Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket

Bridwell Texas History Series

by Elizabeth S.D. Engelhardt

Winner, Barbara Sudler Award, Colorado Historical Society, 2010 It's no overstatement to say that the state of Texas is a republic of barbecue. Whether it's brisket, sausage, ribs, or chicken, barbecue feeds friends while they catch up, soothes tensions at political events, fuels community festivals, sustains workers of all classes, celebrates brides and grooms, and even supports churches. Recognizing just how central barbecue is to Texas's cultural life, Elizabeth Engelhardt and a team of eleven graduate students from the University of Texas at Austin set out to discover and describe what barbecue has meant to Texans ever since they first smoked a beef brisket. Republic of Barbecue presents a fascinating, multifaceted portrait of the world of barbecue in Central Texas. The authors look at everything from legendary barbecue joints in places such as Taylor and Lockhart to feedlots, ultra-modern sausage factories, and sustainable forests growing hardwoods for barbecue pits. They talk to pit masters and proprietors, who share the secrets of barbecue in their own words. Like side dishes to the first-person stories, short essays by the authors explore a myriad of barbecue's themes—food history, manliness and meat, technology, nostalgia, civil rights, small-town Texas identity, barbecue's connection to music, favorite drinks such as Big Red, Dr. Pepper, Shiner Bock, and Lone Star beer—to mention only a few. An ode to Texas barbecue in films, a celebration of sports and barbecue, and a pie chart of the desserts that accompany brisket all find homes in the sidebars of the book, while photographic portraits of people and places bring readers face-to-face with the culture of barbecue.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks

255 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2009

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me a long time to get through because I put it down for most of the winter - too torturous to not be able to cook. Even then I feel like this one is a bit of a struggle compared to some of my other books. It’s a series of essays and interviews about (mostly Central) Texas BBQ. Not bad but definitely different. I liked some of the sections on non-restauranteur parts of the bbq supply chain (loggers, ranchers, and pit fabricators). Note that there are no recipes whatsoever.

[May-Ling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a treasure. There are so many primary source interviews with central Texas barbecue restaurant owners. Beyond that, you also get to hear from cattle ranchers, timber experts, and others involved with barbecue in the state.

I think even non-Texans would enjoy these stories, and by then end you'll be impressed with the seriousness around barbecue. Plus, you'll be equipped to plan a road trip eating your way through central Texas.

My only tiny complaint are the essays interspersed between the interviews. Since they are written by graduate students, the voice and quality are pretty inconsistent from story to story, so you might find yourself skipping one from time to time.

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to rate this, as I read it for work for a book award nomination...but the graphic design was fabulous, and the interviews were really interesting. salivated for the first couple chapters, and then i moved on...but it did give a full picture of the bbq process in central Texas, and it was enjoyable. a good coffee table book. not essential reading

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting study of BBQ food culture in the Austin area. It's a compilation of interviews, essays and great photographs.