Central Texas BBQ is a revered culinary tradition, known for its simple yet incredibly flavorful approach to smoked meats. One of the key secrets behind the mouthwatering taste and tender texture of these barbecue masterpieces is the use of tallow. In this blog post, we will explore what tallow is and why it plays a crucial role in perfecting Central Texas BBQ. What is Tallow? Tallow is a type of rendered fat, commonly used in cooking. It is obtained by slowly melting and clarifying fat, producing a golden, flavorful liquid that solidifies at room temperature. Why use Tallow? 4 reasons make t ..read more

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me “what kind of wood do you use?”, I would be rich! So please start giving me a dollar every time you ask! Kidding! It is a totally acceptable question that we love to answer and a good entry question to open a much deeper conversation into our operation and barbecue in general. *Disclaimer: All of what you're about to read is purely what I refer to as “redneck science” and may or may not be factual but has been passed down for many generations or learned in my time growing up in the barbecue industry. Mark and Mike Black - Austin, Tx - 2015&nbs ..read more

If you haven't stopped in for a pit tour and asked our team for first-hand knowledge, checked out our YouTube channel or follow us on our social media pages, then the blog is for you. Starting.... now! I will be uploading select videos to this amazing blog that you're currently reading and salivating over thinking of your next joyous meal at Terry Blacks Barbecue Austin or Dallas! Enjoy the short yet savory beef rib cooking video! :)  -Mike Black ..read more

And so it begins... The first of many Terry Black's Barbecue blog posts! Here, I'll keep all of our fans, loyal customers and admirers informed on the state of the restaurant, events taking place, news articles, other Black family projects, recipes, rants, shout outs and anything else I think you might find interesting! Feel free to email me at Terryblacksbbq@gmail.com to request any subjects you'd like me to discuss regarding the barbecue industry or just flat-out life advice (*Disclaimer: Most life advice will likely be hot takes and bad advice... so take it with a grain of salt!)   &n ..read more

As some of you may have seen recently in the news, the Terry Black Family is opening a resort and winery located in Driftwood Texas! Friday Mountain is the official name and there is a ton of history behind the name itself! We look forward to sharing this history with you all as our project continues to progress. Several years back, we purchased 64 acres of picturesque land off Crystal Hills Drive for this dream project of ours. The project will consist of a winery production facility, vineyard, tasting room, event center, cave, boutique hotel, fine dining restaurant and an all-day cafe conce ..read more

 As 2021 comes to an end, we try not to reflect on the past 12 months as much as we'd like to look forward; it's been rough to say the least. From staffing shortages to supply shortages and skyrocketing prices, we can't wait to move on to greener pastures. So as opposed to a lengthy recap, we'll opt to discuss what's currently going on and what's to look forward to!  At our Austin location, we want to give a big thank you to General Manager Jackie Diaz who's been with us since day one in 2014 and welcome to the team Travis Vegera as our new GM! Travis brings with him extensive hospi ..read more

 The short answer is, "Yes, if it's the right retail outlet but it's not going to be as lucrative as you might think. I was recently asked about my experience in big box retail stores and thought it was a good topic to discuss based on my experience. Below I'll give a short run down in bullet point form of the pros and cons, with my opinions mixed in. I'll very briefly discuss smaller independent retail stores as well. Pro's: 1) Advertising/brand awareness: Your brand will receive a high volume of new or familiar eyes. So whether an in-store purchase is made, the customer goes to your p ..read more

 So how did Terry Black’s Barbecue decide to open it’s first location in Austin, Texas on Barton Springs Road? Well let me (Mike Black) take you way back…  After graduating college in 2010, I started working at the family barbecue business in Lockhart, Texas as a way to earn money and occupy time while I continued my job search in the finance field. Due to rough economic times, that job search wasn’t very fruitful but none the less was a blessing in disguise. Little did I know that 6 months into my temporary family barbecue job, I would fall in love with the barbecue business more t ..read more

I was recently asked to share a little about myself (Mike Black) and family, so let me take you on a brief journey of who we are. Terry Black was born and raised in Lockhart, Texas. Having worked in and around the barbecue restaurant his grandfather started in 1932 and father took to the next level years later. Graduating from Lockhart high school, then the University of Texas in 1977 - he is an accountant by trade. Terry married my mother Patti in 1978 and set out on a mission to have 2 loving kids! His skills lend themselves to be extremely beneficial to the business on the backend financia ..read more

I will answer the ever so often asked question, "Who makes your pits?" and briefly talk about the barbecue pits that we own and operate. Note, I'll follow up at some point with a more in-depth blog post on how our offset smokers work and the difference in them, although they were built the same way. I'll make sure to include plenty of fire management tips and tricks as well. Our Austin location has five 1,000-gallon decommissioned propane tanks which we've turned into offset smokers. Four of these pits were made by a friend when we originally opened back in 2014. All four run very well but wi ..read more