If you love meat cooked long and slow over a smoky fire but can't quite recreate that professional barbecue taste in your own backyard — we've got great news for you. David Rosengarten is editor-in-chief of the food newsletter, The Rosengarten Report, and he was invited to appear on "Today" to share a look at tasty Texas barbecue that can be delivered straight to your door. Here are some of his recommendations for the best barbecue to order by mail:
I truly believe that barbecue — which usually means to BBQ mavens, meat cooked long and slow over an indirect, low-temperature, smoky fire — is the single most important American contribution to world gastronomy. And I love all kinds of regional barbecue but, hold on to your ten-gallon hats, after tasting over 20 different regional producers, I am now convinced that Texas barbecue — that beef-centric, cowboy lovin’, yee-hah cluster of delight — is the best shippin’ barbecue in the U. S. of A.
Why?
The answer lies in the choice of meats for barbecue. Yes, they do pork ribs in Texas, but as Steve Raichlen observed in the New York Times last summer, “Ribs are an afterthought at most Texas barbecue restaurants.” The real heart of Texas barbecue is beef — particularly in the form of huge slabs of brisket, sometimes cooked as long as 24 hours to gently melt the collagen, to turn a chewy monster into a quivering hunk of tender, smoky velvet. I tell you, no homemade BBQ can top what these BBQ professionals are turning out of their blackened smoking pits!
There was plenty of good barbecue around my office — but here are the results of the best:
My favorite briskets were:
1. Willy Ray’s Beef Brisket 145 Interstate 10 NBeaumont, TX 77707409.832.7770 (tel.)www.willyraysbbq.com
2. Mikeska’s Barbecue Brisket4225 Hwy. 59El Campo, TX 77437979.543.8252 (tel.)800.388.2552 (toll-free)www.mikeskabbq.com
3. Kreuz Market Brisket619 N. Colorado St.Lockhart, TX 78644512.398.2361 (tel.)www.kreuzmarket.com
To reheat your brisket, tent foil around it and put it in a low, 250-degree oven (start making the cole slaw) and 90 minutes later you’ll have an insanely good chunk of ‘cue that tastes like it just came out of a pit in Beaumont!
Chicken is also a good shipper because it’s difficult to dry out. My favorite chickens were:
1. Willy Ray’s Smoked Chicken145 Interstate 10 NBeaumont, TX 77707409.832.7770 (tel.)www.willyraysbbq.com
2. Mikeska’s Barbecue Chicken4225 Hwy. 59El Campo , TX 77437979.543.8252 (tel.)800.388.2552 (toll-free)www.mikeskabbq.com
To reheat your chicken, tent foil around it and then a simple stay in a low oven (250-degrees) for about 20 minutes works perfectly.
I don’t normally associate pork roast with Texas 'cue but, Willy Ray’s Pork Roast was the top piece of BBQ in my entire tasting! You can serve this plain on a plate and it’s delicious!
1. Willy Ray’s Pork Roast145 Interstate 10 NBeaumont, TX 77707409.832.7770 (tel.)www.willyraysbbq.com
Reheat this with a foil tent in a 250-degree oven for about one hour.
Sausage is another great Texas BBQ item, my favorites were:
1. Willy Ray’s Pork Roast145 Interstate 10 NBeaumont, TX 77707409.832.7770 (tel.)www.willyraysbbq.com
2. Clem Mikeskas Homemade Sausage1217 S. 57th Temple, TX 76504254.778.5481 (tel.)800.344.4699 (toll-free)www.clembbq.com
To reheat these amazing sausages just throw them on the grill or under a broiler for a few minutes and the skin will be a little crunchy and the quick heating keeps the juices intact.
And last but not least, I tried some good old Texas pork ribs. My favorites were:
1. Clem Mikeskas BBQ Pork Ribs1217 S. 57th Temple, TX 76504254.778.5481 (tel.)800.344.4699 (toll-free)www.clembbq.com
2. Salt Lick’s Pork Ribs18001 FM 1826Driftwood, TX 78619512.894.3117 (tel.)888.725.8542 (toll-free)www.saltlickbbq.com
3. Cooper’s Pork Ribs604 West YoungTexas Hwy. 29Llano, TX 78643915.247.5713 (tel.)877.533.5553 (toll-free)www.coopersbbq.com
Reheating ribs without drying them out can be a little tricky. Cook them directly n a slow to medium grill, which brings back their on-site freshness. Just make sure that the outside doesn’t get too crusty before the inside is warmed. Brush a little BBQ sauce on the racks just before they’re done reheating.
Speaking of sauce…Texas barbecue sauce (if used at all) is tomato-based. It is medium thin to medium thick, with less sugar than you’ll find in other tomato-based BBQ sauces. I recommend the following:
1. Cap Ranch Gourmets Tangy Barbecue Sauce2018 S. BroadwayTyler, TX 75701903.592.3452 (tel.)800.874.9321 (toll-free)www.masimms.com
2. New Braunfels Smokehouse Texas BBQ Sauce441 N. GuentherNew Braunfels, TX 78131800.537.6932 (toll-free)www.nbsmokehouse.com
3. Red Mud Barbecue SauceTexasInaBox.comP.O. Box 62Floydada, TX 79235877.987.3324 (toll-free)www.texasinabox.com
4. Salt Lick’s BBQ Sauce18001 FM 1826Driftwood, TX 78619512.894.3117 (tel.)888.725.8542 (toll-free)www.saltlickbbq.com
For a complete copy of The Rosengarten Report “Wanted Texas Barbecue” and for more information about David Rosengarten, please visit his web site at: www.rosengartenreport.com/texasbbq