Did You Know That Tasty, Texas BBQ Is Really A German Thing?
The first BBQ-ers in Texas were actually German and Czech settlers who had no idea what their cooking style was going to become.
Yep, it's true ... some early Texans from Germany and Czechoslovakia were the ones who got the bbq ball rolling in Texas. A good number of Texans to this day are of German heritage and we're home to the most Czech - American citizens.
They brought with them a style of meat smoking that would get very popular in the 1800's and eventually morph into the bbq styles of today.
I say cooking styles ... plural ... because Texas has 4 distinct types of bbq styles.
According to culturetrip.com, it shakes down this way:
Central, South, East, and West Texas each have their own particular traits. Central Texas burns oak and pecan wood, while West Texas prefers mesquite. East Texas and South Texas barbecue emphasize sauce, but Central Texas barbecue is all about the rub. West Texas barbecue is usually cooked at a high temperature, and Central Texas barbecue is slowly smoked at a low heat.
Anyway, it all started with German and Czech immigrants making their way west who brought along a new style of preserving meat.
They don't get all the credit though as Mexican cooking styles led to barbacoa and freed slaves who settled in east Texas brought the basic ideas that would become that style.
Bottom line, your Dad may have taught you his way but the roots of it all go back through many generations and immigrants from different countries.
Some here by choice and others by force, it's thanks to them that dead animals are delicious ... especially in Texas.