BBQ betwen austin and johnson city?

[GakFoo]

luckily i get to travel throughout a lot of central texas pretty often for work, so i get to eat que all over -- lockhart, luling, llano, etc.

i'm going to johnson city friday and i dont get down that way much at all.

i turn to hornfans for reccomendations. i dont mind going a bit out of the way if its worth it.

 

[NCAAFBALLROX]

Gak, I'm gonna have to say that this is a somewhat desolate stretch of Q.

Yeah, you've got yer Green Mesquite on the 71 fork of the Y (take the R fork, 2nd R turn into the shopping center & if you don't stop you've just made them into a drive through).

& Across the street (L fork of the Y) behind the old Albertson's is another place, Donn's Texas. But really, those two are really more of a "still in Austin" answer.

& Of course you've got The Lick; take MoPac all the way S to 1826; L turn & stay on it 'til you get there. This would answer the "on the way to Johnson City" part if you were coming from the E side (it's a deviation if you're going out via 620).

Just a tad to the E of the 620 / 71 intersection is Jim Bob's (which used to be an old Ma Bell switching station that my wife's Grandmother used to work in using the very old school 'plug 'em in with someone listening to your call' type phone wires). Again, still Austin-ish. Haven't eaten there in about 2+ years & IIRC it's a 'by the pound' kinda place. I should stop in & talk to them 'cause their roof is in sad shape. It's been this way (tarped) for a long time & I suspect they're holding out for a high dollar buyout which would mean no fixie uppie.

For a nice drive, take Hamilton Pool Road all the way W as it crosses the Pedernales & you'll (eventually) pop out near Round Mountain. It's more of the "really, really out of your way" type drive, however. Take a L on 281 & you're in Johnson City after about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, no Q on the way unless you count Bert 'n Ernie's @ the RR 12 intersection, but they're really only burgers & tacos inside a lightweight C-store.

In Cedar Valley - a mere 3 or 4 miles from the Y - you've got what used to be a Cartwright's & is now part of the Bert's family. First review for your pleasure: Good stuff, usually has some beefers hiding somewhere (I think they only make 'em on the weekends, however on 2 occasions I was able to get some on a weekday). Pork ribs were nice & had a good crusty exterior. Brisket was about an 8 on the 1 - 10 scale. I also liked the snausage... not too greasy. I've done their Q about 5 times since the change in ownership (they kept most of the staff & remodeled the interior).

In Drippin' we've got only one answer - Riley's. The only folks who I've heard disparage them are the "I only eat my own Q" folks. Their onions are the soaked in vinegar with pepper type & are good. If you like sauce, they do 2 types - one sweeter than the other & the other is spcier than the sweet.

Moving past Henly we have a place on the S side of 290 inside the Shell gas station, about 2 to 3 miles past the turn to Blanco on 165. Their primary claim to fame is for the old school John Deere tractor out front with the smoker in place of an engine. You might stop for a photo, but skip the Q & only get gas if you're runnin' on empty (they are usually about .10 cents higher than back in Drippin' or Johnson City).

So, after this place... you're now in Johnson City. Hope this gets you what you want to know.