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Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from the Pit Bosses
Welcome to Texas barbecue. They love to make it. They love to eat it. And they love to argue about it-igniting as many feuds as fires from Houston to El Paso. Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook delivers both a practical cookbook and a guided tour of Texas barbecue lore, giving readers straightforward advice right from the pit masters themselves. Their time-honored tips, along with 85 closely guarded recipes, reveal a lip-smacking feast of smoked meats, savory side dishes, and an awesome array of mops, sauces, and rubs. Their opinions are outspoken, their stories outlandish and hilarious. Fascinating archival photography looks back over more than 100 years of barbecue history, from the first turn of the century squirrel roasts to candid shots of Lyndon Johnson chowing down on a plate of ribs. A list of the best barbecue joints and a month-by-month rundown of the most influential statewide cook-offs round out this glorious celebration of barbecue found deep in the heart of Texas.
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2002
144 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Robb Walsh
22 books13 followersRobb Walsh is the author of four previous Texas cookbooks, including The Tex-Mex Cookbook. He is also the food critic for the Houston Press.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 27, 2018
I have yet to make any of the recipes in this book, although I have added many to my internal wiki where I keep track of recipes I'd like to make and notes on recipes I have made. What makes this book special and warranted the 4 star rating is that it's a book documenting the past and present of Texas Barbecue. So while my treasured Meathead BBQ book is about the science of cooking, this one doesn't really guide you to BBQ; it assumes anyone who buys this book is already enough of a BBQ nerd.
It was fascinating to read about all the different cultures that came together to make the types of BBQ you can find in Texas: Mexicans, Germans, Southerners and their slaves, and the cattlemen of the 1870s. It's also slightly sad to read about all these strains because many of them have disappeared due to various forces like tourists expecting southern style BBQ or the health department regulating away open pit BBQs. And so this book serves as a time capsule and a documentation of the way things have been and currently are in case anyone wants to resurrect a particular style in the future. As someone who's both a history and a food nerd, it was cool to see how each style of BBQ came from certain needs and constraints. Either the food that was available to a class of people or the food they brought from the home country. Or, in the case of the meat markets, feeding migrant farm workers cheaply.
I'd recommend to any meat-eating Texan, any BBQ geek/nerd, and anyone who likes to know the history of the food they're cooking. I may add a post script after I make some recipes on the recipes themselves. They definitely are less hand-hold-y than lots of other cookbooks I've been reading recently.
It was fascinating to read about all the different cultures that came together to make the types of BBQ you can find in Texas: Mexicans, Germans, Southerners and their slaves, and the cattlemen of the 1870s. It's also slightly sad to read about all these strains because many of them have disappeared due to various forces like tourists expecting southern style BBQ or the health department regulating away open pit BBQs. And so this book serves as a time capsule and a documentation of the way things have been and currently are in case anyone wants to resurrect a particular style in the future. As someone who's both a history and a food nerd, it was cool to see how each style of BBQ came from certain needs and constraints. Either the food that was available to a class of people or the food they brought from the home country. Or, in the case of the meat markets, feeding migrant farm workers cheaply.
I'd recommend to any meat-eating Texan, any BBQ geek/nerd, and anyone who likes to know the history of the food they're cooking. I may add a post script after I make some recipes on the recipes themselves. They definitely are less hand-hold-y than lots of other cookbooks I've been reading recently.
August 16, 2023
As a result of re-reading this wonderful book, we are now on the search for a small backyard smoker. We also wish we could take a long long driving holiday in Texas, just to go to various Barbecue Joints, Meat Markets, and Smokehouses. We neeeed to try Elgin hot links. And real brisket. And pecan-smoked ribs. And....
The sepia photographs alone are worth the price of the book. But, of course, it's the legends in the sidebars and the introductions to each of the chapters and recipes that make this book a keeper. Who knew there were so many different kinds of barbecue? Or why some of the places don't serve sides, or provide plates and utensils. Or that "buccaneers" is Old French for "barbecuer"! (see p.234 for the full story)
It is surprising though, just how many of the recipes call for commercial hot sauces, pre-made rubs, and canned vegetables.
We LOVE the "Texas-Size Cole Slaw" recipe that calls for 12 heads of cabbage. And the "32 Pounds of Dry Rub" recipe that starts with a 25 pound bag of salt and a pound of chili powder. But these are rarities. Happily, most of the recipes have been pared down for backyard cooking.
Even the glossary is worthwhile reading from start to finish. The section on beans (to salt or not to salt, to pre-soak or not to pre-soak) is particularly fascinating.
We haven't got our smoker yet. But while we wait, I think we must make these sides:
Chipotle Ketchup, p.87
Valley Verde Sauce, p.88
Barbecued Tomato Salsa, p.90
Turnip Greens, p.129
The sepia photographs alone are worth the price of the book. But, of course, it's the legends in the sidebars and the introductions to each of the chapters and recipes that make this book a keeper. Who knew there were so many different kinds of barbecue? Or why some of the places don't serve sides, or provide plates and utensils. Or that "buccaneers" is Old French for "barbecuer"! (see p.234 for the full story)
It is surprising though, just how many of the recipes call for commercial hot sauces, pre-made rubs, and canned vegetables.
We LOVE the "Texas-Size Cole Slaw" recipe that calls for 12 heads of cabbage. And the "32 Pounds of Dry Rub" recipe that starts with a 25 pound bag of salt and a pound of chili powder. But these are rarities. Happily, most of the recipes have been pared down for backyard cooking.
Even the glossary is worthwhile reading from start to finish. The section on beans (to salt or not to salt, to pre-soak or not to pre-soak) is particularly fascinating.
We haven't got our smoker yet. But while we wait, I think we must make these sides:
Chipotle Ketchup, p.87
Valley Verde Sauce, p.88
Barbecued Tomato Salsa, p.90
Turnip Greens, p.129
The pickers descended on the grocery stores and meat markets of the small towns where they worked, looking for anything that was ready to eat. Their favorites were the smoked cuts and sausages at the meat market, which they ate right off tof the butcher paper with crackers, white bread, pickles, and whatever else they could find on the store's shelves. [...]
"Cotton pickers ate at the meat markets because they weren't allowed in the restaurants,' said Joe Capello, the manager of City Market in Luling. "They bought their meat out of the back door and then they sat on the ground in the parking lot and ate it right there." [Feeding the Cotton Pickers, p.154,156]
~ ~ ~ ~
The screen door slams behind me, and it takes a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darness inside. At John's Country Store in Egypt, just north of Wharton, there are antique 7-Up signs on the walls and old patent medicines on the shelves. A safe with the inscription "Northington Land Cattle Company 1867" sits on the floor. The windows are just big wooden shutters, hinged at the top and propped open with two-by fours—not screens, no glass. [Legends | John's Country Store Egypt, p.225]
~ ~ ~ ~
The buccaneers were a ragtag crew consisting mainly of French and English oulawas and escaped slaves. They hid from the Spanish on the island of Tortuga off the northern coast of Hispaniola in the mid-1600s. [...] [T]heir original business was smoke-cured meat. [The Business of Barbecue, p. 234]
June 22, 2019
A nice combo of Texas bbq tour and cookbook with some history thrown in. Usually in a cookbook I like large color photos of the food and there really weren’t any in this but instead lots of historical bbq photos which was kind of different and cool.
January 15, 2024
Learn from the Legends! Amazing book full of the history of Texas BBQ, recipes from the old school masters of Texas BBQ, and tips and tricks for people of all skill levels! My Dad found this book for me! It is a treasure trove for any Texas BBQ enthusiast! While the book is a little dated (published in 2002), it is well written and contains practical advice for everyone who can't get enough smoked meat! I wish y'all success in finding a copy and upping your smoking game!
August 7, 2018
Awesome history lesson, not to mention all the cooking tips. Very interesting the way it is presented. Learned so much.
June 19, 2019
Lover of Texas Barbeque!
Great recipes but really loved the history and the pictures. I can see why the writer is a 3 time James Beard winner.
Great recipes but really loved the history and the pictures. I can see why the writer is a 3 time James Beard winner.
June 19, 2022
Good recipes abound. The history of Texas bbq laid out in a way that easily digestible and fun to read.
June 15, 2008
This is a wonderful book if you like barbeque. In addition to some great recipes, it includes a little history, mentions several wonderful barbeque "joints", and gives some good pointers for the do-it-yourself-ers. I've tried several of the recipies, and have not been disappointed yet. I'm a traditionalist, so I like smoked beef brisket, only salt and pepper for a rub, and no sauce (jusk like Kreuz's in Lockhart). I'm convinced that the beer-can chicken is the best way to cook a chicken. Some of the sides are pretty good too (I'm partial to the German potato salad).
September 11, 2015
The history of barbecue in Texas.
Not being American my knowledge of BBQ, or BBC as they spell it, is limited but I found this fascinating.
Lots of period B & W photos, recipes, heroes from past and present, BBC restaurant recommendations etc., combine to make an exceptional book.
Just wish, like other US BBC books that I own, meat was as cheap in the UK as there !
Not being American my knowledge of BBQ, or BBC as they spell it, is limited but I found this fascinating.
Lots of period B & W photos, recipes, heroes from past and present, BBC restaurant recommendations etc., combine to make an exceptional book.
Just wish, like other US BBC books that I own, meat was as cheap in the UK as there !
May 31, 2008
Haven't quite finished it or tried any of the recipes, but most of them sound really good and authentic. My only complaint so far is that there appears to be more history than recipes, but hey- there's a lot to learning barbeque in Texas...
January 14, 2008
WOO! WOO! There will be some great BBQ's at my house this summer! Great recipes and tips
September 8, 2009
Great recipes and even more interesting historical background about them. The explanations of the regional styles of BBQ within Texas are the best that I've read.
March 20, 2010
Good compilation of recipes from the biggies of Texas BBQ. Some useful history too.
May 19, 2014
I love how Walsh gives readers such a feel for the history and varieties of TX barbecue - interspersed with savory recipes and techniques. (Actually most of his books work in this way.) Great book!
July 3, 2014
There is no one kind of barbecue in Texas. This is a great way to delve into this wonderful food.
December 29, 2022
Not just recipes; a lot of local food history in here as well.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews