(Originally published on The Meaning of Pie in 2019)

It is fair to say that I spend a lot of time thinking about BBQ. It might even be fair to say I’m a little obsessed. I wouldn’t argue that. But, nevertheless, I’d like to share the why. Why BBQ? Out of all of the incredible foods out there, of all the amazing styles and restaurants, why BBQ? This past weekend, I took my daughter to Austin to visit the campus of The University of Texas. She is beginning her junior year of high school. I went to law school in Austin and while the city has changed dramatically since 1997, I wanted her to get a taste of why this town has been a rite of passage for so many. I wanted to make sure she saw her own backyard, so to speak, before her life carries her far away. Austin, College Station, Lubbock, San Antonio, Sherman, Dallas, Fort Worth, Wichita Falls. You name it. Our state boasts fine universities.

But this college journey finally put me in a position to make a pilgrimage to Snow’s BBQ, which is only open on Saturdays. Finally. When you have teenagers, the weekends don’t belong to you. Most of my BBQ jaunts (not joints) are weekday excursions. You might remember that my son and I scoured the Metroplex and points beyond during the three years we home-schooled. Barbecue Thursday ( #bbqthursday ) was our thing. And, yes, we made it to Austin and Taylor and Houston and some other far flung notable spots but like most, we fit BBQ into working. As with so many Texans, BBQ is work food, a lunch break, a quick bite and a respite from all that is. The new-ish and wonderful world of hitting the road to hit as many joints in three days as possible is a whole other category of BBQ consumption. And I love that, too. But I’ll return to that. BBQ in Texas goes back hundreds of years. Not decades. It goes back to when the meat walked to the BBQ. Since then, Texas has seen cattle drives, and railroads and interstate highways, each of which has fundamentally altered the way we all eat. BBQ is not a trend. It is just about the oldest form of cooking known to man. And, it has a footing in pre-history, and Native American History, and African American History, and European History, and South American History…and on and on. It is all about labor, migration, and innovation. It is about culture and place. It is about community. It is so American. And, it is so Texas. And it is so very much about the quilt that America and Texas were pieced into. Read history through the lens of food and you will always enjoy both history and food more.

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