The BBQ that you'll eat in Texas is totally diverse from what you will find in Might. And the BBQ you consume in eastern Texas will likely be different than you will find in western Texas. So, if you haven't determined already that America's number of BBQ styles can get pretty confusing, well… here's the proof. Obviously, that isn't to state it's not every delicious in its own right. Some rely on vinegar-based sauces to provide that classic tang while some take advantage of rubs to create a smoky and sweet flavor. Regardless of how the meat for barbecuing is flavored, chances are, it will likely be one heck of the meal.
Across the country, every state and even multiple regions inside a state have variations. Therefore, whenever you walk into a BBQ restaurant, it might mean everything from Memphis style to Central Texas BBQ. Rather than attempting to decipher it at random, we have a valuable guide that will help you determine exactly what you're getting, where you will get it.
Memphis
Memphis-style BBQ has a huge emphasis on spices rather than sauces. It's also likely to feature more pork than any other BBQ style with pulled pork and ribs being the name of Tennessee's barbecue game. Instead of leaning on sauces for hefty flavor, Memphis-style BBQ relies heavily on the spice rub which, traditionally, contains as much as 40 different spices.
This is a key feature of Tennessee's BBQ and if there is any sauce, it's often served on the side and has a tomato base. The two key spices in almost any spice blend will be paprika and garlic; the first adds a pleasant smoky flavor as the second adds natural heat and spice. Hickory wood can also be used during the smoking process that is where the majority of the distinct smokiness comes from.
Kansas City
If you are a fan of BBQ sauce then, chances are, you're familiar with eating what is inspired by Might. This BBQ is hefty and there are no holds barred when it comes to both the spice blend and the thick, tangy sauce that gets mopped over the top of every bit of meat. Unlike Memphis-style BBQ, Kansas City has no specific kind of meat in its style, likely because of the fact that multiple cuts became widely available once the city was a meatpacking hub.
However, Kansas City BBQ is going to be coated inside a spicy rub prior to being smoked, that is a signature move. Much like Memphis-styles, the meat is cooked with hickory but when it's finished, it gets a copious dousing of tomato and molasses-based BBQ sauce. This coats the meat and adds a pleasant sweet and tangy balance to the spicy rub that cooks using the meat.
Carolinas
Both North and South Carolina have deviations in their BBQ styles and while they're altogether similar, North Carolina prefers pork shoulder while South Carolina is perfectly fine cooking the whole pig. New york also tends to lean toward mopping the meat because it cooks with a spiced, vinegar-based sauce. Once the meat is completed cooking, it is then served with another sauce that's ketchup-based. This will make to have an intricate flavor when the tang in the vinegar mop meets the sweetness from the ketchup-based BBQ sauce, and it's also easily identifiable with only one bite.
In Sc – which is the BBQ style most people are acquainted with in the Carolinas – there's an introduction of mustard. Because the state is renowned for its mustard seed, it isn't surprising to see it utilized in either the spice rub, BBQ sauce, or for both a cut of meat. Adding mustard adds a hefty tang that also makes South Carolina's BBQ easily recognizable, but by scent as well as flavor.
Texas
Texas is somewhat of a can of worms with regards to BBQ, in the best way possible. You will not find one consistent style in this state and that's what makes its BBQ restaurants so unique and various. Additionally, the skill BBQ is something that's been handed down through generations which means many establishments have entire groups of pitmasters. As a whole, Texas is renowned for its brisket and sausage, both of which, obviously, are made, rubbed, filled, and smoked in-house.
Texas-style brisket really is easy and starts with a spice rub that usually consists of only pepper and salt, and perhaps a few extra 'secret' ingredients. The trademark flavor of Texas' meat comes from the smoking process, where pecan or oak wood is used, and meat is never smoked for anything under 12 hours.
