The history of Texas barbecue is based on many myths and legends, some more accurate than others.

For instance, the legend of German and Czech meat-market owners of the late 1800s cooking meat at the end of the week to prevent it from spoiling in the days before refrigeration, thus creating the commercial tradition of Central Texas-style barbecue, is accurate based on my research.

On the other hand, a persistent myth about Texas barbecue is the purist’s belief that salt and pepper is the only seasoning needed for meats such as brisket, pork ribs and turkey.

Undoubtedly, there are many Texas pitmasters who still adhere to the classic salt-and-pepper recipe for their meat rub. But in talking to and observing pitmasters, I’ve found it more fiction than fact.

When I visited an up-and-coming Austin joint called Franklin Barbecue back in 2010, I watched as one of the assistant pitmasters pulled out a spray bottle and started squirting a brown liquid onto unwrapped briskets on the smoker.

At the time, Franklin had gained a reputation as a throwback to the old-school traditions of Texas barbecue — including the use of a plain salt-and-pepper brisket rub. So what was that liquid they were spraying on the brisket? This is known as the “spritz.”

Franklin Barbecue 900 E. 11th, Austin franklinbbq.com Love the smell of wood smoke in the morning? Join J.C. Reid, Alison Cook and Greg Morago as they discuss barbecue culture with special guests by subscribing to the Chronicle’s BBQ State of Mind podcast on Apple’s Podcasts, or visit houston chronicle.com/bbqpodcast.

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To keep unwrapped briskets from drying out, pitmasters will spray a liquid onto the surface of the brisket. Much like the avowed simplicity of their brisket rub, many will profess to using only water.

That’s not always the case. Even Aaron Franklin, in his widely disseminated brisket recipe, specifies that the spritz be one part water and one part vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Other spritz flavors include fish sauce or apple juice.

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You might wonder how a few sprays of a savory or sweet liquid can affect the flavor of a brisket that has been coated in salt and pepper and blasted with smoke for 12 hours. You’d be surprised.

One of the phrases I often hear from barbecue fans is, “The brisket at (enter barbecue joint name) is my favorite. I can’t quite put my finger on it. There’s just something about it.”

In many cases, it may be the spritz.

The actual recipe for a salt-and-pepper brisket rub is also something of a myth — there is typically at least one other dry ingredient involved. The most popular is garlic powder; other possible additions include cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper or onion powder.

Now that I’ve shattered your image of Texas barbecue as a haven for purists, it’s important to note why there is a need for so many subtle and personal variations in a pitmaster’s seasoning recipes.

A telltale sign of an inexperienced commercial pitmaster is the idealism associated with using only salt and pepper on all the meats.

I’ll often visit a new barbecue joint and order brisket, pork ribs and turkey. The meats are often expertly cooked with the craggy bark associated with coarse ground pepper and kosher salt. But they all have the same flavor profile — salt and pepper.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But using the same rub can be monotonous.

Experienced pitmasters know that salt and pepper is really just a base for the different rubs for different meats — garlic powder on brisket, brown sugar on pork ribs and paprika on turkey.

In a booming Texas barbecue market, standing out from the crowd is imperative. Adding a personal twist of flavor to the canonical salt-and-pepper rub is one way to do that.

J.C. Reid is the Chronicle's barbecue columnist. He also is the co-host of BBQ State of Mind, a podcast covering barbecue news from Texas and around the world, and co-founder of the Houston Barbecue Festival. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook, or send barbecue tips and questions to jcreid@jcreidtx.com.