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New Texas Barbecue

By Suzanne Hall

You’ve got to love Texans. Ever since that brave band of patriots defended the Alamo to the death, Texans have been a proud and independent lot. They wear big hats and high boots. Even the women, walk with that slight swagger that clearly says "everything is better in Texas."

Take barbecue, for example. While most of the U.S. barbecue belt eats high off the hog, to a Texan "real" barbecue is beef. It might be brisket, ribs or sausage. But to be true Texas barbecue, it’s got to come from a steer. That’s the Texas way. That’s the long-standing Texas tradition.

Of course, Texans didn’t invent barbecue any more than the citizens of Kansas City or Memphis did. They can’t take credit for the term, either. That comes from the Indian and Spanish word barbacoa, meaning any smoked meat. In a show of true Texas independence, though, nowadays when residents of the Lone Star State say barbacoa, they mean a pit-smoked cow’s head. Alas, this delicacy is usually only found in South Texas and even there it’s rare.

Real barbecue, though, is served every day all over the Lone Star state. "In Texas, every little town has a barbecue joint or joints where they serve sliced brisket with beans, white bread, pickles and onions. The ones with refrigerators also serve slaw," says Suzanne Fain, owner and chef of A Moveable Feast in Houston.

A fourth generation Texan and the great-granddaughter of cattle ranchers, Fain loves the flavors of barbecue and incorporates them into the mainly vegetarian menu at her two natural foods cafes. "We take the foods of the Americas before the Europeans came in and introduced animal products and apply them to contemporary cuisine," she says. "One of the ways we do that is by using ingredients from traditional Texas barbecue. They help provide additional flavor in our vegetarian dishes."

Chipolte chiles, for example, are used to add a smoky flavor to barbecue sauce. A little Liquid Smoke achieves the same results for customers who want their cue without the heat. At A Moveable Feast, tomato-based barbecue sauce marinates the "meat" in barbecue sandwiches. That "meat," however, is neither beef nor pork, but wheat gluten.

Once marinated, the meat is thinly sliced then seared or grilled. Served on a bun with sauce, it comes with traditional barbecue sides like pinto beans, vegetarian potato salad (made with eggless mayonnaise), coleslaw and jalapeno cornbread. "We’ve been serving barbecue sandwiches and barbecue plates for eight or nine years," Fain says. "Our customers love them. Even my uncle, who is a rancher, thought our barbecue was beef."

While Fain’s barbecue may be quirkiest cue in Texas, it is not the only variation on the barbecue theme. Throughout the state, chefs are using traditional barbecue ingredients or cooking techniques to create some very non-traditional dishes. And, their Texas customers, in spite of their dedication to "real" barbecue, are eating them up.

"San Antonians have been getting more adventurous in the past five years or so," says Ed Ebert, executive chef at Zuni Grill on San Antonio’s famed River Walk. "Today, they’ll eat all kinds of different dishes, including different barbecues."

To take advantage of this more liberal palate, Ebert uses applewood to smoke whole salmon. Then he glazes fish with an Asian-style barbecue sauce and serves it on a bed of spicy noodles with mango-red chile-coconut broth. "The result is a dish that’s sweet and sour," he says.

For his barbecued shrimp, caramelized onion and smoked Gouda cheese pizza, Ebert uses a sauce of low-sodium soy sauce, local cottonwood honey, lime juice, a little chicken stock and chipolte chile puree.

Zuni Grill is part of Paesanos Restaurant Group with five units in San Antonio, one in Fort Worth and two in Aspen. At River Ranch Smokehouse & Market in San Antonio, the traditional first-cut beef brisket is marinated in a mixture of citrus juices, vinegar, brown sugar and seasonings, then slow-smoked for eight to 10 hours. Angeluna in Fort Worth features a menu of Mediterranean, Asian and Southwestern dishes. There, the barbecue with a twist is Jamaican jerk swordfish with conch-couscous fritters, black beans and mango salsa.

Jay McCarthy, of Jays Mestena in San Antonio is no stranger to the traditional barbecue of Jamaica. He was raised in that country. A Texan for the past 20 years, he serves jerk chicken on Indian flat bread with serrano-lime cream and spaghetti squash. His menu also includes barbecued duck quesadillas. McCarthy also has been known to turn Texas peaches into a sauce for meat or to top smoked strip steak with a cucumbers and papaya barbecue sauce.

"In Dallas people like all kinds of barbecue," says Paul Bleuer, executive chef at Dakota’s. For private parties, Bleuer serves smoked brisket with caraway cole slaw, ranch-style beans, mustard potato salad and jalapeno cornbread. On the regular menu, barbecue dishes are more upscale. But, they aren’t without some traditional elements.

Chicken, for example, is cold smoked then mixed with pasta. Quail is marinated in garlic, black pepper and olive oil for and grilled over mesquite. During the last half of the cooking, the quail is basted with honey pecan barbecue sauce. Additional sauce is brushed on right before the quail is presented to Dakota’s customers.

To make that barbecue sauce, Bleuer sautes onions, poblano peppers and garlic. Then adds brown sugar, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper, rosemary, pecans, honey, red wine vinegar, chicken stock and ketchup. He makes a similar sauce, using about half as many habanero peppers, for use on grilled rack of wild boar.

Hundreds of barbecue joints dot the rural and urban landscapes of Texas. Most do a booming business in traditional Texas barbecue. But increasingly, chefs like Fain, Ebert, McCarthy and Bleuer are exploring ways bring those traditional flavors into more upscale dining rooms. It’s a developing trend not only in Texas but around the country. It’s a way for creative chefs to please demanding customers by integrating traditional American dishes and ingredients into contemporary cuisine.

Note: Restaurants open and close their doors, chefs come and go and menus inevitably change. If you’d like to try some new Texas barbecue at one of these restaurants, here are the particulars. Be sure to call head, so you won’t be disappointed.

A Moveable Feast, 2202 W. Alabama, Houston (731-528-3585) and 9341 Katy Freeway, Houston (713-365-9790).

Zuni Grill, 511 River Walk, San Antonio (210-227-0864).

River Ranch Smokehouse and Market, 421 E. Commerce St., San Antonio (210-354-0077).

Jays Mestena, 7959 Broadway, San Antonio (210-822-7733).

Angeluna, 215 E. 4th St., Fort Worth (817-334-0080).

Dakota’s, 600 N. Akard St., Dallas (214-740-4001).

Images by S. Parks Hall

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