The Big Texas Cookbook

The editors of Texas Monthly celebrate the ever-evolving culinary landscape of the Lone Star State in this stunning cookbook, featuring more than 100 recipes, gorgeous color photos, and insightful essays. When it comes to food, Texas may be best known for its beloved barbecue and tacos. But at more than 29 million people, the state is one of the most culturally diverse in America—and so is its culinary scene. From the kolaches introduced by Czechs settlers to the Hill Country in the 1800s to the Viet-Cajun crawfish that Vietnamese immigrants blessed Houston with in the early 2000s, the tastes on offer here are as vast and varied as the 268,596 square miles of earth they spring from. In The Big Texas Cookbook, the editors of the award-winning magazine Texas Monthly have gathered an expansive collection of recipes that reflects the state’s food traditions, eclectically grouped by how Texans like to start and end the day (Rise and Shine, There Stands the Glass), how they revere their native-born ingredients (Made in Texas), and how they love the people, places, and rituals that surround their favorite meals (On Holiday, Home Plates). Getting their very own chapters—no surprise—are the behemoths mentioned above, barbecue and Tex-Mex (Smoke Signals, Con Todo). With recipes for über-regional specialties like venison parisa, home cooking favorites like King Ranch casserole, and contemporary riffs like a remarkable Lao beef chili, The Big Texas Cookbook pays homage to the cooks who long ago shaped the state’s food culture and the ones who are building on those traditions in surprising and delightful ways. Packed with atmospheric photos, illustrations, and essays, The Big Texas Cookbook is a vivid culinary portrait of the land, its people, and its past, present, and future.

An informal view of dining and entertaining the Texas way.

Got beef? You bet your boots Texas does. The legendary land of cattle and cowboys, Texas produces billions of pounds of beef each year. This handsome cookbook showcases hundreds of the carnivore's favorite preparations, specially selected from among the menus of steakhouses across the state. Recipes and information about steaks of all stripes--from strip to chicken fried--alongside beef dishes such as chili and fajitas and other classic Texas steakhouse selections accompany this photographic tour of steaks, steakhouses, and steer in the Lone Star State.

Who says cooking is for homebodies? Veteran Texas food writer Robb Walsh served as a judge at a chuck wagon cook-off, worked as a deckhand on a shrimp boat, and went mayhaw-picking in the Big Thicket. As he drove the length and breadth of the state, Walsh sought out the best in barbecue, burgers, kolaches, and tacos; scoured museums, libraries, and public archives; and unearthed vintage photos, culinary stories, and nearly-forgotten dishes. Then he headed home to Houston to test the recipes he’d collected back in his own kitchen. The result is Texas Eats: The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook, a colorful and deeply personal blend of history, anecdotes, and recipes from all over the Lone Star State. In Texas Eats, Walsh covers the standards, from chicken-fried steak to cheese enchiladas to barbecued brisket. He also makes stops in East Texas, for some good old-fashioned soul food; the Hill Country, for German- and Czech-influenced favorites; the Panhandle, for traditional cowboy cooking; and the Gulf Coast, for timeless seafood dishes and lost classics like pickled shrimp. Texas Eats even covers recent trends, like Viet-Texan fusion and Pakistani fajitas. And yes, there are recipes for those beloved-but-obscure gems: King Ranch casserole, parisa, and barbecued crabs. With more than 200 recipes and stunning food photography, Texas Eats brings the richness of Texas food history vibrantly to life and serves up a hearty helping of real Texas flavor.

The acclaimed food writer’s “go-to guide for Austin eating” shares classic and creative recipes from the city’s greatest restaurants (Publishers Weekly). The story of Austin food is equal parts deep Texan traditions and a booming food scene. It is this atmosphere that has fostered some of the hottest restaurants in the country, a lively food truck community, and a renaissance in the most Texan of foods: barbecue. Austin food is also tacos and Tex-Mex, old fashioned Southern cooking, street food and fine dining, with influences from all over the globe. Above all, it’s a source of pride and inspiration for chefs and diners alike. Organized by Austin’s “major food groups”, The Austin Cookbook explores the roots of Texas food traditions and the restaurants that are reinventing them, revealing the secrets to Bob Armstrong dip, Odd Duck’s sweet potato nachos, East Side King’s beet fries, and of course, smoked brisket that has people lining up to eat it—even in the Texas summer. Part cookbook, part restaurant guide, and 100 percent love letter, The Austin Cookbook is perfect for proud locals, curious visitors, and (t)ex-pats.

Recipes from eighty of the most popular cookbooks in Texas are included in this comprehensive volume of superb Texas cooking. Catalog section provides descriptions for each of the eighty contributing cookbooks.

“[A] collection of barbecue memoirs, trivia and history . . . Walsh interviews the top pit bosses across the state and shares their secrets.” —Publishers Weekly If barbecue in Texas is a religion, this book is its bible. Originally published only in print in 2002, this revised and updated edition explores all the new and exciting developments from the Lone Star State’s evolving barbecue scene. The one hundred recipes include thirty-two brand-new ones such as Smoke-Braised Beef Ribs and an extremely tender version of Pulled Pork. Profiles on legendary pitmasters like Aaron Franklin are featured alongside archival photography covering more than one hundred years of barbecue history. Including the basic tools required to get started, secrets and methods from the state’s masters, and step-by-step directions for barbecuing every cut of meat imaginable, this comprehensive book presents all the info needed to fire up the grill and barbecue Texas-style. “In 2002, Robb Walsh’s Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook hit the sweet spot for lovers of smoked meat. The book was part travelogue, part instruction manual, with a side of history thrown in . . . If your old copy is worn, tattered and splashed, it’s time to trade up. If you are late to the barbecue and don’t know the likes of Bryan Bracewell, Vencil Mares and Lorenzo Vences, consider it an investment in your education.” —The Dallas Morning News “Robb Walsh has been there to help shape and document the evolution of Texas barbecue. This new edition is a must-have.” —Aaron Franklin, James Beard Award–winning pitmaster

Everyone loves Texas food and now, Dean Fearing, arguably the best chef in Texas, shares the top traditional and modern dishes from the Lone Star State. The Texas Food Bible will be a timeless, authentic resource for the home cook-a collection of the traditional and the contemporary recipes from Texas. Dean Fearing will take readers through Texas culinary heritage, the classic preparations involved, and the expansion and fusion of the foods that have combined to develop an original Southwestern cuisine. A bit of regional history will take the reader from fry bread to Sweet Potato Spoonbread, from Truck Stop Enchiladas to Barbecue Shrimp Tacos. Simple taco and salsa recipes will be starred right beside the culinary treasures that make Dean's cooking internationally known. This comprehensive guide will include step-by-step methods and techniques for grilling, smoking, and braising in the Southwestern manner, in addition to recipes from other chefs who have contributed to the evolution of this regional cuisine, such as Robert del Grande and Stephen Pyles, and a look at local purveyors such as Paula Lambert's cheese. These recipes will be accompanied by more than 150 photographs of finished dishes and the cooking process along with a glossary of food terms. The Texas Food Bible is the ultimate cookbook for foodies and simple home cooks alike.

Among the more than 150 recipes are upscale interpretations of traditional favorites like chili and barbecued brisket as well as adventurous dishes such as Grilled Portabello Pizzas, Shark Steaks Grilled in Hoja Santa with Sun-Dried Tomato and Walnut Pesto, Texas Chicken-Fried Rib-Eye with Tabasco Cream Gravy, Quinoa with Lentils and Curry, and Texas Trifle with Raspberries and Custard Cream. The lavish color photographs of scenic photographer Bob Parvin and food photographer Ralph Smith capture the glory of the Lone Star landscapes and foods.