Texas BBQ

Texas barbecue refers to the segment of Texan cuisine that specializes in grilled and smoked meats, as well as the many side dishes that traditionally accompany them. Beef brisket, chicken and various pork products  like ribs, sausage are considered the state specialty.

Texan barbecue tradition runs deep in the Lone Star State, but it's only been in the past decade that the region's signature style has stolen the national smoked meat spotlight from the pork-minded pitmasters of Tennessee and the Carolinas. It's hard to understand what makes the state's barbecue unique if you haven't spent time in Central Texas, so here's everything you need to know to eat barbecue like a true Texan.

South Texas focuses on barbacoa, East Texas serves chopped beef, and West Texas cooks over direct heat in a style more akin to grilling. The food varies depending on where you are in the state, but when people use the term “Texas barbecue” it almost always translates the Central Texas-style of cooking brisket low and slow over indirect heat. Since you'll rarely see the others unless you're road-tripping to remote corners of the state, most of