At Dickey’s, we pride ourselves on our delicious Texas-style barbecue dishes like pulled pork, brisket and ribs. But what exactly does “Texas-style” mean?
Turns out, there are several different types of barbecue, and each style is unique. Each style has different cooking methods, different spice rubs and most noticeably, different sauces.
Barbecue made its way to the United States with African slaves, and first appeared in the Carolinas in the 17th century. The word “barbecue” actually comes from the Arawak-Carib word barbracot. This style of slow-cooking meat began to spread across the South, but didn’t take off in Texas for quite a while.
In the early 19th century, German and Czech settlers moved into the central part of Texas. Many opened European-style meat markets, and would smoke the leftover cuts of pork and beef to sell to hungry shoppers. Most of these markets used oak and pecan wood to smoke their meat, though the preferred choice today is hickory.
Texas barbecue tends to focus predominately on the meat, with sauce invented as a bit of an afterthought. The early meat markets were dominated by the upper classes, who could afford the highest-quality meats. Because of the meat was so flavorful, sauce wasn’t really needed. Even today, Texas-style barbecue is served most often without sauce, or with sauce as a condiment on the side. The sauce is a bit thinner and less sweet than sauces found elsewhere, and relies less on the flavors of molasses, sugar and corn syrup to provide sweetness.
Even within Texas, there are variations on the barbecue tradition. Many BBQ joints serve sliced white bread with every order for sopping up extra juices (at Dickey’s you’ll get one of our delicious rolls!). In West Texas, you’ll find “cowboy style” served, which uses more direct heat than the traditional low-and-slow. Folks in East Texas chop their meat, instead of slicing it, and down on the southern border, you’ll find barbecue with a Mexican flare.
At Dickey’s, we proudly smoke our meats for hours over hickory chips, and then serve 
them up freshly sliced, so they stay moist and juicy. Top them with one of our three Texas-style sauces, or pile the meat on top of your roll for a delicious sandwich. However you choose to eat it, we’re sure you’ll fall in love with Texas-style barbecue!