University of Texas Press: Tour Texas on the Table This Fall

Fall is the season to experience Texas. Don't let it get away from you without visiting some of the farm-to-table culinary hotspots featured in Terry Thompson-Anderson's new book Texas on the Table: People, Places, and Recipes Celebrating the Flavors of the Lone Star

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State. To help you plan day trips, autumn weekend adventures, and even your next grocery run, we turned to Google maps to take the guesswork out of putting Texas on your table.

Organized by category (Cheese, Wine, Dining, Meat and "Foraging"), this map charts the extraordinary family-owned establishments from which the book pulls quintessential Texas dishes and wine pairings with an emphasis on terroir (loosely translated as "a sense of place").

Access the map here: Tour Texas on the Table

A detail from the Tour Texas on the Table
Google map.

We've incorporated recipes and wine pairings from the book in the map pins, so you'll really know what you're doing when you've got the book in hand and the best local food and wine Texas has to offer.

On social media? If you find yourself supporting one of these small businesses, take a photo (selfie if you want), post your photo tagging where you are and using the hashtag #TexasOnTheTable, and we'll share it!

To help get you started while you plan your Texas terroir treks, impress your family and friends by making pulled pork barbecue from one of the hottest old-school purveyors of 'que in the country. Yes, that's right, you now have access to some of Franklin Barbecue's secrets.

Franklin Barbecue’s Pulled Pork Sandwich

Although beef is foremost in the minds of Texans when you mention barbecue, the pulled pork sandwich served at Austin’s wildly popular Franklin Barbecue is so fabulous it is worth the long wait usually required to get one. Adored by everyone from local bloggers to the New York Times and Bon Appétit, Franklin Barbecue has a line outside its door every single day, and very few complain about waiting three hours or more to get their barbecue. The sandwiches are great to prepare for a crowd, each of whom will love you, especially because they didn’t have to stand in line.

Makes 10 to 15 sandwiches.

1 bone-in pork shoulder butt (Boston butt), about 3 to 4 pounds

¼ cup yellow “ballpark-style” mustard

Dry Rub (see recipe below)

Sweet Vinegar Sauce (recipe follows)

Good-quality white burger buns

Melted butter

Franklin Barbecue's Pulled Pork Sandwich.
Photo by Sandy Wilson, from Texas on the Table.

Your favorite creamy-style coleslaw

DRY RUB:

1 cup coarsely ground black pepper

½ cup kosher salt

½ cup turbinado (raw) sugar

SWEET VINEGAR SAUCE:

2 cups distilled white vinegar

8 ounces ketchup (made without high-fructose corn syrup)

¼ cup light brown sugar

2½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Make the dry rub by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and tossing with a fork to blend well; set aside until needed.

Make the sweet vinegar sauce by combining all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Whisk to blend well and cook just until the brown sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Reheat when needed.

Build a hardwood fire, preferably oak or hickory, in a pit with an indirect firebox. Let the temperature settle at 275°F to 295°F. Meanwhile, place the pork butt on a cutting board and slather all over with the yellow mustard, then scatter the dry rub generously over the pork. When the temperature in the smoking chamber of the pit is right, place the pork butt on the grilling rack, uncovered, and cook until the bark is a toasty brown color, about 30 minutes, turning often.

Wrap the butt in foil and return it to the smoker for another 6 to 8 hours. Periodically check the meat for tenderness by unwrapping and tugging on the bone. When the bone slides out easily, the meat is done. Remove meat from the pit, still wrapped in the foil, transfer it to a heavy baking sheet, and set aside for 30 minutes.

Unwrap the meat and pull it into shreds, using your fingers. Discard any gristle or tendons. Lightly baste the cut sides of the buns with a little of the melted butter and toast them in a skillet or on a flat grill until light golden brown and slightly crisp. Pile the meat onto the buns and drizzle generously with some of the sweet vinegar sauce. Top with a bit of coleslaw and serve at once.

Here's the ground Texas on the Table covers: