Texas means many things to different people – it could be big cowboy hats, the Alamo, Guadalupe Mountains or the endless blue sky. But for Firedoor chef Lennox Hastie, speaking to Broadsheet fresh from a whirlwind journey into the heart of the state, it’s the food that commands attention. In particular: Texas barbeque.
“Barbeque in Texas is something people are proud of,” says Hastie. He speaks with the zeal of someone who’s experienced the Lone Star State’s fare first-hand, along with the culture and tradition embedded in it. “It’s the food they grew up with, and it brings them home … It’s about the whole vibe. The music, the atmosphere – it’s all connected.”
Beef brisket is the unctuous centrepiece around which sides like pillowy cornbread, potato salad, and collard greens revolve. “It’s the one thing you don’t mess with,” warns Hastie. Then, of course, there are familiar staples like ribs, sausages, pulled pork and more. But beyond these standards, the chef describes a far more complex culinary landscape than one might expect.
Emerging during the cattle drives of the 1850s as a means of cooking and preserving meat while on the move, Texas barbeque is a patchwork of cultural and regional influences that reflect the state’s complicated history. The spectre of colonialism can’t be ignored – Spanish, French and Mexican flags have all flown over Texas – nor can the influence of Czech and German immigrants, who arrived en masse during the mid-18th century.
“Where you are shapes the style of barbeque you’re going to get,” says Hastie. In Central Texas, the spiritual heartland of barbeque, low and slow is the name of the game. “The flavour is pure. Just salt, pepper, meat, and smoke.” He cites post oak (a sweet and nutty slow-burning wood similar to ironbark), offset smokers and a whole lot of time as the definitive elements of local flavour. “It’s simple but incredibly effective.”
Move past Austin and into West Texas, however, and you begin to see things like tomahawk steaks grilled “cowboy-style”. “It’s all about cooking over open, live fires using mesquite wood,” he says. “It burns hot and fast with a stronger, smokier profile that works great for quick cooks.” Go east, and things taste very different again. “There’s gumbo, boudin sausages stuffed with rice and spices, and even a bit of seafood creeping into the barbeque.”
Perhaps the most striking revelation, Hastie notes, is how this blend of regional traditions persists alongside a willingness to absorb from new cultures. At KG BBQ in Austin, he observed the influence of its Cairo-born pitmaster: “things like beautiful rice bowls with turmeric, candied nuts, and lots of fresh herbs as sides”. At Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, sides of potato salad pay homage to the owner’s Japanese heritage and come embellished with toasted and ground sesame seeds.
“These little touches are what make it so interesting,” he says. But despite these contemporary flourishes, the core of Texas barbeque remains the same. “At the end of the day, it’s still about three things: meat, fire and time. And those will always shine through.”
The sheer dedication of cooking with fire is something Hastie can relate to. “It’s an 18-hour process, sometimes more,” he says. “These pitmasters spend their entire day just tending to the fire, adjusting the heat and smoke as the hours go by. It’s a craft that demands constant attention.” He calls it a deeply human process: one that defies modern trends toward automation and convenience. “You can’t set it and forget it,” he explains. “You have to be there with the fire, watching, learning.”
For Hastie, Texas cuisine offers more than just a taste of something delicious – it provides a lesson for chefs around the world. “It’s about respect,” he says. “Respect for the ingredients, respect for the process. There’s something powerful about preserving a tradition while letting it grow and adapt. That’s what Texas barbeque does.”
He returns to the idea that food is more than just sustenance – it’s storytelling.
“Every bite of barbeque tells you something,” he says. “It’s a reflection of the people, of their history, their pride. Once you experience it, you understand why Texans guard it so fiercely. It’s more than just food – it’s who they are.”
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Travel Texas.
