Texas Barbecue

Everyone loves Texas barbecue. But what exactly is barbecue? The word conjures up different flavors, meanings, and tastes depending on your location, experience and preferences. To some it means grilling a hot dog or hamburger over their hibachi or kettle grill, to others it is slow roasting a hog on a spit and to others it is roasting a marinated chicken on the gas grill.

Barbecue actually comes three cultures, the French and their “de barbe et queue”, the Spanish with their “barbacoa” and the Caribbeans with “barabicu”. The all mean the same thing which is roasting meat over a wood burning fire. Different regions of the country all have their own unique way of creating barbecue.  Some of those regions are Kansas City, Memphis, the Carolinas and of course, Texas.   In Texas the word usually means “beef” and of course, that is “Texas beef.” It also means barbecue sauce, which is a thick and sweet tomato based product. It also means a variety of herbs and spices and special seasonings which when all brought together means delicious.  It also means dry rubs matfrom salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, sugar and other secret special ingredients.  Mop sauces are also used during the cooking process and are often added after the meat as been cooking for two or three hours.  Ingredients basted on in this mop sauce include lemon, butter, bacon, beef broth, peppers and onions.  The meat is basted with this sauce and turned periodically over the course of 3 or 4 hours for maximum flavor and tenderness.

Texas bbq is also often referred to a “low and slow” which means low cooking temperatures and long cooking times.  It also means cooking by indirect heat, smoking the meat versus traditional grilling.   This method of cooking allows for the breaking down of  the collagen of the meat making it moist, tender and juicy. Smoking requires long cooking times such as 6, 7 or more hours of cooking.  The woods used for added flavor to the smoke are traditionally Texas woods such as mesquite, pecan, hickory and other Texas hardwoods.  These hardwoods and fruit woods are used in conjunction with charcoal and truly bring out the best flavor in the meats such as brisket, ribs and other less tender cuts of beef.

By using the above, Texas version of bbq, the meat comes out delicious, moist, tender and just falls off the bone.  It is not dry or tough but truly melts in your mouth.  No matter where you visit in Texas you can find a variety of great restaurants that serve and specialize in their own special Texas barbecue.