Texas Hill Country Barbecue

American Heritage Magazine does an annual Overrated/Underrated poll on just about everything you can think about. This year in “underrated regional food,” they listed Barbeque.

The article was written by Danny Meyer and all opinions are his. Here’s the article….

“In the world of Barbecue, regional differences are debated with a rancorous and religious zeal both within and without the regions themselves. Denizens of North Carolina argue vehemently over the finest (and coarsest) points of chopped pig, as well as which quadrant of the Tar Heel State produces the tangiest, properly tomatoed sauce. While barbeque lore maintains that America’s choicest regions for Q are (in order) Memphis, Kansas City and North Carolina, I know exactly where I ‘d head were I told I had just one final weekend to ply my body with barbeque. The Texas Hill Country, a beautiful part of our nation (whose gateway is the incredibly underrated city of Austin), is the ultimate in barbecue purity. Those who think the sauce makes the Q will be disappointed. There is no particularly good sauce to be found there. Pit masters are proud to let “oaky smoke” and meat do all the talking.

Cattle is King in Hill Country, with exceptional versions of beef brisket, shoulder clods, ribs and spicy sausage (hot links or hot guts) to be found throughout the land. But it doesn’t stop there. Hill Country outposts serve exquisite pork ribs, gargantuan pork chops, and my favorite versions of smoked chicken as well. I’ve even become a sucker for stewed pinto beans, preferring them to the sweet baked beans one finds in other barbeque regions.

Though I have at least 10 must-return-to favorites, one can almost throw a dart at the Texas Hill Country map and not be disappointed, wherever it lands.”

My Favorite Texas Hill Country Barbeque place is Rudys.

American Heritage is on line at American Heritage Magazine.