Best BBQ in Austin?

I really like the BBQ World Headquarters behind the farmer's market on Burnet Road. It's a great place to go at lunch time. I like their jalapeno sausage and their pork loin.

I love going with a group of people to the Salt Lick, except I don't much care for their sides. I prefer Stubb's to the Salt Lick. I've always liked their sauce.

I love the peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream after eating a plate of ribs at Green Mesquite.

Hook em
 
Green Mesquite got 90% of my BBQ patronage for the 7 years I lived in Austin.

Salt Lick is a cool place, but the food is not the best.
 
Actually, there are several Cooper's location. Llano, Mason and I think there is one in Brady as well.

I ate at Coopers in Mason over the weekend...up there on a Dove hunt. The Que was very tasty. Other than an incredible stomach pain I got after dinner, I thought it was very good. (I'm not blaming the illness on the Que).

I live right next (down the creek) from the Salt Lick. I do like it but, it's not Que you can eat on a weekly basis. For some reason I can't stand eating it more than once every 3 mths. or so.

Texaken
 
As someone who calls themself an expert on BBQ, I think some people are judging Salt Lick on entire atmosphere. Sitting down there listening to music outside, BYOB, eating family style, that's good atmosphere, but it doesn't help the taste of the food in my opinion. It is where I'll take a Yankee who doesn't know better because they eat all that **** up. It's also a good place to go with a group of friends.

Cooper's in Llano, Meuller's in Taylor, hell even Rudy Mikeska's in Taylor is better than Salt Lick's BBQ.

Rudy's in Austin is a decent place to go if you don't want to drive out of town for the good stuff. There's one close to my work and I go at least once a week, but I usually go 2-3 times a week.

orngbld - I tried ruby's about 5-6 years ago and have never been back. The sauce was good but the meat was terrible.

BigL
 
I think Salt Lick is good, especially the ribs, but it is a definite notch below Cooper's in Llano.

I haven't been to Kruetz's so can't compare.
 
i was at john muellers last week and saw that they have a "green bean casserole" as a side now. anyone try that? sounds like some good comfort food to me, i will definitely order that as a side the next time i'm there.


Texas97
 
The Green Bean Casserole at Mueller's in Austin is greatness.

I don't like Saltlick because I don't like it. Not because the cool kids say it but because their BBQ is inferior to other places that get mentioned on this thread. Saltlick is not bad BBQ either. It is just not at the level of some other places, IMHO. Let your tastebuds be the best. I am convinced many say Saltlick is not that great because they want to seem "Austin" like. Heaven forbid someone says that Saltlick is not all that...that would be un Austin. Well, Saltlick is not all that...but they have great atmosphere. That is not enough to make me drive there, though.

If I want to show visitors BBQ, we drive out to Llano, take in the hill country, eat, hang out at the Dabbs Hotel then go swimmng in the lake under the bridge. That is a day in Texas they remember and tell to friends.
 
Salt Lick is a fine Austin/Texas tradition, but I don't see how it gets mentioned in the same sentence as Muellers, Artz, Bert's or even the Rudy's chain if you're really talking about the food. Don't get me wrong - I can have a great time at the Salt Lick. We always carried a keg in and went to town until it hurt. That said, their meat is very weak. Great sauce, poor quality meat. I feel the exact opposite way about Rudy's - great meat, poor sauce (too spicy for a wuss like me, I guess). The difference is that you can eat good meat with no sauce. Poor meat only gets helped so much by good sauce.
 
Saltlick is not good bbq, in my opinion. There sausage is terrible and brisket is fatty. Cooper's in Llano has to at the top of my list. I grew up in the Hill Country and got to go there quite a bit, and other places around small towns that really know bbq. That place knows how to cook bbq.
Rudy's does have some spicy sauce way too much pepper, but their turkey is pretty freakin good. Haven't tried to many of the other places you mentioned around Austin though. Now to start another thread where in lords name is a good Mexican food place in Austin. I have been back here for two years and still can't find one that I will regularly go to with out hesitating first. I need a Herbert's ( its in San Marcos) here. Antonio's, no good, Manuels, not too terrible, baby acapulco, no, matt's famous el rancho, too tex mex, chuy's, not real mexican, aus-tex, too shady, serranos, please, Guadulajarra, see aus-tex, El Mercado, wasn't impressed. Please help!!!
 
Thanks for your help orngbld, I will have to venture to some of these places. I have heard of a few and been to some but there were quite a few in your post that I have not heard of before.
 
Coopers (Llano)- Absolute favorite. A 5 pound smoked sirloin still medium rare.......DAMN. I spend about $75 on BBQ everytime I pass through there. Wife ******* mercilessly, but its worth it.

Salt Lick- Laugh all you want, but they do something right, I think it is their basting sauce. It rivals Coopers in the "olfactory delight" category when you drive up. Sauce is great, pork ribs are the best around, brisket has that perfect little red ring about 3/8" into the meat. I only eat the end pieces (the healthiest part...yeah right) of the brisket, cause its all-you-can-eat, and thats ALL I want to eat off of any brisket, I'm a rib man. Also don't go in the evening, have a 2 1/2 hour lunch once a week when the "family-style" is on $9.95.

Louis Mueller (Taylor)- Extremely high quality meat cuts. Simple salt and pepper seasoning isn't my fav, no a/c, but still a great experience.

John Mueller (Manor Rd.)- Call it blasphemy, call it no appreciation for the master, call it what you want, but John outdoes Louis. Slightly more dry rub, closer to Austin, free cheese, two kinds of sauces, I don't know what it is. Definately my choice of BBQ if I can't go to Driftwood or Llano.

Rudy's- Place I go to that is close to home. They do everything well, except sausage (I have found no decent sausage in all of Austin or Driftwood, maybe I just ain't a sausage kinda guy). Definately "sauce is boss." Second in sauce to Salt Lick.

County Line- Good quality BBQ, good sauce, but NOTHING stands out (well maybe beef ribs). Pricey, but you pay for the atmoshere.

Ben's Long Branch- As good as County Line for about 1/3 the price.

Artz Rib House- Only ate the "country-style" ribs. Absolute worst BBQ I've ever eaten (besides that aggie place in Salado). No rub AT ALL, sauce from a can (TexasUFO don't know **** from shineola). Only thing that made for a pleasant experience was getting to sit next to Jimmy Vaughn and discuss his soon embarking tour to Japan.

Places I haven't tried:

Sam's
Kreutz's
Rib place on Manchaca
a shitload of others......

Chief
 
if you think the turkey at rudy's is good, try the turkey at john muellers. it is amazing. i usually order brisket but the turkey is awesome.

i tried the green bean casserole and i like that more than the standard sides of potato salad and cole slaw. i usually just get meat but i might have to get that a few more times.

as for the salt lick, i said this above and i'll say it again, the meat isn't great but the atmosphere is. that said, i prefer eating outside when i'm there but the past couple of times i have been there, it has been inside dining only. in fact, the last time that i ate there outside was spring 2001. anything up?

we went to the salt lick sunday after the Texas/UH game. i am a rib man there b/c the brisket just doesn't compare. one thing that i have noticed before is that the quality of the meat goes down after you start getting a few servings. makes sense but i'm not a fan of that of course. another thing and i just noticed this last week... not only does the quality of the meat go down but as you start getting more and more plates of the meat, they start covering it more and more in the sauce. in fact towards the end, the meat was drowned in the sauce. i imagine to hide the fact that the meat quality had gone down.

anyone else notice this???


Texas97
 
Rudy's, althought the experience at Salt Lick is incredible, I honestly don't find the food to be that great...

If you REALLY want to get some BBQ, head down to Cooper's BBQ in Llano...
 
Where is the best place to go for bbq that is fairly lean but still flavorful. Also, I love french fries which of the places ya'll mentioned have fries?
 
Salt Lick IS TEXAS.........it is if you are oriental.
wink.gif
 
i had the pork chop at john muellers last week and it was amazing. best pork chop i have ever had. my friend had the T-bone and he raved about it. i was surprised that muellers did steak but i imagine they do it when they can get a good cut.

also, their beef ribs are great. i usually prefer pork ribs over beef ribs (all i generally eat at the salt lick is the pork ribs) but the beef ribs at muellers are very good. once again, they only sell it when they can get a good cut from their butcher.


Texas97
 
texas97, youre right about rounds 2-100 at salt-lick. after round one, the quality definitely starts to decline in a hurry.
 
I had a Mueller's pork chop just yesterday and wish I had another right now. I live in east Austin so it is very easy to get to. Also, if I am hankering for BBQ late at night, yup, I can mosey over to Sam's. Life is good...BBQ makes it gooder.
 
Opie's in Spicewood. A Cooper's knockoff. Not quite as good, but a good substitute when you need something close by.

Poke-Jo's. Decent all around Q. Great sides.
 
went to lubbock last weekend for the Texas/Texas Tech game and passed through llano and coopers. i was sad that we couldn't stop and eat...


Texas97
 
you have summed it up quite nicely...couldn't agree with you more on everything,

i can only add because i have eaten at Artz - the sides suck there, but the ribs are damn good.

one more thing - hudhorn, you don't know your barbq.
 
IF we are going just outside of Austin you've got to mention Meyer's BBQ in Elgin. It is by far the best deal of any place mentioned, and has good to great ribs/brisket/sausage (aka the "holy trinity").

Black's in Lockhart is really good too. Their sausage is greasy as hell, but the ribs and everything else is great. Some nice cafeteria-style sides. Kreuz is my favorite there, but my friends always insist on Blacks. And you can't compare Salt Lick Family Style to the regular BBQ. If you get the all-you-can eat they give you the crap ribs and brisket. We always ***** but they usually bring it to you anyways. I have to say Salt Lick's sauce is one of the best around.

Cooper's in Llano: Ok... have to get this out... HORRENDOUS ribs, and who the hell wants their sirloin f-ing smoked? Not me. But the real reason to go there is the BIG CHOP. It is excellent. And they have sweet tea. Why don't all Texans drink sweet tea? I love the ****...
 
Kruetz's yes, Blacks NO!

I prefer Southside over Meyers (Southside is the original in Elgin).
Both are good though.
 
Aarrghh!!!

My parents JUST called me from there, they took my grandfather who absolutely loves that place.

I love Elgin sausage (southside) but kreuz's is my favorite bbq place for everything else.
 
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