Texas and barbecue go together like ... well, like Texas and barbecue. I discovered my love of Texas BBQ over a cold Shiner Bock and a plate of brisket at Stubb's on Red River Street in Austin during the summer of 1997.
Earlier this year I began to research the history, origins, and lineages of barbecue joints in Austin and the surrounding area. My intitial plan was to create a sort of "barbecue family tree", but as I gathered information (and enjoyed lots of delicious meat) I discovered the stories weren't as straightforward as I'd thought.
A new idea began to form, inspired by my appreciation for Harry Beck's 1930s map of the London Underground, as well as Massimo Vignell's 1972 New York City Subway map. The result is the Central Texas Barbecue Guide, a subway-style map exploring the history, preparation styles, and connections between many of the popular barbecue joints in Central Texas.
D E T A I L S
I N S P I R A T I O N
This is not meant to a comprehensive listing of every barbecue restaurant is the area shown on the map (there are way too many!) but rather a curated guide focused on history, regional styles, and the interesting connections between some of the legendary barbecue joints in the area. The following sources were instrumental in the creation of this map: TMBBQ.com (from Texas Monthly), The Texas Monthly "Top 50 BBQ Joints" lists for 2003, 2008, and 2013, texasbbqposse.blogspot.com, fedmanwalking.com, and southernfoodways.org
