Barbecue in Texas

[8] In its most authentic form, barbacoa is prepared in a hole dug in the ground and covered in maguey (Agave americana) leaves.

[9] According to Smith, the style's emphasis on sauces and spices originated from a time when African-Americans received poor-quality cuts of meat that needed flavoring.

[citation needed] At a typical Central Texas pit-style barbecue restaurant, customers take a cafeteria-style tray and are served by a butcher who carves the meat to sell by weight.

[6] Calvin Trillin, writing in The New Yorker, said that discussions of Central Texas pit barbecue do not concern the piquancy of the sauces or common side dishes and desserts—the main consideration is the quality of the cooking of the meats.

He also says that many sauces in Central Texas pit barbecue are intentionally made "bland" in comparison to the flavor of the meats themselves.

[6] The sauce is typically thinner, lightly spiced and unsweetened, as opposed to the Kansas City and Memphis styles, which rely heavily on molasses or sugar to provide thickness and sweetness.

In 2010, Jayne Clark of USA Today described the "Texas Barbecue Trail", an East-of-Austin "semi-loop" including Elgin, Lockhart, Luling, and Taylor.

[15] Barbecue in the border area between the South Texas Plains and Northern Mexico is mostly influenced by Mexican cuisine.

The head would be wrapped in wet maguey leaves and buried in a pit with hot coals for several hours, after which the meat would be pulled off for barbacoa tacos.