Things to Think About while you're Off Work in Texas

Barbecue.

Barbecue is almost it's own food group in Texas. We have barbecue joints down here like they have McDonald's on every corner in Chicago. I can drive 2 miles in any direction and find a Bill Miller's; a Suzie's; a Grady's; or a Casey's barbecue.

But while those are all very respectable and delicious barbecues in their own rights, It's Rudy's Barbecue that's the best. (http://www.rudys.com/index.html). There's only 3 of them in San Antonio, but they're well worth the drive. I like the Leon Springs Store the best -- it's the original. It's not actually a restaurant -- it's a meat market that has tables so you can eat what you buy on the premises (an interesting loophole in Texas law.)

And Barbecue down here differs VASTLY from the backyard grill barbecue I grew up with in Indiana. Up north you take the meat, slap it on a gril for 10-20 minutes, and add ketchup and mustard. Down South you first prepare the meat with a Rub that has salt, peppers, and spices. The meat is grilled for 8-10 hours (yes, hours) and sauce is added as an aside, or slathered on after cooking. Meat is Never cooked with sauce on.

While each griller's Rub recipe is a closely guraded secret, so is each griller's Sauce recipe, which varies from region to region. Each region had certain elements that are more prevalent that the sauces are based on. North Carolina sauces are more vinegar and mustard based, whilst Kansas City sauces are more molasses and tomato based.

Texas sauces are also tomato based, but also have a healthy helping of peppers -- jalapeno and otherwise. The best ones are not so much hot, but spicy and flavorful. That's what Rudy's excels in. If you follow the link to the website, they'll send you a bottle, and you can taste for yourself.

Or, if you come visit, we'll take you out there one night. Heckuva place, that Rudy's

~~JD~~