Texas BBQ style

I was standing in Texas surrounded by smokers the size of trailers. Seriously, absolute beasts. Brisket everywhere, hanging in the smoke all through the night. Low & slow in every sense of the word, and man, what a sight.

Back in Meppel I knew straight away: this way of life needs to make it over here too. That's why we're going on a USA tour these weeks and giving some extra attention to brisket, short ribs, St. Louis style ribs, and everything that comes with it.

And what "Prime" actually means when it comes to American beef? I'll get to that further down this page. Makes quite a difference, trust me.

Ready to go low and slow yourself?

The brisket scene in Texas is next level

Nowhere is brisket taken more seriously than in Lockhart. Officially the Barbecue Capital of Texas, and not without reason. Within a few streets of each other you'll find Kreuz Market and Smitty's Market, both with roots in the same building from 1900. There's even a piece of family history behind it: after a falling out, the family split. One took the Kreuz name to a new building down the road, the other stayed in the original and named it Smitty's. Two businesses, one bloodline, both still packed to the rafters.

Old school, through and through. Brisket the way it's been done there for over a hundred years. With your hands, just like that. At Kreuz they don't offer you a fork, that's simply not part of it. I stood there with my cardboard tray, surrounded by locals who've been doing it this way for generations, and just got swept up in the whole tradition.

The brisket itself is the centrepiece. Hours, sometimes an entire night, over post oak. Low enough for the fat to render, until you've got a bark that's almost black and a smoke ring that looks exactly right when you slice through it. The smokers themselves are impossible to miss: brick pits the size of a small garage, where the fire hasn't gone out in decades.

Terry Black's in Austin comes from the same Black family, but it's a different generation. A bit more modern, a bit more accessible, more city BBQ than the century-old meat market atmosphere of Lockhart. No queue at the crack of dawn, just lunch and dinner, seven days a week. A different approach, but the brisket is still front and centre.

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Black Angus USDA Prime: only the best of the best

In America, beef isn't just sold without scrutiny. Every carcass receives a grade from the USDA, based on marbling and the age of the animal. Eight grades in total, from Prime at the very top to grades at the bottom that never end up as a steak on your plate, but go into mince or sausage instead.

Choice is the grade you come across most often, accounting for the vast majority of all beef sold in America. Great meat, make no mistake. But Prime is a different category altogether. Less than 3% of all graded beef reaches that status. Abundant marbling. And you taste it.

At The Butchery you'll find American Black Angus, and specifically that Prime grade. Why? Because it's simply what we think tastes best. We've tried every grade, but only the Prime made it through our strict selection. Black Angus is a breed, not a quality mark in itself, but the combination works well: this breed marbles naturally and beautifully, and when you add Prime status on top of that, you get meat that's bursting with flavour.

So when you order Black Angus USDA Prime from us, you know you're sitting down to less than 3% of all American beef. No shortcuts, no compromise. Only the best of the best.

Smoking techniques: Get the most out of your smoker (and your meat)

Smoking is not cooking. Smoking is a craft. It's patience, fire, smoke and perhaps most importantly: the right raw material. Everything you need to know about smoking!

The smoke ring on spareribs

A spareribs fan? Then you've probably seen it before: that beautiful pink band inside the rib. What exactly is it, how do you get one and does it actually make a difference in flavour? We're happy to tell you all about it!

Brisket: what's the difference between point and flat?

Going for the ultimate low & slow cut for your BBQ? Then you'll want to know more about brisket. What exactly is the difference between point and flat, and which one should you choose?