The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas

By Paula Forbes and Robert Strickland

The acclaimed food writer’s “go-to guide for Austin eating” shares classic and creative recipes from the city’s greatest restaurants (Publishers Weekly).

The story of Austin food is equal parts deep Texan traditions and a booming food scene. It is this atmosphere that has fostered some of the hottest restaurants in the country, a lively food truck community, and a renaissance in the most Texan of foods: barbecue.

Austin food is also tacos and Tex-Mex, old fashioned Southern cooking, street food and fine dining, with influences from all over the globe. Above all, it’s a source of pride and inspiration for chefs and diners alike.

Organized by Austin’s “major food groups”, The Austin Cookbook explores the roots of Texas food traditions and the restaurants that are reinventing them, revealing the secrets to Bob Armstrong dip, Odd Duck’s sweet potato nachos, East Side King’s beet fries, and of course, smoked brisket that has people lining up to eat it—even in the Texas summer.

Part cookbook, part restaurant guide, and 100 percent love letter, The Austin Cookbook is perfect for proud locals, curious visitors, and (t)ex-pats.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ABRAMS
• Release date: Mar 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781683352228

Book preview

CHAPTER

1

BARBECUE

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Barbecue

The smell of smoke curls up from every corner of Austin, whether it’s coming from a neighbor’s backyard or the barbecue trailer down the street. It’s a thin blue smoke, typically created by smoldering oak logs, and its scent is a hallmark of Austin just as much as live music, bats, and the University of Texas Long-horns. It wouldn’t be entirely out of the question to FOLLOW YOUR NOSE to amazing barbecue in this city.

For a long time, the most famous barbecue in Texas was just outside of Austin proper. Renowned restaurants like Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, City Market in Luling, and the famed Lockhart trio of Kreuz Market, Black’s Barbecue, and Smitty’s Market are all an easy drive from Austin.

But in 2009, everything changed. Aaron Franklin’s story is now the stuff of barbecue legend: Charming guy from Bryan, Texas, in square hipster glasses opens a barbecue trailer by the side of the freeway. Fueled by dozens of shots of espresso and the best post oak Central Texas has to offer, he made some maddeningly good barbecue.

Franklin Barbecue indeed proved to be just the beginning. It was now abundantly clear not only that Austinites wanted to eat high-quality craft barbecue, but that smoked meat fanatics were willing to fly into town and wait in long lines for the privilege. And in the years that followed, pitmasters got to work: Stiles Switch BBQ & Brew opened in 2011; La Barbecue and Micklethwait Craft Meats opened in 2012; Kerlin BBQ opened in 2013. And that’s just a small sampling. The result? Today Austin is a destination for barbecue fans from around the world.

The Trinity

As for what’s smoking? The holy trinity of TEXAS BARBECUE: brisket, ribs, and hot guts sausage, all three dressed up in little more than salt, pepper, and smoke.

Brisket is the most famous of these, a notoriously tricky cut of meat to smoke properly. But when you hit that sweet spot, when the fat renders properly and a bark sets up on the outside, when the tough meat finally gives in to hours and hours of low, smoky heat, it is the very FINEST thing to eat in the entire Lone Star State.

Ribs are either pork or beef. Pork ribs are cooked until tender but not falling-off-the-bone, lending themselves gorgeously to a light salt-and-pepper rub. Beef ribs are the gonzo option of Texas barbecue: I’m not joking when I say they are often the size of a small cat. Believe me when I say you’ll be fine with one to share.

HOT GUTS SAUSAGE is my personal favorite. Here, hot means spicy and guts means natural casings—Texans aren’t ones to mince words. They’re typically made with coarse-ground beef (sometimes mixed with pork) and the very best versions snap when you bite into them. When cooked, they’re often loaded with spicy red grease, so roll up your sleeves and grab some extra napkins.

Texas barbecue isn’t limited to these. You’ll also see pork shoulder; pork steaks; Czech, German, and Polish sausage; chicken; turkey (do not sleep on the turkey—sometimes it’s the best thing on the menu!); mutton; and even more creative options like smoked beets.

On the side, you’ve got old-school sliced white sandwich bread—often Texas brand Mrs. Baird’s, rarely but deliciously homemade—that is doled out by the half loaf. You’ve got onions and pickles, which you shouldn’t skip, as they’re your allies in cutting the rich fat of the meat. There will be sauce, either peppery and thin or thick and sweet, and its use is a controversial but personal decision everyone must make for him- or herself.

There are sides from coleslaw to potato salad, beans to mac ’n’ cheese. There might also be sandwiches loaded with chopped beef (brisket mixed with sauce) or sliced sausage, and baked potatoes piled high with the same. Beer is often BYO, although more and more Austin barbecue joints serve local brews such as Live Oak or Austin Beerworks. And for dessert, of course, there’s pie and banana pudding (see chapter 8).

Hope you saved room.

A Crash Course in Smoking Meat

THE SMOKER

It all starts with the smoker. The least frustrating way to develop your barbecue skills is to use the highest-quality offset smoker you can afford. But it will cost you more than those cheap, shiny black smokers you see parked outside the supermarket. Potentially a lot more.

The cheaper the pit, the thinner the metal, and the more the temperature will fluctuate over the course of your cook. If you have a thin-walled pit, explains Bill Kerlin of Kerlin BBQ, it’s going to be constant frustration trying to keep the temperatures consistent. The thicker the metal on your pit, the more it will cost, but the better it will hold a consistent temperature—perhaps the trickiest barbecue skill to master. In other words, you get what you pay for.

These recipes were tested on a mid-level store-bought metal offset smoker. I didn’t mess with my pit in any way, although a quick internet search will lead you to all kinds of modifications you can make to improve smokers. You can also use these recipes with a vertical or ceramic kamado smoker. Whatever you use, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using your