The smell of smoke rolls out of the pit in slow, waves—sweet, earthy, intoxicating. It clings to your clothes, your hands, your patience. It’s the kind of smell that makes your mouth water long before the cook is complete. This isn’t just cooking; it’s devotion.
Hours pass watching meat and fire embrace during their dance. The bark slowly forms—dark, lacquered, kissed by smoke and time—while beneath it, the meat relaxes, softening into something lush and yielding, holding onto every ounce of rendered fat and flavor.
The anticipation becomes almost unbearable, but you have done this before, in fact many times. You lift the lid just long enough to check the temperature, a careful glance, never too long. You slide another piece of wood into the pit, feeding the fire like an offering. You listen to the crackle, feel the heat on your face, and wait. Always wait. Because rushing would ruin everything.
When it’s finally ready, the moment feels sacred. The meat comes off glistening, heavy, perfect. Juices bead and run as it rests, as if it’s catching its breath. And when you slice into it—when the knife parts that bark and sinks effortlessly through the center—you know every hour, every adjustment, every breath of smoke was worth it.
This is indulgence earned. Slow. Intentional. Unapologetic.
History of “original” Texas BBQ
In the early part of the 20th century Texans were experimenting with barbecuing meat. Cooking meat over an open fire had been done since fire was discovered by man. The 1920’s and 30’s
were lean times for most Texans and money was tight and most people could not afford expensive cuts of meat. This left people with small budgets to purchase the lesser favored cuts of beef. And these cuts were not as soft as tenderloins, they were from different parts of the cow that tended to be tough and harder to chew. The question barbecue pioneers asked themselves was how can we make these pieces of meat tender and more palatable?
Cooking a tough piece of meat (brisket) the usual way over an open fire was not producing a tender result. This lead them to start experimenting with a different way to cook. They knew meat cooked from heat…. so could indirect heat work the same as direct heat? If the indirect heat was lower than direct heat….the meat may take longer at lower temperature, but will it produce a more tender outcome?
Experiments included moving the meat further away from the fire allowing the heat and smoke to slowly cook the meat. Through trial and error the process of cooking “low and slow” was perfected.
We honor those pioneers with each barbecue today loosely following the techniques passed down from a century ago.
As decades have passed there are literally thousands of “takeoffs” on ways to smoke meat from what was done a century ago. From the type of smokers and types of wood, to the different spices and sauces used to flavor the meat to the cooks desired taste.
In Central Texas for over a century brisket was smoked mainly with mesquite wood, not that other woods such as oak. hickory and pecan were not used…but due to the fact that mesquite was abundant. It burns hot with quite a bit of smoke and provides meat with earthly unique flavors. There are numerous articles written that can be found about cooking with mesquite and its properties compared to other woods. One can learn more to make their own choice. Original Texan pioneers in Central Texas used mesquite.
How to cook Central Texas BBQ (brisket)
Some sort of offset smoker or pit is best.
Original Central Texas smokers were brick pits built in rectangular shape with a metal lid and a smoke stack on the opposite end of where the fire was built. Mesquite logs were used for the cook at a temperature of 250 Fahrenheit.
The following are directions posted in the Recipe section of our web site.
- Trim to 1/4″ fat all over
- Remove silver skin.
- Heat smoker to 250 degrees and place a pan of water in smoker for meat moistness during the cook.
- Season brisket with 1934 Season mix. (This is not a rub…sprinkle on as you would on a hamburger or french fries).
- Let brisket sit at room temp for an hour before placing in smoker.
- Place fat side towards fire. Cook meat at 250° – Rule of thumb one hour to 1:15 per lb. (typically 12 hrs.)
- If you are going to add sauce to brisket while it is in smoker…(Optional – baste brisket with 1934 BBQ sauce an hour before removing from smoker).
- Remove meat from smoker when brisket reaches 195-203F and let rest one hour before slicing.
The difference today from a century ago…
Decades ago people moved at a slower pace. Smoking meat was a day long event. Friends gathered by the smoker chatted sharing stories while sipping on a cold beverage or two. Constant attention was required to watch the fire temperature, to add wood preventing the temperature from dropping. This was a wondrous time, being in tune with the fire and meat anticipating the result of your patience.
Today’s fast pace lifestyle and technological advancements provide cooks the ability to set a constant temperature for the fire with an automatic damper and insert a probe into the meat and watch the temperature from their phone while sitting in a recliner watching their favorite sports team. My times have changed…
At 1934 we still favor the old school way of smoking. Relaxing by the BBQ pit enjoying the long smoking process while spending hours talking with family and friends, and anticipating the end result.
