Now, friends, I know what some of you are thinking. "What does this Massachusetts native and current resident of the Great State of Maine know about Texas Barbecue?" Well, old Commonmass here has an open secret: he spent nearly half of his life in Texas. And he loves good barbecue. Washed down, of course, with a Geary's Ale or Moxie and Rye, Maine style.
Part of the problem when one starts to talk about a "Texas Style" is the fact that there are lots of different opinions about just what that style is. So I'm going to generalize a little in this diary, but I think I have put my finger on a few things most of us can agree on.
Follow me over the fold for a little background, some techniques, and suggestions about affordable smokers that work very well for the recipes I will share with you.
Hungry yet?
Some Basic Distinguishing Marks of Texas Barbecue
The kind of barbecue I'm thinking of here really has its roots in Central Texas, specifically the Texas Hill Country, the area around Austin. This tradition is heavily influenced by the Czech and German immigrants who's communities dot the area--their "Painted Churches", many of them Lutheran, jazz up the Hill Country landscape and can actually be toured on a bus day-trip. (If you are ever traveling between Austin and Dallas on I-35 be sure to stop at the "Little Czech Bakery" in West, Texas, right off the interstate. Try the kolaches.) As a result, smoked sausage, generally of the Kielbasa variety, is always a component. Sometimes, at small country joints or in backyards during Deer season the sausage is made from venison. The mule deer that is so plentiful in Texas makes a wonderful sausage. It is just not Texas barbecue without the sausage.
Brisket and pork or beef ribs, smoked with a dry rub (sauce is not technically a component but is often served on the side) takes center stage, and traditionally all is served with pickles, raw sliced onions and a slice or two of white bread. For those who prefer a "soft" beverage rather than beer, iced tea--"sweet or un-sweet" as it's put in Texas--is always a good choice. Sometimes, I like a dry Rose wine from the south of France or from Spain to accompany the feast. But you will want a good beverage to wash it all down, and lots of it.
Smoking and Smokers
No, this is not a plug for Phillip Morris, nor is it a public service announcement from the American Lung Association. Texas barbecue is properly cooked slowly, over 8 to 12 hours, smoked over Mesquite wood, a scrubby tree which is ubiquitous in Texas and imparts a very distinct flavor. Hickory is sometimes used by heretics and immigrants from the Deep South. More on Mesquite later.
There are lots of different kinds of smokers, and serious barbecue people argue incessantly over which design is best. Recently, while visiting my friend and fellow Kossack Texas Blue Dot in Dallas, I had a 20 minute conversation about barbecue smokers with a total stranger in a pub. Email addresses (and rounds--beer, not ammunition) were exchanged and the debate is still going strong. But basically two kinds can be used: indirect smokers, where the firebox is on the side, and "wet-smokers" which have the fire directly underneath and a drip-pan which imparts humidity to the process when filled with beer, or, if you're from Fort Worth, Dr. Pepper. This is the kind of smoker I use here in Maine. A decent one can be had from your local hardware store for under a hundred dollars. When I get around to it and can afford it, I'm going to build a brick indirect-smokehouse here of the kind that dots the rural Texas landscape and so many other Southern states so that I can also cure hams and fish. I am very fond of kippered herring.
Aye, There's the Rub
A good dry rub is key to good Texas-style barbecue, and really quite easy to make. Stay away from commercial varieties which are full of all sorts of things that do nothing more than increase their shelf life at the grocer's and add nothing to the flavor. I make my own, and usually a little more than I need for one batch of barbecue. Because I do a lot of canning in season, I have lots of Ball and Mason jars around and find the spice mixture will keep quite well in a home-canning jar as the lids seal moisture out even without being heated.
While the mixture can be adjusted according to your personal preference, here's the basic road-map for my barbecue rub. Because I have never once measured the ingredients (and don't intend to start) here's what I do, and the quantity of spices you use should be based on the amount of meat to be cured. Experiment a little and discover for yourself what works best for your palate:
Commonmass' Basic Barbecue Rub
Equal parts of Ancho chili powder, sweet Hungarian paprika, good garlic powder and onion powder.
About a quarter to a third as much of ground black pepper and table or Kosher salt (if using Kosher salt, use a little more than you would with table salt).
Add Cayenne or hot Hungarian paprika to taste, according to how much bite you like in your barbecue, plus about a very scant handful of brown sugar to help things caramelize. Sometimes I add some cumin and a little Spanish smoked paprika, depending upon my mood.
Shake this up well in a jar or in a bowl with a wire whisk. If you're going to keep it, keep it away from heat, light and humidity. It gets better with age if kept under these conditions. DO NOT refrigerate it.
This is your first step in mastering the art of Texas barbecue.
A Note on Brisket, Ribs and Handling Your Meat
Good barbecue requires good meat. Beef ribs that can be found in most grocery stores tend to be naturally dry. Most pork ribs that you will come across, however, have a saline solution added. It is imperative with both kinds of ribs to pat them well dry with a cloth or paper towels, let them sit out a bit, and dry them again. The outside of the meat must be absolutely as dry as possible. The slow smoking and the rub assure that juices within the meat remain. The fattier the ribs, the better. Most of this fat will drip off, but through the meat keeping it moist. Ask your pharmacist or physician about the wonderful, advanced pharmaceuticals now on the market to counter-act the cholesterol, if you must, but you cannot make good barbecue with lean meat. It will be like eating the sole of a Bass weejun. Not even a Carolina-style mustard and vinegar sauce will make it palatable.
The same is true of brisket. In fact, with brisket, the fat is even more important. Here in New England, I find that most brisket that I can find has been trimmed of most of its fatty top for pot-roasting. Such a brisket can not be successfully smoked in the Texas style, or in any other for that matter. Some wholesalers, like the Boston Brisket Company in South Boston will sell to the public if you order it (Boston Brisket Company has fresh shipments each Tuesday) and I have found that many supermarket butchers will get you an un-trimmed brisket if you order it. Fat is your friend when smoking meat.
Applying the Rub
This you want to do the night before you smoke the meat. When it is as dry on the surface as you can get it, put a liberal handful on the meat and rub it in good. Do the same for the other side and on the sides. A pair of latex gloves will keep your hands from staining. When you have covered the meat with the rub, wrap it in waxed paper and allow it to cure overnight in the refrigerator.
Setting Up Your Smoker
In the morning, you want to prepare your fire. I use lump hardwood charcoal and mesquite chips, which you can find at the hardware store or in some places, the grocer's. These chips must be soaked in water for at least half an hour before being applied to the fire. You will want to have a constant supply of both charcoal and mesquite as the fire must be tended throughout the day to remain as even as possible.
When the fire is ready in the bottom of your wet-smoker, assemble it for cooking. Place the drip pan above, which can be filled part way with water or beer. A smoker like mine has two racks--I put the brisket on the bottom and the ribs on the top. The cover is then put in place. Sausage will go on for about the last hour of cooking.
When the smoker is assembled, the mesquite can be added through the side door of the smoker as well as additional charcoal to keep the fire going. All you will need to do now is to check the fire about every hour and add additional mesquite or charcoal. If it gets too hot (there should be a gauge on the lid indicating ideal temperature) open the side door a little.
The meat should smoke about 8 hours, more or less. Be sure to keep enough liquid in the drip pan.
It is likely that your ribs will be done before the brisket. They should be then wrapped tightly in foil and placed in a 200 degree oven. The brisket is done when a fork will penetrate it with ease. This should rest in a slow oven for about half an hour.
A Note on Sauce
As I mentioned above, the sauce is not a major component of this style of barbecue. If you like, some can be brushed on in the last half hour or so of cooking, or it may be served on the side. Here's a recipe for the sauce I serve which has a distinctly Texas flair:
Commonmass' Chipotle Barbecue Sauce
In your food processor combine one small strong onion, in large dice, four or five cloves of garlic, crushed with the blade of a knife, some chopped cilantro, some of the leftover rub to your taste, and two canned chipotle peppers with about 2 tablespoons of the sauce the peppers are canned in. Run the processor until the mixture is smooth.
Add this to one large can of tomato puree in a saucepan. To this add about half a cup of brown sugar and a quarter of a cup of cider vinegar, or to taste. Salt can be adjusted after it has cooked down a little. Simmer all of this together over low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. This sauce is very spicy.
Putting it All Together
Pickles and sliced sweet onion, and home-made white bread make good and traditional accompaniments. Sweet corn is also excellent. While the process takes some time and some tending, it is well worth the effort--especially when entertaining a crowd. I have smoked ribs and brisket for as few as four and, on one memorable occasion (a friend's 30th birthday party) for nearly one hundred people. Texas-style barbecue is sure to please all enthusiastic carnivores.
So, that's what's for dinner from my end--what's for dinner at your house? The floor, ladies and gentlemen, is all yours......
The inexpensive smoker I use here in Maine.