How Houston's The Pit Room brings Texas barbecue to France for the Fourth of July

Summer is the toughest season for Texas barbecue pitmasters.

Temperatures inside a pit room can climb as high as 150 degrees, and business often slows as customers leave town for summer vacations.

One bright spot is the Fourth of July, when many Texans skip firing up their backyard grills and instead order smoked brisket, ribs and sausage from their favorite barbecue joint.

For Houston’s The Pit Room, the holiday has taken on an unexpected international twist.

In partnership with Houston wine retailer and storage company Art of Cellaring, The Pit Room co-owner Michael Sambrooks and his team travel each July to Beaune, in France’s famed Burgundy wine region, to prepare a Texas barbecue feast for French locals and American expatriates celebrating Independence Day.

Naturally, there’s plenty of wine.

Liz and Paul Palmer, owners of Art of Cellaring, also operate a facility in Beaune and have longstanding relationships with local winemakers and importers. Pairing Texas barbecue with some of Burgundy’s most celebrated wines has become a way to blend two culinary traditions.

“When Paul and I imagined Art of Cellaring for Houston, and now San Antonio, one of our primary tenets was building community around wine, and that’s when we thought about barbecue,” said Liz Palmer, founder and managing partner of Art of Cellaring.

“Creating an opportunity for people to come together to share wine and a piece of Texas culture seemed like the perfect idea. We approached Michael Sambrooks about it, and he said yes before we even finished the first sentence. The rest, as they say, is history.”

Getting authentic Texas barbecue to France requires careful planning, starting with the smoker.

The Palmers acquired a European-built, wood-burning offset smoker for the annual event.

“It’s not what we’re used to working on, but it gets the job done,” Sambrooks said.

Then comes the brisket.

“The brisket has to be American,” Sambrooks said. “The beef over here is just different. It wouldn’t work.”

Most European cattle are grass-fed, while American brisket typically comes from grain-fed cattle. The difference in flavor, fat content and texture makes U.S. brisket better suited to the low-and-slow cooking style that defines Central Texas barbecue.

Fortunately, Sambrooks has been able to source American brisket for the event.

The rest of the menu highlights local ingredients. Sambrooks shared The Pit Room’s jalapeño-cheddar sausage recipe with local butcher and farm La Ferme de Clavisy, which produces the sausage in France. He also smokes locally raised lamb and pork while serving seasonal salads and side dishes prepared by chef Maciek Rynkowski.

Wine remains central to the celebration. Along with bottles provided by Burgundy winemakers, guests are encouraged to bring wines from their own collections to share with fellow diners.

Anyone who has spent time in France in early July knows that Americans living abroad – and many French residents – enthusiastically celebrate the Fourth of July. American flags appear throughout town, fireworks light the sky, and Texas barbecue has become a fitting addition to the festivities.

“France is the oldest ally of the United States, so being there on our Independence Day and representing our country with such an iconic cooking style, paired with delicious wine, is quite special,” Sambrooks said.

The Pit Room
1201 Richmond Ave.; 281-888-1929
Open daily.

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This article originally published at How Houston’s The Pit Room brings Texas barbecue to France for the Fourth of July.