So what is Hill Country style BBQ!
In the mid 1800’s, Texas experienced a huge immigration of Germans and Czech’s. A few families, rooted in tradition, opened old world style butcher shops. They sold premium cuts of beef to the wealthy, along with fresh bread, produce and other basic goods. Using tried and true European techniques, they preserved and tenderized the cheaper cuts by either smoking them low and slow, or making sausage the same they would have back home.
When these age old German methods adapted to local Texas ingredients like beef, post oak wood (an abundant type of white oak, traditionally used for fence post) and chilies, Texas BBQ planted it's roots. Because it was the poor farmers who were eating the "BBQ", they could only afford day old bread or crackers, and an occasional onion or tomato with the meat. This authentic style of cooking and service, along with other quirky but practical traditions, is known today as “Meat Market” or “Hill Country” style BBQ.
If you have been in 1 or 2 backyards, then you have for sure come across a Weber. They are known as kettle BBQ's and are usually black and sort of a dome shape. It is a long but interesting story how they came about, but simply stated they were invented by a man named Stephen Weber while working at his
fathers steel factory in Chicago. He could not BBQ in the winter with the cold winds, so he cut a buoy in half (yes those things that float in the ocean as markers for different things) drilled some holes in it, put some legs on it and added a grate. The design has not changed much, but what you can do with them has. They have become extremely versatile and a great piece of BBQ equipment that can also be used a grill. Anyways, there is great book that I have used for years called "Weber's, Art of the Grill" it does a great job explaining how to properly set up the grill as a BBQ, Smoker or Grill and has fantastic recipes that are very accurate.
