LeoZBatfish
25+ Posts
Let me start off by saying I normally love Mueller's BBQ in Austin (Manor Road near Disch-Falk). The brisket is always hot, juicy, and tender. Melts in your mouth. The ribs are meaty and delicious. And the sweet sauce is great. At least until today. . .
I took a couple of work buddies over to Mueller's for lunch. They had never been and I wanted to show off. We get there about 11:45. My first clue that something was wrong: no long line out the door. The rack that normally holds bags of fritos and chips was basically empty, just a couple of bags of pretzels. Instead of the normal group of people working the restaurant, there was only one guy (whom I've never seen before) behind the counter. He's both cutting the meat and taking money, which slowed down operations. Nobody cleaning the tables. I asked him where his crew was and his short answer was "I don't need a crew".
I ordered my usual half pound of brisket (juicy, not lean) and a cople of ribs. In the past, you always got a little brisket sample to enjoy, even if you ordered something else. Not today. The brisket was overcooked and cold. Much of the outside was burnt and not edible. Meat that normally falls apart at the touch could not be cut with a real knife, let alone the little plastic one I had. The ribs were OK, but not great. The sweet sauce had a good flavor, but was a little thin and runny. I was seriously disapointed and had to apologize to my buddies. Not your normal Mueller's BBQ.
Does anybody know what happened? Was this just a bad day? Did John Mueller just take off a few days before the holidays and left the cooking to his aggie cousin or something? He didn't sell the place to some one else, did he? Curious minds and BBQ lovers want to know. . .
I took a couple of work buddies over to Mueller's for lunch. They had never been and I wanted to show off. We get there about 11:45. My first clue that something was wrong: no long line out the door. The rack that normally holds bags of fritos and chips was basically empty, just a couple of bags of pretzels. Instead of the normal group of people working the restaurant, there was only one guy (whom I've never seen before) behind the counter. He's both cutting the meat and taking money, which slowed down operations. Nobody cleaning the tables. I asked him where his crew was and his short answer was "I don't need a crew".
I ordered my usual half pound of brisket (juicy, not lean) and a cople of ribs. In the past, you always got a little brisket sample to enjoy, even if you ordered something else. Not today. The brisket was overcooked and cold. Much of the outside was burnt and not edible. Meat that normally falls apart at the touch could not be cut with a real knife, let alone the little plastic one I had. The ribs were OK, but not great. The sweet sauce had a good flavor, but was a little thin and runny. I was seriously disapointed and had to apologize to my buddies. Not your normal Mueller's BBQ.
Does anybody know what happened? Was this just a bad day? Did John Mueller just take off a few days before the holidays and left the cooking to his aggie cousin or something? He didn't sell the place to some one else, did he? Curious minds and BBQ lovers want to know. . .
