paper, slapped on picnic plates, doused
with a tangy sauce or eaten naturally flavorful right out of the smokehouse barbecue pit -
be sure to savor it…and then argue to the death that your way is the best way. Like a true
Texan.
History
The origins of central Texas barbecue can be traced to 19th-century Czech and German set-
tlers, many of whom were butchers. These settlers pioneered methods of smoking meat,
both to better preserve it (before the advent of refrigeration) and also to tenderize cuts that
might otherwise be wasted.
Credit also goes to Mexican
vaqueros
(Spanish-speaking cowboys), especially in Texas'
southern and western borderland regions, who dug the first barbecue pits in about the 16th
century, then grilled spicy meats over mesquite wood. African Americans who migrated to
