Summer of BBQ: Texas

By: Daniel Leetch | June 05 2010
Posted in Cook It - San Antonio, TX

Vegetarians and vegans are nice people. They care about animals and the environment, and they put healthy leafy food in their bodies. This article is not for the vegetarians and vegans. This article pays tribute to joy of eating meat. It acknowledges the intrinsic reaction that occurs in the deepest part of the human soul when teeth, tongue and taste buds meet perfectly charred, juicy steak.

Flickr

There is nothing quite like the smoky aroma of steak off the grill, as it fills your nostrils and awakens your being to the basic primeval joy of a meal. Like our ancestors before us, we have continued to pursue the art of cooking meat over an open fire, and nowhere on earth has this process been more fine-tuned than in the great state of Texas.

Texas is all about the meat. However, despite the abundance of available food for grilling, Texans take it slow when it comes to barbecuing. Beef brisket is one of Texas's most popular barbecue meats, and properly done, this normally tough cut cooks at low temperatures for 15 to 20 hours before it is transformed into a mouth-watering, fall-apart-tender pièce de résistance.

Where the magic happens. Photo: Flickr

In addition to this exercise in patience, Texas-style utilizes seasoned wood instead of charcoal to infuse smoky flavor into its trademark tender creations. The most popular smoke used is mesquite. In Texas, the goal is to take a relatively tough piece of meat, such as a brisket or pork shoulder, and turn it into an explosion of flavor, simply through the slow-smoking process. For this reason, it is considered taboo to use any sauces during the cooking phase of Texas-style barbecue. BBQ sauce is only served on the side as a complement to the slow-roasted carnivorous delight.

There are some factions of Texans that utilize a "dry rub" on their meat prior to the cooking process. Dry rubs can contain a variety of spices (standbys include paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper or nutmeg). These spices are combined and then rubbed into the meat prior to the mesquite-flavored smoke marathon.

The consumption of meat cooked over fire has the capability to transform your average meat-lover into someone with an utterly fulfilled existence. In light of this, Texas-style barbecue dominates all others. Texas has honed in on a delicious system of smoke, spices, patience and perseverance that turns regular pieces of meat into bites of tender, juicy and delectable happiness. Hats off to Texas.

San Antonio is full of smoky barbecue pits just waiting to be discovered. Each one will present their own unique flare to the world renown Texas BBQ style. If you're not quite sure where to start an excellent place to jump into San Antonio barbecue is, Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q. Order a half pound of their beef brisket or pork spare rib  and experience what true slow-cooked, smoke-infused Texas barbecue is all about!  

P.S. Don't forget to wash your meal down with a cold Shiner Bock brew. There's nothing like Texas beer to go with Texas barbecue.