Texas BBQ Recipes: broken down region by region

Texas BBQ recipes or Texas style bbq is my personal favorite. But, then again, I grew up there.

Texas BBQ means beef, most notably brisket.

But also, Texas bbq recipes can include pork, the famous sausages of central Texas, most notably the Elgin “hot guts,” and even goat. Goat is so popular there it merits its own cook-off in Brady, Texas. Just like the bbq styles page states, the state of Texas can be broken down into regions, immigrants, and local foodstuffs.

Buy at AllPosters.com

But, as a general rule, Texas means brisket and beef and pork products, slow smoked over oak, pecan, mesquite, or hickory.

Now, let’s break that rule, and look at some of the sub-regions:

<<>>

• East Texas: East Texas BBQ recipes, primarily features pork products, especially spare ribs, but include beef. You can find mutton, a very gamey tough, but economic cut. Some cities still feature mutton on the menu, like Sam’s in Austin. Typically the meat in East Texas is cooked ‘till fall off the bone tender, and the sauce tends to be sweeter and tomato based.

• South Texas and the Rio Grande valley: This region is home to, obviously a huge Latino influence. Here you will find all of the featured Texas meats, but in addition goat – in the form of baby goat or cabrito. Also, whole beef head, barbecued often wrapped in burlap and buried, or barbacoa, is not only thought to be the actual root of the word barbecue, but a really delicious meat. In addition, this area boasts side dishes that are – surprise- more Mexican in flavor.

• Central Texas: Central Texas style bbq is thought by many (me) to be the very best of Texas bbq recipes. This area is home to some of the granddaddy restaurants like Kreuz market, Coopers, Luling City market, Louis Mueller, Blacks, Smitty’s, and the list goes on.

Influenced by the influx on Czech and German immigrants, Central Texas bbq relies on their meat handling techniques- like sausage. Also, many of these “restaurants” evolved from meat markets. The markets made use of the cheaper cuts by making the links or cooking the meats. It is because of this that in many places you’ll find the glorious system of just pointing to the meat you want or asking for the weight. And in some cases the meat will be served just on butcher paper and sauce free. (!)

West Texas: As you move west from central Texas- and in some of the central Texas joints like Coopers, you will find beef and pork, etc cooked directly although at more of a distance than your Webber grill, over the coals. The coals are made by burning down wood until they become coals which are shoveled into the cooker. Many believe, this style of cooking is a holdover from the cattle drives and cowboy cookery, hence the name cowboy style bbq.

Whichever bbq style you choose, or meat you prefer, you can find it in Texas!

Return from texas bbq recipes page to the bbq recipes for foodies home page