“Barbacoa is a must-have book to include in your arsenal of cookbooks. You will not be disappointed. You will learn to create Tex-Mex barbecue, from smoked meats to sauces and salsas to sides and desserts, that your friends and families can experience and enjoy and that will create memories for them to look back to later. And Barbacoa is much more than just a cookbook. It is a story told through Brandon Hurtado’s eyes that pays homage to the traditions and flavors that he and all Tejanos grew up with, myself included. Bring the family together, light the pit, and start making memories!”

• From the Foreword by Ernest Servantes, Burnt Bean Co. BBQ, Seguin, Texas * “Barbecue has evolved from an innovative means of making poor cuts of meat edible to a culinary art form. Today that evolution continues as the line between pitmaster and chef blurs to the point of disappearing. Brandon Hurtado is the embodiment of that blurred line. Fusing barbecue with various other cuisines, fusing dishes from other culinary styles with barbecue, riffing on themes then riffing on them again, without ever forgetting what most haute cuisine chefs always seem to forget—above all, it must taste good. Very good. To rise above the crowded field of accomplished pitmaster-chefs today is an achievement worth noting. Brandon has done it. And he’s still rising.”

• Taylor Sheridan, actor, screenwriter, director, producer, creator of “Yellowstone” * “Barbacoa is a vibrant and delicious celebration of Tex-Mex barbecue. Brandon Hurtado masterfully fuses the bold flavors of Tex-Mex and the rich heritage of Mexican cuisine with the modern art of BBQ. Every dish looks incredible and backs up its looks with major flavor.”

• Jess Pryles, author of Hardcore Carnivore and host of Outdoor Channel’s “Hardcore Carnivore” * “Let me tell you—being a Texan means two things: loving cars and loving barbecue. I’ve spent my whole life around fast cars and slow-cooked meats, and when it comes to BBQ, Brandon Hurtado knows how to bring the heat. Barbacoa is the real deal. It’s packed with everything that makes BBQ the best damn food on the planet. Brandon’s got the magic touch, mixing up classic Texas flavors with a killer Tex-Mex twist. Whether you’re a pitmaster or just firing up the smoker in your backyard, you’ll be turning out food that’ll have your friends lining up for seconds. So crack open this book and GET YOU SOME OF THAT! This is the kind of BBQ that’ll make you proud.”

• Richard Rawlings, Gas Monkey Garage, Dallas: Texan, car guy, and BBQ fanatic * “In Barbacoa, Brandon Hurtado brings to life a cooking tradition that is revered and sacred in Mexican and Mexican-American cultures. Anyone who reads this book will come to appreciate, understand, and master the art of barbacoa. I am happy that this book exists—it has tons of technique guidance and loads of big-flavor recipes. Please get to know this book. You will be more than delighted with the results.”

• Aarón Sánchez, chef, host or judge on television cooking shows including “MasterChef” and “Chopped” *

Brandon Hurtado is the owner and chef of Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth, which appears regularly on the lists of best Texas barbecue joints from Texas Monthly, the Dallas Morning-News, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the Dallas Observer. He is the most acclaimed chef and authority in the United States on the subject of Tex-Mex barbecue. He lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.