Distant Relatives, “the grand, illustrious, smallest barbecue trailer” in Austin, Texas, serves up Central Texas barbecue inspired by the African diaspora with dishes such as black-eyed peas and barbecue jumbled rice. “I’m African American, so a lot of what we do here is inspired by familial dishes,” says pitmaster and owner Damien Brockway. “We’re inspired by history, heritage, [and] culture.”
A day at Distant Relatives starts at six in the morning, six hours before service. Brockway begins prepping by expertly trimming and seasoning pork spare ribs with the house blend, which features black pepper, red chile, African bird’s eye chile, West African peppers, and Caribbean pimento. “That all ties into the very complex story of the movement of people and the interchanges of people that make this amazing thing of barbecue,” explains Brockway.
Heritage and African diasporic culture play a role in every element of Distant Relatives’s food, from the seasoning blends to the smoke-roasted peanuts served on every tray. The peanut, Brockway says, “is a complete tie-in to what the trailer speaks to, which is African diaspora, shared heritage, and history.”
Watch the latest episode of Smoke Point: Texas to learn how Brockway and Distant Relatives ties African, African American, and Caribbean influences together to create cohesive Central Texas barbecue.
