All Photos: Alan Mercer
Barbecue is a traditional style of preparing beef unique to the cuisine of Texas and other Southern states. It is one of the many different varieties of barbecue found around the world.
Texas barbecue traditions can be divided into four general styles: East Texas, Central Texas, South Texas, and West Texas. The Central and East Texas varieties are generally the most well-known. Central Texas style is when the meat is rubbed with spices and cooked over indirect heat from hickory wood. This is the type of BBQ you will find at Baker’s Ribs in Weatherford, Texas.
At a typical Central Texas pit barbecue restaurant, like Baker’s Ribs, the customer takes a tray cafeteria style and is served by a butcher who carves the meat by weight; side dishes and desserts are then picked up along the line with sliced white bread, pickles, sliced onion, and jalapeno. Barbecue meats are commonly sold by the pound. The emphasis of Central Texas pit barbecue is on the meat, sauce is usually considered a side dip for wetting purposes.
Pulled Pork & Sausage
Central Texas pit-style barbecue was established in the 19th century along the Chisum Trail in the towns of Lockhart, Luling, and Taylor. The German and other European immigrants owned meat packing plants opened retail meat markets serving cooked meats wrapped in red butcher's paper-- this tradition continues to this day in many central Texas towns. Also, this barbecue style's popularity has spread considerably around the world, especially to Southern California, New York City, and in Britain and Australia.
The term BBQ is used as a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner. Barbecuing is usually done out-of-doors by smoking the meat over the wood. Restaurant barbecue may be cooked in large brick or metal ovens, typically called a pit, designed for that purpose.
Pulled Pork Sandwich
No one is really sure where the term barbecue originated. The conventional wisdom is that the Spanish, upon landing in the Caribbean, used the word barbacoa to refer to the natives’ method of slow-cooking meat over a wooden platform. By the 19th century, the culinary technique was well established in the American South, and because pigs were prevalent in the region, pork became the primary meat at barbecues. Barbecue allowed an abundance of food to be cooked at once and quickly became the go-to menu item for large gatherings like church festivals and neighborhood picnics.
The generally accepted differences between barbecuing and grilling are cooking durations and the types of heat used. Grilling is generally done quickly over moderate-to-high direct heat that produces little smoke, while barbecuing is done slowly over low, indirect heat and the food is flavored by the smoking process.
Pork Ribs
Pitmaster Brian Krier has been serving award winning BBQ for over 20 years now. He has racked up the People Choice Award for Pork Sliders and Potato Salad from the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce, the 2002 Business of the Year from the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce, and his restaurant Baker’s Ribs has been voted Best BBQ by Ft. Worth Weekly and for many years, including 2016, voted Best BBQ by Ft. Worth Star Telegram.
AM: Brian, how did you get into the BBQ business?
BK: I graduated from college and I couldn’t find a job.My dad told me he would help me get a restaurant of my own after I learned about it. My uncle, Joe Duncan owned a BBQ restaurant, so I told him I would work for him and learn the business. I thought I was going to work for him for 6 months and I ended up doing it for several years in Dallas before I got my own location in Weatherford.
AM: So you always wanted to work with food?
BK: Absolutely, I always knew I wanted to have a restaurant I just didn’t know it was going to be a BBQ place. I thought it would be a steak house.
Smoked Brisket
AM: What do you think you bring to the business to make it thrive?
BK: I think it’s my love of food and my commitment to always using the highest quality of food I can find.
AM: What kind of wood do you smoke your meat with?
BK: We smoke our meat with hickory wood.
AM: What sets your meat apart from all the other BBQ restaurants in the area?
BK: First, I pray over the meat every night before smoking it and I believe God blesses it. Next we use only the highest quality meats and we smoke them for eighteen hours.
Grilled Chicken
AM: What do you say to the people who think that BBQ is an unhealthy food?
BK: It’s actually one of the more healthy ways to cook meat. You don’t cook it in oil or butter, all you need is heat and smoke. It’s straight ahead meat and a little seasoning, nothing else.
AM: Has BBQ become more popular over time?
BK: Yes, BBQ has been on a growth spurt for the last several years. It’s a national phenomenon. I think as long as your food is good it’s always going to trend.
AM: What is your relationship like with your customers?
BK: We see a lot of new customers because we are located on a major highway and we get a lot of repeat customers as well. I love our loyal customers. I enjoy visiting with them and learning about their lives and families.
Follow Baker's Ribs in Weatherford on twitter https://twitter.com/BakersRibs