I want to adapt the Texan style barbecue here in our place. Aside from the smoky flavor, what characteristics should I consider in order to tell people that it is an authentic Texan style barbecue? (noticeable flavor, texture, sauce?, etc.)
The problem with Texas is it is subdivided into 4 different regions of BBQ. Typically, when I think of Texas Q what comes to mind is: Hickory, oak or mesquite wood, salt/pepper rub, no sauce and brisket being the go-to meat.
Always good to have some thin mop sauce (Meathead's Texas Juice) to dip into when eating and to add to left overs when freezing. That Cooper's place in Llano, Tx, highlighted by Meathead, is not far away and is one of my favorites. Mop sauce should be "good enough to drink straight," and, doggone if I didn't just buy a bottle of Irish whiskey (mainly to make Bailey's to taste).
Central Texas Hill country fare. And Bailey's is Irish whiskey, Kahlua and fine maiden cream (from a cow). I like it over crushed ice, heading to Christmas season, and by the time I think my mix "tastes really good" I've already mixed up a twenty ounce glass.
Depends on the region of Texas. In general a heavy pepper presence, with oak and mesquite for beef. Chili and cumin is added the more northeast and northwest you get. Even the pork is a spicier rub than most. Heavy smoke flavor as well. Sauce is well optional at best. We do a lot of hot sausages as well. Remember, beef, pepper, and oak are king, you can branch out from there.
I've tried chicken and ribs only with some chunks of mesquite mixed with charcoal. My mix is SPG with some brown sugar and cayenne, it was good but came out spicy to some, so need to make some adjustments on my rub.
So basically Texas style BBQ is just more on the peppery flavor and the smoky flavor, and other adjustments are to your own liking.
There's something that throws me: Most recipes for BBQ on here call for ounces of smoking wood. Today I blew through fifteen pounds of split post oak and about ten pounds of other woods including hickory, pecan, mesquite, and apple. That's for one fourteen pound brisket and twenty pounds of bacon. I use some charcoal to get the fire going. It is a stick burner with three smoke boxes in series...so it does require flames in the fire box to carry heat all the way through. And now a quandary....I wrapped the brisket in paper with one outer wrap of foil (wanted some smoky drip for my Texas mop sauce), first time I ever wrapped, at about 160F...seems I beat the stall and within a few hours I had 190F...well, I wanted crisp bark so I unwrapped it in a box holding 275F...the damn brisket promptly dropped back to 170F, as though it had just shaken off a too hot coat. I can only hypothesize that freed of its steamy wrap, the 190F promptly evaporated the moisture I'd saved, and put me back in the stall where I'd have been if never wrapped. I did get the smoky drippings to add to the mop sauce!
Yep, it's probe tender now, after fifteen hours at box temp over 230 (started at 325 to get it going). It's ten o'clock now and it hit the 190 wrapped at four thirty before the collapse to 170 when unwrapped. This was a nicely trimmed Angus brisket. I'm pretty sure it will be okay...LOL!
Its about the meat mainly. Try mesquite wood on the chicken with equal parts course pepper, kosher salt. Then a bit of chipotle powder, a bit of garlic powder, a double bit of cumin, and a triple bit of brown sugar. Add a little stylin with mexican oregano and a smidge of msg. Smoke at 325 over a clean mesquite fire. Use mayo as the binder on the chicken.
were they beef or pork ribs? You need to get into beef and sausage.
Last edited by texastweeter; November 19, 2018, 09:59 PM.
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I would look at what Aaron Franklin does. There is some youtube videos he has done that are pretty informative. All about the trimming and just a big load of salt and pepper.
Mostly centers around brisket or short-ribs (dinosaur bones) these are huge beef short ribs. Pork ribs are typically over done here and on the fall off the bone variety. Sausage usually hot with cheddar and jalapeno.
Seasoning: salt and pepper and a lot of it.
Smoke: Mostly pure post oak. Sometimes throw in some pecan or hickory. Usually offset smoker type.
Sauce: What is that??? Places still have it but the idea is the meat should be so good you do not need it.
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