Culture | World in a dish

Immigrants are changing Central Texas barbecue for the better

A dispatch from the world’s first “Tex-Ethiopian smokehouse”

Tex-Ethiopian Jumbo Platter for 3 including Smoked Doro Wot, Rib Tip Tibs, Tex-Ethiopian Awaze Brisket, Tex-Ethiopian Awaze Ribs, Misir Wot, Ater Kit Wot, Key Sir Wot Beefy Collard greens & served with teff injera and Texas Toast. SmokeÕN Ash B.B.Q. in Arlington, Texas.
Image: New York Times / Redux / eyevine
|ARLINGTON, TEXAS

CENTRAL TEXAS-STYLE barbecue joints have a particular aesthetic, born of history but now veering slightly into kitsch. Restaurants are often plain, with bare wood tables and chairs, along with a few well-chosen pieces of Texas-themed decor. Meat is minimally seasoned, smoked over hardwood and served on butcher paper with almost nothing else: perhaps a few Saltines, pickles or onion slices, and tiny cups of sauce and beans.

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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “United Nations of the Lone Star State”

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