The Essential Guide to Texas Barbecue

Texas barbecue is synonymous with backyard barbecues featuring beefy main characters. However, the tradition dates back to the state’s earliest influences from Native Americans and immigrants. There’s more than one kind of Texas barbecue. The state has four main styles, with the meat as the sole ingredient.

Styles vary from region to region. East Texans marinate their meat before slow-cooking it until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. West Texans cook over an open fire with mesquite. South Texans combine Mexican influences with a barbacoa-style. And Central Texas ‘cue receives its smoky taste from hardwoods such as mesquite and post oak wood smoldering inside an offset smoker.

Aaron Franklin explains how to smoke Texas-style Brisket.

Central Texas barbecue is the original style of Texas barbecue. Tradition dates back to the mid-19th century when German and Czech immigrants settled in Texas and wanted a way to preserve their surplus of beef. Bryan Bracewell is the owner and pitmaster at Southside Market & Barbeque, the oldest barbecue restaurant in Texas. “The sausages and BBQ were just derivatives of fresh meat without refrigeration.” Smoking the meat or sausage to make barbecue was the fastest and easiest way to preserve the product to sell the next day.

Texas barbecue began with the preservation of a tradition. Southside began as a German butchery in a small town in 1882. They sold meat from a horse-drawn cart to people’s doors. In 1886, they opened a brick-and-mortar shop to sell smoked meats at the back of the store. Bracewell says, “They were not restaurants; they were meat markets.”

Texas barbecue is still characterized by its focus on the meat. The sauce will be served as a side condiment, so that the meat won’t be disturbed until it’s absolutely necessary. In Texas, the star is beef (brisket, all-beef sausage, blended sausages with beef, beef ribs, etc.). Pork, chicken, and other proteins are also found on most pits today. As long as the meat is on the plate, you can serve any side dish. Texas barbecue sides include everything from traditional staples like coleslaw and pickles to potato salad and fresh onions. They can also include salsas, curried vegetables, kimchis, or elotes. You’ll often be served white bread as a side dish, a tradition that dates back to the original meat markets in Texas. However, freshly made tortillas have been gaining popularity throughout the state.

Meet the Women Leading Texas Barbecue

There’s no doubt that in a huge state like Texas, where there are so many opinions on the best barbecues to try, there must be some stops you can make along your Texas BBQ trail. Visit these places to taste the best Texas barbecue.

The female-owned restaurant got its start in 2011 as a food trailer when Ali Clem, the owner, and her partner, LeAnn Mueller, started dating and smoking meat on their own terms. Clem, who has served Central Texas barbecue for years, continues to use La Barbecue’s signature, savory (never sugary) rubs and serve side dishes that are inspired by the couple’s travels around the world (i.e., quick sweet pepper cucumber Kimchi or Oaxacan style black beans). The three housemade sausages, especially the jalapeno one that uses pickled jalapenos for spice, are local favorites. But lately, the crispy brisket trims on top of their award-winning sliders have been the most popular.

Evan LeRoy, co-owner of New School Texas BBQ, is often seen behind his offset smokehouse where world-famous Pitmasters line up to try his latest creations. LeRoy, a Californian born but a Texan from the age of five, grew up watching his father cook barbecue in the backyard. In 2017, he and his wife, Lindsey, opened LeRoy and Lewis with Sawyer and Nathan Lewis. All of their meat comes from small, responsible Texas purveyors. Favorite dishes include direct-smoked, smoked chicken, and cauliflower “burnt end” with beet BBQ sauce and kimchi.

The corporate business of this East Texas staple continues to flourish even after Roland Lindsey’s death, thanks to Nancy and Madilynne, who manage the corporate operations. Lindsey opened Bodacious on Mobberly Avenue, Longview, in 1968. Today, his grandson-in-law Spencer Halling runs the original location. He makes house-made sausages that snap with satisfaction and a saucy, sliced or chopped brisket sandwich. The Mel-Man, a sandwich consisting of a generous amount of chopped brisket and a hot link between buns, has become a local favorite over the years. Dr. Pepper burnt end, and spicy pinto bean are also a winning combination.

Bryan Bracewell, the owner and pitmaster, has a meat science degree from Texas A&M University. But more importantly, Bryan comes from a lineage of pitmasters who smoked meat in Central Texas’ original way. Southside, the oldest barbecue restaurant in Texas with four locations, continues to remain true to its meat market roots by selling raw cuts and smoked to perfection goodness out the back. The brisket can be ordered moist, lean, or mixed. It is smoked over post oak for 14 hours. The menu includes lamb ribs and smoked turkey. They also have a bacon-wrapped pork sausage that is stuffed with a cheddar-stuffed jalapeno. But their most popular plate is the Texas Trinity, which includes sausage, pork, and brisket, served with white bread and sauce.

Vera’s, the only restaurant still in Texas allowed to cook in an underground pit (also known as “en pozo”), is in a unique position. Its signature South Texas barbacoa dish, which involves slow-cooking an entire cow head “en pozzo,” is served with freshly made flour or corn tortillas along with a spicy trio of salsas. Armando Vera has been working at the Brownsville restaurant with his parents, Alberto and Carmen Vera, since he was an adolescent, learning how to smoke meats alongside them. He then took over. Vera’s is known for its many awards, both state and national. Many of the best parts of the head, such as cheeks, lips, and tongue, are sold out within minutes of opening, even though the restaurant is only open on weekends.