The Definitive John Mueller's BBQ post/he is

trees, funny you should ask this. I will ask him. There was a guy in line today who got a few pounds. He was on his way to Cali on a plane in a short bit and got it packed up and got instructions on how to best reheat it, etc..when he unfroze and cooked. He asked if they had a way to send it. Did not hear the answer.

That may be a good idea or a collossal headache for him. I will ask hiim on Monday and get back to you. It would rule for you if he says yeah. Imagine that, Texas Cue on demand.
 
Thanks for checking loopy. I've been trying to find some decent cue in Chicago but my stomach can't take any more substandard 'brisket' so I've stopped experimenting.

Mail order might be a pain, especially if he's having trouble keeping chips in stock, but I'm happy to help any way I can.
 
JM BBQ is def considering doing air mail/ FED EX BBQ.... styro boxed and cryo wrapped meat.....good for week to ten days without refrig until openned.
 
I've been a big John Mueller's fan since it opened but I think I've gone there for the last time. This is hard because I want businesses like his to succeed and I've had great food there as recently as mid-November.

Picked up lunch from there today, half a pound of brisket and two ribs for $12.

They've got visa and mastercard stickers on the door, but they weren't taking credit cards. That was a pain because I went there assuming they were taking them again based on what I'd read here.

Both the ribs and the brisket had a THICK bark which was completely dry and unedible so I had to trim it off both items which I'd never had to do before.

On the ribs, the kid working there (John wasn't there) managed to slice the ribs so that I had bones on both edges and meet between them! So I basically paid for 2/3 bone and 1/3 meat instead of the other way around.

On the brisket, the fat cap had not been trimmed off so I ended up paying for brisket that was 1/3 unedible fat. There was literally a half inch layer of fat on the brisket slices. The flavor was also off on the brisket, almost a bitter taste to it.

I should have known better since there was only one car in the parking lot.
 
Unfortunately, tomorrow ( Saturday Jan 14 ) is the last day the BBQ joint will be open. Just was unable to continue. Sad.
 
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Damn, that is really too bad. We will keep it in our thoughts, maybe he can make another go of it in the future. I didn't know how much I would miss Mueller's until I moved for graduate school. You don't know how much you miss it till it's gone.
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When my brother, son, and I got back for our little trip to Pasadena earlier this month, the first thing we did was go to Mueller's for some barbeque. It was outstanding. Great food, good conversation.

We too are very sad to hear they've closed their doors for the last time. Mueller's will always hold a very special place in our hearts.
 
Here's a letter I sent John. I never received a reply.

John Mueller
Owner
John Mueller’s BBQ
1917 Manor Road
Austin, Texas 78722

Dear John:

On November 17 of 2005, I walked into your restaurant at approximately 11:00 AM for a plate of barbeque.

(The reason it has taken me this long to write this letter: the day after I was in your establishment I fractured my arm and was unable to type, and then there were other things that kept me busy over the holidays.)

I ordered some brisket, a link of sausage, green bean salad, and potato salad. Instead of having some thick butcher paper to place these items on, the man running the counter put the food (except the beans) down on thin, brown industrial paper towels. (I did not get the gentleman’s name but he was Hispanic, about 6 feet 2, and built solidly.)

I could tell that the moisture from the potato salad was going to seem through the thin paper, and wondered about the bacterial risk caused by such seepage. Moreover, the sausage link looked dried out just sitting there on the paper napkin, and I had not even touched it yet; I had apprehensions before I left the counter.

I took a seat and bit into the sausage. It was very dried out – with absolutely zero juice in it. I went over to the counter and asked the man running the counter if I could get my money back, and I explained why.

His reply: “They’re all that way.” In other words, he was implying that all the sausage that day was the same in terms of quality. He took money out of the register and slapped it on the counter giving me my money back for the price of the sausage link. He did not apologize and was rather gruff. I left the sausage in a paper towel on the counter, and went back to finish my brisket. About five minutes later a woman silently crept over, placed a new sausage link on my tray, and apologized for the dried-out sausage.

The sausage she gave me was perfect: juicy, spicy, and delicious. However, of course, it proved that the man at the counter was making a bald-faced lie when he told me that all the sausage was the same. Anyway, I knew better because I had had great brisket, ribs, and sausage many times during the last two years I had been patronizing your restaurant, and I could only assume that the man at the counter was trying to get rid of the sausage that was leftover from the previous day.

John, I have sung the praises of your place for years, telling all my co-workers to avoid Rudy’s and to make the trek over to Mueller’s. Furthermore, as a fifth generation Texan with an affinity for most red meat and pork, I know something about good barbeque. I even worked as an “apprentice pit boss” at Black’s BBQ in Lockhart while at Southwest Texas State in the late 1970’s.

A friend of mine that comes with me into your place has had at least three bad experiences there – typically relative to consistency issues caused by meat that was too dry. I can understand that it is difficult to stay on top of consistency 24/7, but to have one of your employees flat out lie to me about not having the “good sausage” around is abominable and inexcusable.

I have been going to Rudy’s and Ruby’s lately, and while they aren’t nearly as top-notch as John Mueller’s on its stellar days, or as fantastic as the great places in Lockhart, these two BBQ joints are at least consistent.

I have four options. Option one: never go back to John Mueller’s. Option two, to wait a couple of months to see if things are corrected in terms of service and consistency, then go back to Mueller’s to test the water. Option three, you can write me back and tell me that you could care less about my complaint, and state that my shadow should never fall upon your front door on Manor Road because you do not care about getting my business. Or four, you can write me back stating that you do care about my business, and I will accept your good wishes and I will be back in your establishment in the near future.
 
Re-opened in Bastrop at 707 Chestnut St. Much smaller building. John doing it all, very little counter help, etc. Said he wants to be able to control both quality and service.
 
No, he started on Pine Street but when a location became available with indoor seating (Pine St only had outdoor) he hopped over a street to Chestnut.
 
p/c, it looks like more than that to me when I go by but you are right, it is taped up. New door, paint etc...

Pearl, thanks! Gotta go check it out.
 
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