If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into a slab of beautifully smoked barbecue, you know there’s an art to this age-old tradition. Every corner of the United States boasts of their own distinct style of barbecue, and two styles that consistently top the charts are Texas and Kansas City barbecue. Though they both include juicy, smoky meat cooked low and slow to delicious perfection, the similarities pretty much simmer down right there. Each region’s barbecue boasts unique attributes that reflect the history, culture, and tastes of the people who’ve honed these methods.
Texas barbecue, particularly Central Texas style, revolves around beef — brisket to be specific. This makes perfect sense when you consider the heritage of Texas as a cattle-raising state. With a minimalist approach, Texans let the natural flavors do most of the work, seasoning their beef with nothing much more than salt and pepper. It’s then cooked over indirect heat using mesquite, oak, pecan, or hickory wood to provide that marvelous smoky flavor. Sauce is usually a secondary player, served on the side allow the diner’s to decide just how saucy their smoky meats should be.
On the other hand, Kansas City barbecue is a bit of a wild card, drawing upon a mishmash of styles spanning from the Carolinas to Texas. The emphasis here is on the sauce — a thick, sweet, and tangy concoction that delicately blankets every morsel of meat. This sauce has been a highlight of Kansas City’s barbecue tradition for decades, dating back to Arthur Bryant’s and Sonny’s famous restaurants. The variety of meats is extensive; including not just pork and beef, but also chicken, turkey, and even fish. The meats are smoked over either hickory or oak wood, imbuing it with a wonderful smoky sweetness before being slathered liberally with sauce.
To give you a bit of a practical feel of these barbecue styles, how about trying out a barbecue recipe that incorporates key elements of both approaches? Here’s my personal favorite recipe infused with the spicy kick I so love. It’s an eclectic mix of Texas and Kansas City styles, highlighting the rich, smoky flavors characteristic of Texas barbecue while paying tribute to Kansas City’s love for a lusciously thick sauce.
Ingredients:
- Beef brisket: 5 pounds
- Salt: 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper: 1 tablespoon
- For Spicy Kansas-Inspired BBQ Sauce:
- Ketchup: 2 cups
- Brown sugar: 1/4 cup
- Apple cider vinegar: 1/3 cup
- Molasses: 2 tablespoons
- Ground black pepper: 1 teaspoon
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Chili flakes: 1 teaspoon (add more if you prefer spicier)
- Garlic powder: 1 teaspoon
- Onion powder: 1 teaspoon
Recipe:
- Season the brisket liberally with salt and black pepper following the Texas style.
- Set up your smoker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Use either mesquite, oak, pecan, or hickory wood. You can also use a combination of these for a multi-layered smoky flavor.
- Cook the brisket indirectly on low heat (around 225°F) until it reaches an internal temperature of 195°F.
- While the brisket is smoking, prepare the Kansas City-inspired spicy sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for 15–20 minutes until it thickens to your desired consistency.
- Once the brisket is done, brush it generously with the spicy barbecue sauce and let it sit covered in foil for a bit.
- Slice the brisket against the grain and serve it with your spicy sauce on the side.
Now that you have a taste of both Texas and Kansas City barbecue at your fingertips, you can enjoy the best of both worlds. Remember, it’s about building your own experience. If you love that thick Kansas city sauce, Drown your beef in it. If you are a purist at heart that loves the simplicity of Texas style, skip the sauce and let the brisket speak for itself. The joy of barbecue is that there’s no definitive right or wrong approach — only a deliciously smoked canvas awaiting your personal imprint. Just keep these two mottos on mind: take it slow and embrace the smoke!
Sources
- https://www.tastingtable.com/702858/this-is-what-makes-texas-and-kansas-city-barbecue-different/
- https://texaspepperjelly.com/blog/differences-between-regional-bbq/
- https://www.quora.com/What-s-better-Texas-or-Kansas-City-BBQ
