Prologue

 

Texas has a long history of meat and Barbecue. And when you’re in Austin you are never more than five minutes away from the nearest joint. The smell of wood smoked meat fills the air and every restaurant, no matter the cuisine, has some form of homage to this way of the land.

 

The Food

 

It’s tender, it’s moist, it’s rich, it fills the primal & evolutionary desire for meat. The Texas Barbecue process is anchored by low and slow smoking. Every meat spends countless hours being enveloped by the smoldering heat of fresh cut Texas wood. Not unlike the rings of a mature tree, a perfectly cooked cut will exhibit thick pink smoke rings that embody Texas BBQ’s reverence for time. In the Texas style of BBQ, dry rubs and smoked flavor reign supreme with varieties of sauces available to complement each bite. While there is something to be said about the char of an open-fire flamed piece of meat, combining BBQ and time produces an experience and outcome that otherwise cannot be matched. 

 

The Meats

 

Texas Barbecue has some unique meats and cuts to enjoy but the highlights are the “Starting Five”:  

• Sausage - fatty, salty, tasty, this is a well executed and uniquely Central Texas BBQ item stemming from the area’s German immigrant influences 

• Turkey - lean and flavorful, this isn’t your typical Thanksgiving bird 

• Pork ribs - sweet, smokey, and juicy. Orange hued with an unmistakable appeal

• Beef ribs - massive, rich hunks of meat that slide off the bone with a thick layer of savory dry rub

And last but not least…

• Brisket - moist and juicy, this is Texas BBQ’s pièce de résistance (more on this below)

 

Not to be outshined, these other contributors found on an ATX BBQ menu hold their own:

• Pulled Pork

• Smoke Prime Rib (this mythical beast is hard to catch, typically served on Sundays or weekend afternoons only)

• NY Strip

• Pork Loin

 

The Sides

 

Simple, complementary, and straight-shootin’:

• Beans - rich, moist rather than dry, sometimes with an extra serving of meat

• Potato Salad (both mustard and vinegar varieties depending on the joint) & Coleslaw - fresh and cold, help to cut the richness of the meats with a bit of tang

• Onions & Pickles - cool and crisp, help to refresh the palette in between meats and add a needed mid-bite flavor variance 

• Bread - a simple white slice to help sop up the sauce and juices

• Sauce - most places do 2-3 variations and some stick to just 1

  • Across Austin they range from smokey and spicy, to sweet and tangy, vinegar-based to mustard-based, and as untraditional as coffee-infused

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The Experience

 

The experience of a proper ATX BBQ joint is an overwhelmingly sensory and visual. And for the BBQ devout, it can be an awakening of sorts, a little more than spiritual, a little less than sexual. With a tray in hand (similar to what you held in your elementary school cafeteria line but blanketed in commercial parchment paper) you will be shuttled, much like the cattle you are about to consume, through a linear process sometimes more quickly than desired.

 

Forget your budget here because everything is eye-balled and charged by the pound. Sides are served a-la-carte and bread, onions, pickles provided by request. As you approach the final milestone, the meat counter, be ready to bring your A-game. The weak will be intimidated and the cool-heads will prevail. Before you will be your choice of meats in their final, unadulterated off-the-BBQ form; racks of Ribs, 15lb hunks of Brisket, rings of plump Sausage Links, etc.

 

Take a deep breath, look your Meat Attendant in the eye and begin. Start with the necessities, Brisket, lean or fatty (typically fatty is the way to go). On to your Ribs, 1-2 should do per person, a Beef Rib to share, and a Turkey slice to sample. Careful not to go overboard with the Sausage — these are rich and half a link (4-5 slices) should wet your whistle. 

 

You paid, you made it, you can now take your seat and admire your lucious mosaic of meats and accompaniments. In front of you awaits a riches of sustenance your entire bi-pedal ancestry would envy.

 

The Defining Moment

 

Having just witnessed a 15lb Brisket delicately jiggle and effortlessly give way to the Meat Attendant’s serrated knife, releasing the previously sealed juices onto the cutting board below, you direct your fork in fervent hunger to acquire and deliver the first forkful of Brisket to your lips and palette. It falls apart and melts upon entry — the bark, fats, proteins, seasoning, smoke, and time coalescing into the most succulent, meaty bite you’ve ever had. You henceforth know why Texas BBQ is different. 

 

Where To Go

 

• First timer? Go to Terry Black’s. The meats are grade A, the line is reasonable, and the experience is authentic

  • This is the place to get a Beef Rib and try the sweet and tangy sauce

• Looking to delve in and experience some of the finer points of Texas BBQ? Go to Franklin BBQ. The wait will be longer / ordering ahead required, however the craft, discipline, and flavor here make for some of ATX’s best meats 

  • Best Pork Rib and Fatty Brisket I’ve ever had

  • The house sauce is the way to go

• Want something easier to get in and out of? Go to Micklethwait Craft Meats in East Austin. It has a fun outdoor vibe with fantastic food and never too much of a wait 

• Looking for a fun little trip into the country-side? Go to Salt Lick in Driftwood 

• Are you crazy like me? Make the drive out to the original Cooper’s Old Time Pit BBQ in Llano, Texas 

  • The meat selection is diverse, their singular sauce is simple and on point, and it is a quintessential small town Texas experience

 

Best Enjoyed

 

After a swim at Barton Springs Pool or a Paddleboard on Ladybird Lake…

 

And paired with an afternoon nap

 

Pro Tip

 

Go earlier in the day when lines are shorter and to avoid any meat sell-outs

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Stay tender my friends,

Sloane

 

Peer Reviewers: Ian Stevenson, Joseph Poen