Oklahoma or Texas-style barbecue: what’s the difference?

However, things are different when it comes to grilling.

Some Oklahomans boast about doing everything their way, but just as many proudly mention that they cook their barbecue Texas style. And there are several styles: Central Texas Style, West Texas Style, South Texas Style, and East Texas Style.

The difference is in the sauce, the wood, the smoker and the meat. Everyone does it a little differently, whether they cook Oklahoma or Texas style.

“I feel like Oklahomans taught Texans everything they know,” says Danny Head, who cooks Oklahoma-style and owns Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters.

Some say it is the other way around.

Oliver Larrabee, founder of Killer Wail Barbecue, prefers the Central Texas style. He’s one of those Oklahomans who just couldn’t let go of his Texas roots, especially when it came to barbecue.

“I’ve always wanted to do something out of the ordinary, you know, being from Austin and having the idea of ​​having a job where I can wear the clothes I want and not have a boss yelling at me all the time,” Larrabee said.

Before starting Killer Wail, he worked a variety of “wear this” and “do that” jobs. When he moved to Tulsa, he sold used office supplies and also worked at Best Buy. He said he has always loved people and enjoyed providing a service that makes someone’s day.

“The barbecue thing kind of came about when I moved here from Austin, honestly without me even realizing that Texas-style barbecue, or barbecue like I grew up with, was really special,” Larrabee said. “When you grow up, you kind of think it’s normal to have top-notch stuff. This is just barbecue. So when I moved here, I was really just wondering, ‘Where is the good stuff?'”

Larrabee’s father cooked for the family growing up, so he was never afraid of the kitchen. When he got married, the first thing he did was buy a smoker. He would cook “the good stuff” himself.

And then he bought a bigger smoker. Then he took the plunge and started Killer Wail, which sells Central Texas-style barbecue.

“I definitely believe the Central Texas style is better,” Larrabee said. “Obviously, I was born and raised in Austin, but traditionally most barbecue in Texas is more beef-focused than in other regions, like the Carolinas, where it’s almost all pork. In Texas, we focus a lot on brisket, just because there are a lot of cows in Texas. And that’s how I describe it to people: It’s really simple, but really well done.”

Larrabee salts and peppers most of his meats and uses only oak wood, which is common in most Texas-style barbecues.

Those who smoke in the Oklahoma style are more likely to use hickory, oak or pecan wood, says Joel Carson, pitmaster at Boss Hawg BBQ.

Oklahoma style also evolved from a major invention in the grilling world. Hasty Bake charcoal grills have been a game changer for many grillers and are made right here in Tulsa.

Grant Hastings produced the first Hasty Bake in 1948 and his design controlled heat intensity through the use of vents, a heat deflector, a ventless hood and an adjustable firebox.

“So he kind of invented backyard barbecue, where you’re not just cooking over an open flame,” said Wes Fallis, who works at Hasty Bake. “You could actually smoke slowly and at a low temperature in your backyard. Up until then, it was more of a commercial operation, you could only smoke ribs. So this all started here in Tulsa.”

BurnCo Barbecue and Alley Cat Ranch are known for cooking on Hasty Bakes, and Boston Deli Grill & Market also cooks its ribs on one.

Another Oklahoman specialty is smoked mortadella.

Elmer’s Barbecue, Leon’s Smoke Shack and Oklahoma Style Bar-B-Que are just a few of the local restaurants that offer dishes like smoked bologna sandwiches, bologna on a baked potato or bologna slices. Some eat them plain, others drown them in barbecue sauce.

That’s another special feature of Oklahoma-style barbecue – the sauce.

Carson said he didn’t quite get it when he moved here. He moved to Sapulpa from Texas and cooks Central Texas-style barbecue. At the top of Boss Hawg BBQ’s website, it’s explained: “Pecan-smoked BBQ with big Texas flavor.”

When Carson and his wife moved to Oklahoma, they would drive their truck to a nearby restaurant to get a burger. Carson’s truck had “Boss Hawg BBQ” written on the side.

“And then the cashier, the young girl at the window, says, ‘Oh, do you make your own barbecue?'” Carson said. “And Ronda and I looked at each other and thought, ‘What is she talking about? Of course we’re doing it.'”

Oklahoma style isn’t just about the wood, the sauce and the ingredients. It’s also about the lingo.

“She meant the sauce,” Carson said.

Sauce isn’t a big part of Texas-style barbecue. Carson and Larrabee described it as an option rather than a requirement. One of Boss Hawg’s logos even says “no sauce needed.”

“You’ll see that our focus is on the meat, and we want the meat to have a natural flavor from the wood and the time on the stove,” Carson said. “We want that to be the most important thing. We don’t want a sauce to cover up all the hard work, because we’re cooking on an open fire, and that takes hours and hours, and the last thing we want is to put a sauce on top of it.”

Carson said he serves the sauce on the side with his barbecue, although some Oklahoma-style cooks serve it sprinkled thickly on their meat.

Head said barbecue isn’t so black and white. Danny’s BBQ Head Quarters cooks Oklahoma-style barbecue and carries Head Country barbecue sauces based on Danny’s uncle Donovan “Bud” Head’s recipe.

Head said it depends on the customer whether they add barbecue sauce to their food.

“To say, ‘Yes, it (barbecue sauce) belongs on there, or no, it doesn’t belong…’ I don’t think you can answer that,” Head said.

He said that last week, four people from different cities in the country came to his restaurant. One ate his food without sauce and the other three ate their food covered with sauce.

Although they ate differently, only one thing was important: they all enjoyed the food.

Whether you prefer Oklahoma or Texas style barbecue, with or without sauce, bologna or brisket, Tulsa has made a name for itself in the barbecue world and has a lot to offer.