Hat Etiquette, the Cowboy Way

Cowboy Hat Etiquette

by J.B. Blocker 

  I had a few long talks with one of my sheriff mentors and friend Sheriff Tom Maddox of Sabine County, Texas along with several other Texas Sheriffs. 
  We all agreed that the etiquette concerning the Cowboy's hat needed to be public knowledge. 

  Sheriff Tom's grandpa gave him his first boots and hat at age 3, and he's been wearing them ever since! Thanks for the additional input from Sheriffs Bob Holder of Comal County, Dan Law of Caldwell County, Don Sowell of Grimes County, Randy Brown of Medina County, and Keith Gary and the boys of Grayson County.

  The rules aren’t complicated. Heck, I’d just suggest the use of common sense. Of course, there are plenty of folks lacking in that area. They need some guidance. 

  Here are some traditional rules for wearing a cowboy hat.

Sullivan's Old Town BBQ

                            

Sullivan's Old Town BBQ's Not So Secret Ingredients

Taste the beef!

I consider myself a BBQ snob in search of greatness. Throughout Texas I always ask the locals, usually the sheriff, where are the best ribs, brisket, and sausage in town. It’s a blessing and a curse. So many disappointments!

It was a pleasant surprise when I joined a friend, Jason Moore for lunch in Lewisville in Denton County, Texas at Sullivan’s Old Town BBQ.

I would compare his operation to two legendary establishments in Lockhart, Texas of Caldwell County the BBQ Capital of Texas.

Black’s and Smitty’s have been around for nearly a century. They were both formerly butcher shops that turned their scrap meats into all-beef sausage and smoked everything else that wasn’t steak or roast. They are very unadorned and unpretentious facilities.

The children still show up every day as they have for 70 or 80 years. That’s right. The kids are great grandparents. Black’s is the oldest family-owned and operated restaurant in Texas!

Terry Sullivan took possession of a years-old butcher shop near the end of 2019 and opened in February just in time for COVID. Even with all the restrictions, he and his staff are gaining an audience up here in Lewisville by serving up the same quality of pure Texas BBQ.

Since my friend Dan Law is the sheriff of Caldwell County, he took me to Smitty’s, Black’s, Luling BBQ, Kreuz Market, and Chisholm Trail. He introduced me as the Lone Star Reporter looking for a story. Over three days I was served up pretty much everything they felt they did the best, which was pretty much everything on the menu. Caldwell County BBQ

Of course, I ordered the sampler at Sullivan’s. Three types of meat and two sides. I could see the depth of the bark and the ring. Any decent brisket will have a bark. But that red ring just under the bark is the sure sign of a brisket that was smoked a very long time and can only be achieved at a very low temperature. The result is a juicy and tender reward with that clean taste of beef. No sauce needed.  

The Look...Lone Star Sheriffs

You Can Always Learn

Behind his desk, Sheriff Keith Gary of Grayson County, Texas leans toward me and says, “You can quote me on this, I was wrong!”

 

Let me introduce you to my friend Keith Gary.

  Keith was a 5’7” former drum major in college and after graduation, an insurance agent. Somehow by fate, accident, or an act of God he found himself sporting the badge of a U.S. Marshall assigned to East Texas.

  You can call Keith a conservative. He served under Nixon but resigned rather than serve under the Carter administration. With the election of Reagan, he was reappointed. When Clinton was elected, he resigned again and was again reappointed by Bush.

  Now, truth be told, he might have been replaced or not. It doesn’t matter because he didn’t wait around to find out.

  In 1996, he was urged to run for sheriff in a county that had never elected a Republican. He ran against a long seated incumbent and along with two other Republicans began a trend. In 2013, all 23 elected county officials will be GOP!

  To say he is beloved in his county is a statement that I have found can be said for many long-serving Texas Sheriffs. Keith is a gentle natured soul who displays courtesy and respect with the ease of a guardian angel.

  As a matter of fact, as I sit across from him in his office, or attend his Rotary luncheon, or wander around with him. I am ever fascinated by his frankness as we get to know each other. I think of a younger George Burns. I want to stick a short, fat cigar in his hands and take a picture, but he is not going for it.

The G-Man Look