Texans know that hosting an at-home barbecue isn’t just a summertime staple, it’s a year-round tradition. You could even say that the holidays are the best time for a cozy Texas backyard BBQ. One, the weather is much more pleasant, and two, the holiday spirit lends itself to happy gatherings.
Most importantly, though, the holiday season is a time of year when folks get together with their loved ones to celebrate memories and enjoy each other’s company. If you’re lucky, you’ll also be savoring those secret family recipes that gave Texas its reputation for BBQ.
If you’re eager to throw an unforgettably festive party, Goode Co. is here to help. We have everything to help you with home entertaining, from holiday BBQ ideas to grilling essentials. Between Goode Co.’s best-selling Texas barbeque meats and variety of authentic Texan BBQ sauces and spices, and our grandmother’s famous pecan pies, you’ll master the Texan tradition of homemade BBQ just in time for the holidays.
BBQ Essentials: Gear and Ingredients
When it comes to serious Texas BBQ, having the right BBQ essentials is as important as the meat itself.
Common BBQ Gear
Pitmasters probably have their favorite set-up ready to go, but newbies worry not! Here’s a list of what could get you started:
- Smoker or grill: whether it's a traditional offset smoker for that deep, smoky flavor or a simple kettle grill for more casual cookouts, make sure it’s large enough to handle the feast you’re planning and reliable enough to last for years to come.
- Utensils: a good set of tongs, long-handled spatula, and sturdy meat-thermometer are absolute BBQ essentials for handling your cuts safely and properly.
- Heat-resistant gloves: nothing dampens a gathering like a trip to the emergency room, so get yourself some good gloves to avoid burns.
- Good hardwood: for true Texas-style BBQ, get yourself some classics like post oak, mesquite, or pecan wood.
You may need additional equipment for certain kinds of meats, like a brisket rack. Once you’ve planned a menu, you’ll know what extra grilling essentials to get! You’ll also know what seasonings you may want to use.
Stellar Seasonings for the Season
You’ve got your space set up, and a menu in progress. Now, it’d be helpful to have some go-to flavors in your kitchen. We recommend keeping sauces, spices, shakes, and dry rubs on hand in preparation for any occasion. At Goode Co., we provide you with that authentic “down home” Texas pride BBQ flavor.
Now that you have your BBQ essentials in hand, it’s time to plan the best BBQ menu for your event.
Menu Planning: Crafting the Perfect Texas-Style BBQ
When it comes to Texas-style BBQ, the key is keeping it simple but authentic. Your guests want flavor and familiarity, especially during the holiday season. Whether you’re planning a cozy Thanksgiving dinner or a Houston Cougars watch party in the backyard, crafting the perfect Texas-style BBQ menu can score you major points.
We’ve compiled some holiday BBQ ideas for you:
Star of the Show: Meat, Meat, and Meat
Goode Company’s BBQ selection offers everything you could wish to have for your holiday BBQ, conveniently boxed into one delicious package.
There’s something for everyone, no matter what their holiday BBQ menu needs:
- Classic Mesquite Smoked Brisket: A holiday BBQ favorite, you can never go wrong with a beautiful slow, low cooked cut of brisket. Ideal choice for guests wanting a true, melt-in-your-mouth barbeque experience.
- Mesquite Smoked Whole Turkey: A traditional Texas BBQ take on a just-as-traditional holiday meal, a smoked turkey brings together the best of both worlds. Great for guests who love barbecue, but don’t want to give up having a turkey.
- Slow Smoked BBQ Ribs: You can’t go wrong with ribs! A crowd favorite, especially for those cozy Texas backyard BBQs. Guests that aren’t afraid to get messy as they bite into a decadent meal would love ribs on a menu.
- Goode's Sausage Sampler: For some, sausage is just a breakfast food. For those with the spirit of traditional Texas BBQ, sausage is a staple at any meal. From mild to spicy, savory to sweet, sausages can be just as customized as your crowd. We put together a sampler with Czech sausage and jalapeño pork sausage for your holiday BBQ.
Once you’ve got the star(s) of your show, it’s time to select the supporting cast: the sides.
BBQ Side Dishes: Perfectly Complement the Meat
Always a crowd-pleaser, changing your sides can change the entire feel of a menu and balance out the bold flavors of the meat. You’ll want sides that add texture and contrast to the meal while appealing to your guest list. Nearly anything can be a side if you truly want, but here are some classics:
- Potato salad: Creamy and flavorful, you can’t go wrong with a good potato salad at your table. Potato salad is a good choice to take down the heat of other dishes.
- Beans: Pinto beans, bean salad, baked beans…beans are a staple side but how they’re made and presented can be flexible in flavors.
- Coleslaw: A good slaw is another way to offer a side full of texture and flavor while tapering the heat of spicy, robust dishes. Lighter than potato salad, it’s a good option to have on your menu.
- Cornbread: Buttery. Cheesy. Spicy. Sometimes, all of those in one! We’d go as far as saying that it isn’t BBQ if there isn’t cornbread.
- Veggies: Greens, okra, green beans, corn on the cob, asparagus, peppers the list is endless. Vegetable side dishes are a way to truly customize a menu for an event or a crowd, offering everything from fried to grilled goodness.
- Mac and cheese: You could add meat like brisket or keep it purely cheesy pasta. Mac and cheese is familiar enough for children who may shy away from other sides, yet appealing enough for others in attendance.
Consider not only what goes well with the meats you’ve chosen, but also what appeals to the people you’ll be feeding. It’s wise to have a little bit of something for everyone, somehow.
Dessert: Sweetening the BBQ Experience
Hearty, bold. Spicy, cheesy, creamy, savory. Meats to veggies, starches to cornbreads. The only thing missing from your menu now?
Dessert.
No Texas BBQ is truly complete without a sweet finish to balance out all that smoky, savory goodness. Texas has a long tradition of serving up desserts that are as bold and comforting as the BBQ itself.
Here are some must-have options that’ll have your guests licking their fingers and asking for seconds:
- Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie: A Texas classic that’s as rich and buttery as it gets, with a perfect balance of sweet and nutty. It’s the kind of dessert that brings folks together, every bite better than the last, and perfect for the holidays.
Pecan pie is so important to BBQ, that Goode Co. still makes our grandmother’s pecan pie recipe from scratch every day, made with farm-fresh Texas eggs and local mammoth pecans from the Brazos valley.
- Peach cobbler: Made with ripe, juicy peaches, this warm, crumbly dessert is a crowd favorite. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a little extra indulgence.
- Banana pudding: Southern comfort at its finest. Layers of creamy pudding, vanilla wafers, and fresh bananas topped with whipped cream make this a light but satisfying choice after a big BBQ feast.
- You can pick up our amazing banana pudding for your holiday feast at any one of our barbeque locations (Kirby Drive, Memorial, Cypress) or Goode Co. Fish Camp in The Woodlands.
- Texas chocolate sheet cake: For those who crave something a little richer, a slice of moist, fudgy chocolate sheet cake is just the ticket. It’s the kind of dessert that disappears fast, so you might want to make an extra one! Bonus holiday BBQ idea: decorate the cake to suit the festivities, or have the children do it!
- Order a true Texas chocolate sheet cake at Goode Co. Seafood (Upper Kirby or Memorial) or Armadillo Palace.
- Homemade cinnamon rolls: Warm, sweet, and swirled with cinnamon—perfect for breakfast the next morning if there's any left over. Which we doubt, but it’s nice to think about.
- Put some festive Bourbon Pecan Cinnamon Rolls on your dessert table with a quick pick-up during the holidays through our Thanksgiving and Christmas drive thrus.
If planning a menu would take too much time this year, try The Pride of Sam Houston. This package comes with pork ribs, Czech sausage and jalapeño pork sausage, Goode's BBQ sauce, homemade jalapeño cheese bread, and a Brazos Bottom pecan pie.
Whatever you choose, make sure you’ve got enough to feed your guests, because in Texas, we take our BBQ seriously and there’s always room for seconds!
Preparing for Your Holiday BBQ
You’ll need to give yourself some time to get an accurate head count of guests, decorate your home, and get and prepare the food. We suggest selecting a date and time for the gathering that suits the majority of your guests and that fits in your own schedule as a host.
Once you’ve selected when you’ll be gathering, set an “RSPV-by” date a couple of weeks before so you have time to gather ingredients and other necessities. If you plan to cook entirely on your own, make sure you have time to choose the best BBQ recipes, too.
For those pressed for time, or who burn meat more than smoke it, catering is an option. Make sure your choice of caterer has availability on the day of your event, and that they offer what you need for you to host a BBQ.
We can help you with this, too, over at Goode Co. Catering + Events. We provide a full-service catering menu so you can have all the fun of home entertaining without the headache. Even better, we use the best Texas-made ingredients for an authentic experience.
Texas-sized Hospitality: Setting the Scene
Texas hospitality, or Texas-sized hospitality as it’s often called, is all about making people feel welcome, comfortable, and appreciated. It’s a blend of warmth, generosity, and a genuine love for sharing what we have. There are ways to add festive touches to a Texas BBQ and our already-hospitable nature, like:
- Themed table settings: even if your event is casual or cozy, coordinating the colors, patterns, and overall theme of where food is displayed and eaten shows an extra effort that is sure to please guests.
- Music: while objects decorate space, music decorates time. Having songs ready for any stage of the gathering - from warm welcome tunes to rowdier music for games and calmer music for dessert - helps you move your guests from one moment to another. Or, keep them in the moment!
- Decorations: decorating where guests enter, relax, play, eat, and chat adds a special feel to any home.
- Displaying the food: Serve your BBQ spread family-style with the meats and the sides placed on the table so everyone can help themselves and eat at their own pace. Don’t forget a dedicated dessert table!
Texas-style BBQ is bold and flavorful. Your decoration and atmosphere can be just as bold and flavorful to match.
Serve and Savor the Memories
Hosting a Texas BBQ is as much about the experience as it is about the food, and making sure your guests feel comfortable, engaged, and entertained is key to creating lasting memories. You’ve done the planning, the atmosphere is set, and the smell of Texas BBQ wafts through the air. Your guests are arriving. Now what?
As the host, take time to mingle, share stories, and give everyone a chance to savor the flavors of the menu you so painstakingly put together. Offer up some ice-cold sweet tea, cold beers, or holiday-specific drinks to keep the festive spirit alive.
But don’t stop there—keep the energy high with some fun games to engage your guests! You can set up a cornhole game for some classic friendly competition or bring out a deck of cards. To celebrate the holidays, host a holiday-themed trivia contest or a "Best Holiday Outfit" competition to keep things lighthearted. You may even include a gift-giving game.
Remember, BBQ is as much about spending quality time with those you care about as it is about enjoying great food. So, let your guests savor the flavors, swap stories, play some games, and most importantly, create memories that’ll keep them talking long after the BBQ’s over.
Have a Goode Holiday
We encourage you to host a BBQ for the holiday season. Nothing can compare to the feeling of togetherness and experience of a good meal shared among friends and family. With the right preparation and thought to the needs of your guests, you’ll ace home entertaining for the holidays.
For more Goodeness, shop Goode Co.’s best-selling meats and pecan pies ahead of the holiday rush. While you’re at it, grab a gift box for your BBQ-enthusiast loved ones - a gift that keeps on giving well beyond your gathering.