No sleep till Brooklyn (or is it Austin) ?? (w/Pics)

[MilitantSquatter]

One week away, but this Brooklyn born & raised Brethren is finally headed to Austin to make a weekend pilgrammage to many of the legendary BBQ joints in the surrounding area.. Probably 250 miles of driving over two days... Expect to be done each day by 6PM at latest and then head back to hotel in Austin and check out the city at night

Here's the plan

Friday
City Market - Luling, TX
Black's BBQ, Smitty's Market & Kreuz Market in Lockhart, TX (and maybe Chisholm Trail BBQ too since it's in same town as the other three)

I'd wanted to try Franklin BBQ in Austin too since it's gotten a lot of positive words by many, but I think they'll be sold out by the time we get the rental car around 12PM so we're headed straight to Luling). Iron Works BBQ in Austin was also a thought, but I've got enough on the schedule.

Saturday
1) Snow's- Lexington, TX (plann to arrive at 8AM or so to get on line early before selling out)
2) Louis Mueller's - Taylor, TX
3) Taylor Cafe - Taylor, TX (may not eat here but want to see it and Vencil Mares)
4) Salt Lick - Driftwood, TX

Special Thanks to Zilla for some opinions and to Funkmasta South Donnie for giving me a science lesson on proteins, water consumption and congealed fats... plus he liked my pick up line in case any cute University of Texas sorority girls are in line with me or at the hotel... I think we settled on "Hey cowgirls.. I've got less than 48 hrs until I fly back to NY... wanna fark ? " (That's a joke.... I'm married).

Oddly, a little Beastie Boys vid in honor of the title of this thread

YouTube - The Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07Y0cy-nvAg)

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Great trip plan. Only one I haven't tried (yet) is Snow's.

Salt Lick is more of an overall great experience than great BBQ in my opinion, but you are dead on target with your choices.

I will be very interested in your take on each of them. Keep good notes. :becky:

Be sure to coordinate times. Some are not open late. Lunch is usually best except for Salt Lick.

[barbefunkoramaque]

You will be disappointed by a few of those not because they are screwed up but because you might hit them at the wrong times.

Do not drink water with your meals...this is sage advise.

I can't believe you have Salt Grass as its not what it used to be due to the bulk they do BUT you will get to see the pit and have some of their nasty assed sauce.

Chisholm Trail - joke if you want... I had to do a happy hour one day a week for a Gay bar called "The Old Chilholm Trail" Think about it. Those guys paid on time and always tipped me extra.

Vinny... I finally did a charity TODAY - First since Thanksgiving. Cleared $1300 in 35 Minutes serving the "Carolina" sandwich and slaw! We ran out... It was nice to see church people fighting... "dammit Linda... I told you we needed to get in line!!" and "excuse me sir.. I was in line first!!!!"

[Westexbbq]

Happy Trails Vinny, sounds like a great trip. Be sure and visit 6th St. in Austin just to take it all in and if you have any room for Tex-Mex, I like Chuy's.

[MilitantSquatter]

You will be disappointed by a few of those not because they are screwed up but because you might hit them at the wrong times.

Do not drink water with your meals...this is sage advise.

I can't believe you have Salt Grass as its not what it used to be due to the bulk they do BUT you will get to see the pit and have some of their nasty assed sauce.

Chisholm Trail - joke if you want... I had to do a happy hour one day a week for a Gay bar called "The Old Chilholm Trail" Think about it. Those guys paid on time and always tipped me extra.

Vinny... I finally did a charity TODAY - First since Thanksgiving. Cleared $1300 in 35 Minutes serving the "Carolina" sandwich and slaw! We ran out... It was nice to see church people fighting... "dammit Linda... I told you we needed to get in line!!" and "excuse me sir.. I was in line first!!!!"

Yeah.. I'm expecting a few hits/misses... anything is possible on any day.

Salt Lick is on the agenda since we're so close figured might as well.. I'd like to see the open pit.

Is "nasty assed sauce" a term of TX endearment in this case or actually just plain ole "nasty" ? I'm was actually looking forward to trying the City Market sauce.. from what I see, it's mustard based.. Salt Lick Sauce looks similar based on appearance but not sure.


I get the Old Chisholm trail reference.. Only gay bar I ever was aware of around here was called "Pal Joey's".. I only heard of it because Phil told me he used to party there. I did not ask for details :shock:

Congrats charity sellout event. I'm assuming you did NOT have videos of the "Mark of a Good Butt" playing in the background. :thumb:

Happy Trails Vinny, sounds like a great trip. Be sure and visit 6th St. in Austin just to take it all in and if you have any room for Tex-Mex, I like Chuy's.


Thanks Wes.. I'll look into 6th.. I heard of Chuy's.. I'm sure will get some dinner at night.. well, at least my friend will.. He's coming to TX with me and doesn't eat beef !!! :roll: only pork & chicken.

[Sawdustguy]

Good eat'in Vinny! I hope you enjoy your trip.:-D

[Garyclaw]

I envy you Vinny. Sounds like a great trip. Have fun.

[leanza]

Vinny, I have great admiration for you because your putting feet to your passion. Enjoy, and please share details if at all possible, and if you could in "real time", would be dynamic!

[---k---]

Yeah, if you get your rental car at noon, Franklin's will probably be out of meat by the time you get there and get to the front of the line - unless things changed when he got into a real building, but I doubt it. Too bad, because it was good.

I did Salt Lick when I was in Austin a few weeks back. I was glad I did, it was nice atmosphere but it wasn't the best Q. The best was that they were still serving meat at 7:30 pm, where as most of the other places on your list ran out 6 hours before that. We got the All-You-Can-Eat deal for $18. After looking at the plates of the group next to me, I felt like they gave us the less desirable pieces of ribs an brisket. We finally got decent ribs after asking for like our third plate and specifically pointing out that we didn't want the ends. So, unless you're really hungry, just get the meat combo. I don't think I used their sauces.

I hope I get another trip back to Austin and can get to Lockhart and Taylor.

Have fun!

[backyardchef]

Try to hit House Park Barbecue in Austin for lunch (only, I believe). Great atmosphere and, at least when I was there, great sandwiches.....And the awesome "Need no teef to eat our beef" sign......

[Voltronjacko]

Vinny,

I think you will have a great time and you are definitely hitting the right places. I've been to them all. Personally, I'm a Kruetz man when it comes to the Lockhart selections (been going there back before they were in the original location). Salt Lick in Driftwood is a cool scene, but pack a cooler as it is BYOB (if you drink).

Franklin's is newer but getting great reviews. he did a quick 2 minute video in Texas Monthly on brisket you guys should check out. They just moved, but still might have to wait. Here is the link: http://www.texasmonthly.com/multimedia/video/home/15606

Overall, you will have a blast and you picked a great time to visit. You just missed the SXSW crowd and the weather is some of the best we get of the year. Also, I think you'll find that most Texans are down to earth and friendly. Let me know if you have any questions about Austin.

Also, for breakfast you got to get some tacos at http://www.juaninamillion.com/ (http://www.juaninamillions.com). The owner was voted "best handshake in Austin" and their tacos were featured in Man vs. Food on the food network.

This should help to:
http://www.texasmonthly.com/magazine/bbq

[Bill-Chicago]

Try to hit House Park Barbecue in Austin for lunch (only, I believe). Great atmosphere and, at least when I was there, great sandwiches.....And the awesome "Need no teef to eat our beef" sign......

Welcome

[barbefunkoramaque]

it means its bad... Yeah.. I'm expecting a few hits/misses... anything is possible on any day.

Salt Lick is on the agenda since we're so close figured might as well.. I'd like to see the open pit.

Is "nasty assed sauce" a term of TX endearment in this case or actually just plain ole "nasty" ? I'm was actually looking forward to trying the City Market sauce.. from what I see, it's mustard based.. Salt Lick Sauce looks similar based on appearance but not sure.


I get the Old Chisholm trail reference.. Only gay bar I ever was aware of around here was called "Pal Joey's".. I only heard of it because Phil told me he used to party there. I did not ask for details :shock:

Congrats charity sellout event. I'm assuming you did NOT have videos of the "Mark of a Good Butt" playing in the background. :thumb:




Thanks Wes.. I'll look into 6th.. I heard of Chuy's.. I'm sure will get some dinner at night.. well, at least my friend will.. He's coming to TX with me and doesn't eat beef !!! :roll: only pork & chicken.

[BBQchef33]

I get the Old Chisholm trail reference.. Only gay bar I ever was aware of around here was called "Pal Joey's".. I only heard of it because Phil told me he used to party there. I did not ask for details :shock:


WTF? How did my ass get dragged into this.. oh wait, it was dragged into joeys,, but i was drunk..no they were drunk.. no they were in drag.. or was it me.??


Damnit Vinney, I told you to tell your friends we couldnt make it that night. :tsk:

[BobBrisket]

Have fun Vinny!!

[ZILLA]

Have fun man!

[Bigmista]

Look up John Muellers while you are there too!

[txschutte]

Black's: Great BBQ, skip Norma's sauce. It sucks.

Kreuz Market: Order the fatty beef, jalapeno sausage and German potato Salad with a Shiner.

Chisolm Trail: MEH

Salt Lick: Have a beer, say you went, then go to Whataburger for the triple cheese, triple meat.

While in Austin: Get away for an evening, take the wife to the Saxon Pub and see The Resentments.

[MilitantSquatter]

Day 1 of bbq tour complete.

City market, then blacks, followed by smitty's and finally kreuz. Skipped chisholm trail.

Overall, smitty's brisket was the absolutely best piece of meat and overall atmosphere. That is the brisket that now becomes my reference point. Just perfect execution on all areas. I really enjoyed city market too. their ribs, brisket and sausage were all solid. The smoke smell in both of these places was unreal. my eyes were burning in the city market back smokeroom where they cut the meats. I almost walked right onto the coals and burning logs at smitty's as it right one the floor thru the entrance. The heat in there was incredible with the raging fires.
Black's was ok but but a buy disappointing. Brisket, ribs and turkey were all a bit dry and brisket was quite tough. Jalepeno and cheese Sausage was good. Nice people though.

Kreuz was my least favorite. The brisket was undercooked and way too salty. The place also did not have a good vibe to it even with the big pits. Place was surprisingly empty.

Tonight is hangout , maybe on 6th, then tomorrow is snow's and Louis muellers is definites and if maybe Taylor cafe and salt lick only if I can still eat more bbq.

I took pics but they look like every other pic you can see doing a Google image search. I'll post them when I get home.

[leanza]

Vinny, thanks for taking the time to update us. I liked your input and there is nothing like an affcianado giving experineced opinion. Dont forget to take you fiber. Look forward to another installment.

[txschutte]

Dont forget to take you fiber.

Yeah, grab a hippie granola bar in Austin. Doesn't matter which. They're all the same. Tastes like cardboard and pachouli oil.

[MilitantSquatter]

Just finished at snows for a bbq breakfast. Brisket was as good if not better than smittys but they were a little different in texture. Ribs were a bit tough..not as good. Sausage was average. Great overall experience. Worth the hour drive from Austin and wait on line at 8am. Owner came by our table to talk a few minutes.

May skip muellers and salt lick. At this point I may only be disappointed.

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Mueller's can be great. Don't miss it if there is any way to fit it in.

[MilitantSquatter]

Mueller's can be great. Don't miss it if there is any way to fit it in.

My friend wanted to try Round rock doughnuts he saw on man v food so we went there(20 minute wait on line) and now heading back to Taylor to go to Louis muellers. They'll be open now so it worked out time wise.

[MilitantSquatter]

Just finished at muellers. Beef rib was the best followed by the fatty brisket. Pork rib was good too. Lean brisket was dry. Long line and slow service to slice and find stuff in warmer or smoker. Everything held is wrapped in white butcher paper. The meats were the most heavily rubbed with black pepper of all the places. Meats were most expensive of all too.50% more than snows which was the cheapest. Great atmosphere at muellers

[LMAJ]

Safe travels!

[HeSmellsLikeSmoke]

Glad you got to eat at Mueller's Vinnie. The atmosphere alone is worth the trip. 'bout as funky as you can get.

The day I was there the brisket was even better than Smitty's and the beef ribs were also top notch. They also showed me behind the counter to the pit area, but it wasn't as busy.

I think you have to hit those Central Texas joints several times to truly find out your favorite.

[MilitantSquatter]

Passed by Taylor cafe but it looked like a real dive filled with some locals drinking.

likely a one time only trip for me unless I happen to need to go to Austin for work.

also, what is no joke is that almost every other house you pass has a rusted smoker on theirproperty.

not sure if we will go to salt lick.

[ZILLA]

You should have gone in anyway. It's a cool old place and you would have been welcomed. Hope your having fun. :thumb:

[ggeilman]

Sounds like a great trip planned, enjoy!

I might be the only one that doesn't like Salt Lick. Met up with a fellow Brethren there about 4 years back. Enjoyed the company and the Hill Counry scenery but that was about all. Didn't care for their rib tips. Were burnt to a crisp. Have bought their rub and sauce and yeah, they are 'nasty' IMHO. Everyone else liked it, but theirs looked ok, but not great to me. Skip it if I were you. It is a long ride out from Austin for overpriced, overdone que.

[MilitantSquatter]

Here's a slideshow that includes the majority of my pics... Had some trouble getting a few off the cell phone to my computer, including a shot of the sausage & rib at Kreuz.

http://s700.photobucket.com/albums/ww8/MilitantSquatter/Texas%20BBQ/?albumview=slideshow

[---k---]

Thanks. I enjoyed looking at your pics. I hope I can make a leisure trip down to central texas sometime and hit all those.

[thillin]

Did you like like the donuts as well? We always try to fit in a stop when we drive down 35.

[ZILLA]

Nice Vinny, thanks for posting. Makes me want to ride up there for lunch.

[bmanMA]

Looks good. I have the luxury of having to go down that way a coupla time a year. I didnt realize that Franklin had moved. Too bad in a way... the old funky green 70's trailer was pretty awesome. I agree with Kreuz. I had the worst piece of meat ever there. I love that back room at City Market. So old school. I'll make another crawl the next time I am down there. Need some in Austin proper. Only have been to Iron and Rudys in the city limits. Both are very good IMO.