Austin is celebrated for its diversity, driven by one of the world's largest urban universities and reflected in the "Keep Austin Weird" bumper stickers all over town. As the state capital, it's a city of politicians, and with its official nickname, The Live Music Capital of the World, it's a city of musicians.
Hugely popular with athletes but still in the heart of the Lone Star State, it's a place where cowboy boots and triathlon cycling shoes happily co-exist and yoga studios share the same street with beer gardens. It's the city where Whole Foods was born, where the X-Games are held, where the tech industry is booming, and the home of Formula One racing in the United States.
But most of all, it's a city of barbecue, the signature cuisine of Austin and its surrounding towns. The rapidly growing city seems to be all things to all people, and this spectrum is reflected in its smoky specialty. "Texas-style" barbecue is roadhouse dining dually driven by the cattle industry, with beef brisket the featured meat, and by 19th-century European immigrants who brought sausages.
But in Austin it has morphed into a scene where this tradition lives alongside fancy gourmet barbecue, casual barbecue, hipster food truck barbecue and barbecue served with a side of live music. They are smoking lamb, pork, turkey, ham, fish and even quail. If you can't find barbecue you like in Austin, you probably don't like barbecue.
Here are top places for four styles of BBQ dining:
Traditional Texas BBQ
The classic experience revolves around slow-smoked beef brisket and German-style sausage, and to a lesser degree pork ribs, all accompanied with simple sliced white bread and minimalist sides. But how it's served is as important as the menu: by tradition you order meats by weight and servers slice them straight from the pit onto sheets of butcher paper, which are topped with bread slices and pickles.
You take these meat-laden sheets to the dining room, where you find a seat and pick up any sides or drinks. The entire affair is self-serve, communal and often cavernous, usually with no sauces, no plates and few utensils except your hands.
Continue reading here: Austin's BBQ appeals to every taste.
Hugely popular with athletes but still in the heart of the Lone Star State, it's a place where cowboy boots and triathlon cycling shoes happily co-exist and yoga studios share the same street with beer gardens. It's the city where Whole Foods was born, where the X-Games are held, where the tech industry is booming, and the home of Formula One racing in the United States.
But most of all, it's a city of barbecue, the signature cuisine of Austin and its surrounding towns. The rapidly growing city seems to be all things to all people, and this spectrum is reflected in its smoky specialty. "Texas-style" barbecue is roadhouse dining dually driven by the cattle industry, with beef brisket the featured meat, and by 19th-century European immigrants who brought sausages.
But in Austin it has morphed into a scene where this tradition lives alongside fancy gourmet barbecue, casual barbecue, hipster food truck barbecue and barbecue served with a side of live music. They are smoking lamb, pork, turkey, ham, fish and even quail. If you can't find barbecue you like in Austin, you probably don't like barbecue.
Here are top places for four styles of BBQ dining:
Traditional Texas BBQ
The classic experience revolves around slow-smoked beef brisket and German-style sausage, and to a lesser degree pork ribs, all accompanied with simple sliced white bread and minimalist sides. But how it's served is as important as the menu: by tradition you order meats by weight and servers slice them straight from the pit onto sheets of butcher paper, which are topped with bread slices and pickles.
You take these meat-laden sheets to the dining room, where you find a seat and pick up any sides or drinks. The entire affair is self-serve, communal and often cavernous, usually with no sauces, no plates and few utensils except your hands.
Continue reading here: Austin's BBQ appeals to every taste.