Texas-style barbecue is an American barbecue style that can be divided into 4 separate subcategories: Central Texas, East Texas, South Texas, and West Texas barbecue.
The best-known variety is the Central Texas-style that originated in the Czech and German meat markets in the late 19th century.
This barbecue style is typically associated with cooking brisket (the fattier portion is called point, while the leaner portion is called flat) low and slow, usually over post oak fire. The meat is seasoned with salt, pepper, and maybe a bit of cayenne or garlic powder.
The East Texas-style is characterized by the acceptance of pork and an emphasis on barbecue sauce. Read more
Pork ribs and smoked boudin are staples of East Texas-style barbecue, and the sides include some interesting things such as greens, fried okra, and banana pudding.
In South Texas, it's all about barbacoa and cow heads – they are cooked in a pit lined with stones or bricks, and then a mesquite fire is started in the bottom of the pit.
Agave leaves are placed on top of the coals, and the heads (or other meat) are placed on top of it, while the leaves are folded over before the lid is placed over the pit. The resulting meat is so tender that it falls off the bone (or off the skull), and it is then served by the pound with sided such as onions, tortillas, cilantro, and various salsas.
This barbecue style also uses cabrito – young goats that are spit-roasted or cooked over coals.
And finally, West Texas barbecue (a.k.a. cowboy style), where the meat is not smoked but cooked directly over mesquite coals. Goat, mutton, chicken, and beef are the most typical types of meat used in this barbecue-style.