Central Texas BBQ Dynasties

Front: Sherry, Ashley, and Wilma Inman
Back: Billy and Francis Inman (Photo By John Anderson)

The Inmans

Tuesday-Friday, 9am-5pm; Saturday, 9am-2pm; Sunday, 9am-1pm

When Lester Inman returned from World War II in 1945 he ended up owning an Exxon station in Llano. In 1960 he decided to set up a small smoking pit to produce smoked turkey sausage for the hoards of deer hunters that frequented the area every fall. Lester used an old German family recipe that had been handed down to his wife Doris by her Gillespie County grandmother.

The recipe was an all-purpose sausage recipe originally meant for a blend of beef (or venison) and pork that Lester had adapted for turkey. It became so popular that Lester bought a 16-foot smoker trailer to increase production, and when the hunters returned with their families during summer vacations they pressured Lester to produce it year-round.

In 1964 he persuaded his brother Francis to open a satellite restaurant down the road in Marble Falls, and Inman's Ranch House was born on March 24 of that year. One of their first customers, Winston Burnham, gave Francis a piece of sage advice: "You'll stay in business forever if you keep the price down so that the working man can afford to eat here." That message sunk in, and Inman's in Marble Falls still features sausage and beef combo plates for $3.75 and $4.75 for a larger plate (both with tea included).

Today, Francis' son Billy operates the Ranch House, while the Llano branch is run by original partner Myrtle Oestreich and husband Horace, with a larger selection of items, including a jalapeño and cheese version of the turkey sausage. Both Inman locations serve top-notch barbecue and the delicious turkey sausage that is known throughout the entire state.