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Why more Texas barbecue joints are making their own sausage

November 15, 2024 No Comments

Why more Texas barbecue joints are making their own sausage. One reason why barbecue is such a tough business is because the process of smoking meat can be wildly uneconomical. Take brisket, for example. A pitmaster receives a raw brisket that weighs 14 pounds. The brisket first needs to be trimmed of any extra fat and rough edges to ensure it cooks properly in the smoker. This results in about two pounds of fat being removed. After the brisket cooks for 12 or so hours, another five pounds of fat and moisture renders out of the brisket. The weight of the cooked brisket is now seven pounds. So the pitmaster

Brisket burnt ends from BBQ Godfather in Magnolia

Burnt ends are a blank canvas for pitmasters

November 12, 2024 No Comments

Burnt ends are a blank canvas for pitmasters. The story of American barbecue is often revealed in the way that discarded cuts of meat evolve into the traditional dishes of particular regional styles. Texas brisket is a classic example. As the beef industry gained momentum in the 1950s and more Americans were consuming meat, specific cuts were cleverly marketed to generate demand. “New York strip,” “filet mignon” and “chateaubriand” were fancy names given to certain cuts to increase their popularity (and price). Meanwhile, other cuts languished. Though brisket had a long history as the primary ingredient for pastrami and corned beef, it was slow to take hold in Texas barbecue.

Is Texas barbecue really that expensive? Not compared to fajitas

November 9, 2024 No Comments

In a recent post on social media, Brett’s BBQ Shop co-owner and general manager Jacqueline Herrera posed a question to customers and fellow restaurant owners: Why does it seem like diners nowadays are willing to pay up to $80 per pound for beef fajitas at their favorite Tex-Mex restaurant but complain about the perceived high cost of $30 per pound of brisket at their local barbecue joint? In addition to members of the dining public chiming in with their takes on the subject, several other barbecue joint owners and pitmasters shared their own frustrations with what can be described as the low “perceived value” of barbecue. They have a point. Let’s look at the numbers.

How ‘low and slow’ became the standard in cooking Texas barbecue

July 4, 2024 No Comments

Texas barbecue has many unique characteristics, mainly related to how it is cooked — low and slow — and how it tastes (salty and smoky). Central Texas-style barbecue is further characterized by the method used to cook the meat low and slow. Specifically, it uses a technique in which the heat source is separated (“offset”) from the chamber in which the meat is cooked. This process is known as “indirect” cooking or smoking, in which the heat and smoke from the fire flow over the meat to cook it, rather than being directly under it. This technique gave rise to the traditional cooking appliance of Central Texas-style barbecue: the offset

Are Texas barbecue joints thinking about not serving brisket? Maybe

June 8, 2024 No Comments

Texas barbecue has a math problem. Specifically, with the cost of brisket. Both in how much a pitmaster pays to acquire and cook the raw product and in what the customer pays to consume the finished product. First, a quick refresher on how brisket is made and sold. Conservatively, it costs a barbecue joint about $10 to produce a pound of high-grade brisket. This includes the wholesale price of raw brisket, the loss incurred when trimming and cooking it and other expenses, like salt and pepper and the wood needed to cook it. In order to cover the other costs of running a restaurant, specifically labor and overhead like rent,

How food safety helped push Texas barbecue cooks to use offset pits

June 7, 2024 No Comments

Above-ground brick pits with a firebox to the side (offset) of the cooking chamber is the quintessential cooking appliance of Central Texas-style barbecue. This device gave rise to “indirect-heat” cooking, in which heat and smoke flow horizontally over and around the meat, cooking and flavoring it, rather than the “direct-heat” method, in which the fire is directly under the meat (grilling). Why did barbecue in Central Texas, and later in other parts of the state, adopt this unique cooking method? There is no definitive answer, but piecing together the histories of both barbecue and culinary culture in Texas offers some clues. The earliest barbecue pits in Texas can be traced as far back

HOUBBQ News & Info

Why more Texas barbecue joints are making their own sausage

Burnt ends are a blank canvas for pitmasters

Is Texas barbecue really that expensive? Not compared to fajitas

How ‘low and slow’ became the standard in cooking Texas barbecue

Are Texas barbecue joints thinking about not serving brisket? Maybe

How food safety helped push Texas barbecue cooks to use offset pits

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