This past week, one of Texas’s most iconic barbecue names found itself in an unlikely national spotlight. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kicked off what he’s calling a “national BBQ tour” with a high-profile visit to Terry Black’s Barbecue in Austin.

In case you’ve been living under a BBQ rock… it’s a Central Texas smokehouse known for big brisket, beef ribs, great sausage, and classic sides.

Kennedy worked at the pit counter piled with slabs of brisket and racks of ribs, holding a hefty dino rib while promoting “real food” and urging Americans to rethink ultra-processed diets.

Sure, the politics around processed foods and national nutrition guidelines are complex, but if there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that BBQ is real, delicious, and really delicious.

A Quick Terry Black’s Refresher

Terry Black’s opened in Austin in 2014, built by members of the Black family lineage out of Lockhart. Since then, they’ve expanded across Texas and beyond, serving Central Texas staples the old way": post oak smoke, simple rubs, no shortcuts.

Brisket. Beef ribs. Sausage. White bread. Pickles. Repeat. What else do you need in Texas?

The Pyramid Shift

There’s been plenty of talk about the updated food guidance lately, including a version of the food pyramid that puts protein front and center.

For decades, barbecue has been called indulgent. Excessive. Something to “balance out.” Now the conversation around real food keeps circling back to whole cuts of meat, fewer ingredients, and less processing.

Meat at the top of the pyramid. Fire at the center of the backyard.

The Dino Rib

And just in case that pic of the dino rib made you salivate (guilty), we got you…

  • Salt and coarse black pepper. Don’t overthink it.

  • 225–250°F over oak or hickory

  • Smoke until bark sets and the meat feels gets probe tender

  • Rest longer than you think you need to