The Pit, the Wood, and the BBQ Joint

This week's post will cover some basic elements of Texas BBQ, the pit, wood, and characteristics to look for in good BBQ joint.

Stoking the fire @ Smitty's in Lockhart

The Pit
Barbecuing requires a pit to deliver indirect heat during the cooking process. Meat placed directly over the heat source is called grilling. So with that being said whatever type of pit is used it will usually have a fire box or be designed so the fire can be placed at the mouth of the pit away from the meat.

Types of Pits
The three most popular types of pits are, the barrel smoker, commercial grade stainless pit, and the brick-lined floor pits.
  The barrel pit usually in a shed at some places or on a trailer in others is of simple design with a fire box on one side connected to a long barrel-shaped metal pit.
The commercial stainless pit can be found many times in the BBQ chains in cities.  These pits are a bit safer and allow the pit to be located inside the restaurant.  Again these have a fire box on the side and the pit itself has a number of grates set at different levels to hold the the meat.
  Some rotate but most are stationary allowing the pit master to move the meat during the cooking process.

Commercial-grade pit at my uncle's lake house

The last type of pit is the brick-lined floor pit commonly found in Central Texas BBQ joints.  The design is simple, rectangular brick walled pit on a concrete floor with one end of the pit open to act as the firebox.  Grates are placed across the top of the pit to hold the meat and heavy metal plates cover the pit with pulleys attached for opening and closing the pit.
Of course all of these pits have smokestacks that can be opened or closed in order to help regulate the heat of the pit.  BBQ requires low temperature and long cook-times and controlling the temp is important.

Some pics of types of pits:

Aaron Franklin and his barrel pit @ Franklin BBQ, Austin

Brick Floor Pits @ Kreuz Market, Lockhart

Pit Age and the Pit Fire

I am a firm believer in the older the pit the better the BBQ.  Daily use of the same pit seasons the pit similair to seasoning a cast iron pan.  The years and decades of smoke, moisture, and meat grease builds up on a pit and adds flavor to the meat.  Now you can't always know how old the pit is by the "founding" date that most places put on their signs or merchandise because of a little thing known as a pit fire.  Those "seasonings" I was just talking about can be quite the accelerant for a pit fire.  Some pit fires require the building of a new pit or in the worst case scenarios a new facility. But don't fret BBQ fans, if a place burns down they just rebuild it usually bigger and better than before. Some places have been rebuilt more than just once!

The Wood

Well it's not rocket science, you need a fuel source to barbecue.  That fuel source is wood.  The type of wood used really depends on where you are in Texas. It makes sense, you use whatever kind of wood is available in the immediate area. So lets take a quick tour of BBQ regions of Texas:

Wood stacks @ Kreuz Market in Lockhart

West Texas

Mesquite is the wood of choice in West Texas. Pit masters use mesquite for the "cowboy style" of BBQ found in this region.  Mesquite flavors the beef, goat, and mutton associated with West Texas BBQ.

Wood outside of Smitty's in Lockhart

Central Texas

The Germans and Czechs of Central Texas use oak, post oak, and pecan to flavor their spiced rubbed meats like brisket, ribs, and sausage. Very large wood supplies can be found just outside the old European-style meat markets turned BBQ joints in the "The Barbecue Capital of Texas" AKA Lockhart,TX.

Southside Market in Elgin

East Texas

The former plantation area of East Texas boasts great chopped beef sandwiches and ribs with meat falling off the bone and  requires hickory or pecan wood.

Charcoal

Another fuel source used in Texas BBQ is charcoal.  Of course it still comes from wood and yes a lot of us use it in our grills in the backyard but one joint I've visited on many of occasions makes it's own.  Cooper's in Llano uses and makes charcoal to fire their pits on somewhat of a grand scale. If you like, check out the wiki link on charcoal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal

Charcoal stacks @ Cooper's

Cooper's wood pallets in Llano

The BBQ Joint

Kreuz Market in Lockhart

There are some characteristics that should be taken into consideration when trying a BBQ place for the first time.  Whether you're planning a trip or want to make an unplanned stop for lunch you should look for these characteristics - word of mouth, a line, a wood pile, beer?,soda selection, and atmosphere.

Signed poster by Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives @ Louie Muller BBQ

Word of Mouth

The best and cheapest form of advertising for a restaurant is "word of mouth".  Of course word of mouth can now also mean cable travel and food shows. It was shows like these that peaked my interest in starting to take BBQ road trips. Just enter "BBQ" in your DVR and you should have multiple programs to choose . The Travel Channel has multiple series that cover BBQ and Texas is almost always included in each show.

The line at Cooper's in Llano

The Line

Don't let a line scare you away.  It's a great indicator for how  good a place is. The line usually moves pretty fast and you can also pass the time by enjoying a frosty beer in those municipalities that allow that sort of thing.  Some places will even sell beer in the line. If you can't enjoy a beer you can kill some time by talking to your fellow BBQ parishioners about what else, BBQ! My all-time longest wait time in a line was two and a half hours at Franklin BBQ in Austin.  Was the wait worth it you might ask? Yes, yes it was.

Wood stacks at Rudy's

The Wood Pile

Check outside and sometimes inside for the wood pile.  It ain't BBQ if it ain't smoked with wood.  The larger establishments will keep their wood outside due to the sheer volume they do. 

The father of the Bock

Enjoying one in line at JMueller's - Austin

Sunkist @ Louie Mueller in Taylor

 Beer?

Most places will have beer and the usual selection of domestics, but...the authentic Texas BBQ joints will have more than just one kind of Texas beer as part of their line-up.  Shiner Premium, Lone Star, and maybe even a local Micro-brew should be available. Beer goes oh so well with good BBQ!

Dr Pepper @ City Market in Luling

Soda Selection

Adding to the authentic Texas BBQ experience, places that carry Dr Pepper products make for a good choice for your BBQ enjoyment.  As far as sodas go you can't get more Texas than Dr Pepper. Products to look for: Dr Pepper, RC Cola, Sunkist, Big Red, and 7-Up.

One Thought on Iced Tea

Working in the restaurant industry myself I'd like to give a tip on iced tea.  I love me some iced tea but depending on how big the town is you might be taking your chances if you drink the tea.  The smaller municipalities don't always have the strictest health codes and you can risk getting yourself sick from old tea.  If you have any doubt just grab a soda or better yet an ice cold beer.

Atmosphere

Who cares,

You're there to eat BBQ, not enjoy the ambiance!

Dining room @ Stanley's in Tyler

Line & dining room at Louie Mueller BBQ, Taylor

Next week I'll be covering the Holy Trinity of Texas BBQ!

Until next week BBQ fans!