Republic of Barbecue

by Engelhardt, Elizabeth S. D.; Abrahams, Marsha (CON); Bendele, Marvin C. (CON); Benke, Gavin (CON); Busch, Andrew M. (CON)

• ISBN13: 9780292719989
• ISBN10: 0292719981
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-15
• Publisher: Univ of Texas Pr

Summary

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 Barbecuepresents 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.