We’ve all suffered enough. After nearly two weeks of harsh winterlike
conditions, it’s finally springtime in Central Texas. Pretty soon the trees
will sprout new leaves, the hills will look like Crayola boxes, and every
Austinite will make this year’s obligatory “drive in the country.” It’s the
perfect chance to see the land outside the loops, mosey down a few
two-lane highways, and eat your weight in small-town barbecue. There’s
plenty of good barbecue within Austin’s city limits, but spring drives are
perfect for getting acquainted with our area’s renown rural barbecue joints. To
help guide your moveable feast, we’ve compiled an annotated list
of nearby barbecue towns, each within easy striking distance of Austin. (As
much as we’d like to give exhausive reviews of every small-town pit, our
listings are limited by both space and our collective cholesterol count. In the
case where there’s another great spot in a locale where we only had room for
one complete listing, we’ve followed that with the names of some other joints
worth visiting.)
LLANO
Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que
604 W. Young (TX29), 915/247-5713
Mon-Thu, 11am-7pm; Fri-Sun, 11am-8pm
Out west of Austin, the pits smoke with native mesquite instead of oak, and
Cooper’s fame comes from their use of “cowboy” pits, designed for quick, direct
cooking rather than indirect smoking. Ordering couldn’t be simpler, since you
choose your meat directly from the grill — just point and they’ll cut. In
addition to their barbecue, Cooper’s also gets kudos for great cobblers, potato
salad, and big jars of the Deep Southerner’s dream: sweet tea.
Also in Llano:
Kenneth Laird’s Bar-B-Q Pit, 1600 Ford St. (TX16) 915/247-5234; Brother’s
Bar-B-Que, 405 West Young (TX29), 915/247-3003; Inman’s Kitchen, Highway 29 and Hwy. 71W, 915/247-5257
LOCKHART
Kreuz Market
208 S. Commerce, 512/398-2361; Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat 7am-6:30pm, closed
Sunday.
Step into the pit room of Kreuz Market and you’ve entered the high temple of
Texas barbecue — a smoke-sweetened blast furnace straight out of Dante. The
granddaddy of market-style barbecue joints, Kreuz serves their incredible
smoked meats — including a melt-in-your mouth pork loin — on butcher paper
with simple grocery-shelf side dishes (pickles, onions, tomatoes, cheese). No
frills to distract your mouth, nose, and stomach from the spiritual experience.
Black’s Barbecue
215 N. Main St., 512/398-2712; roughly 10am-8:30pm, daily.
Lockhart is far from a one-pit town. For pilgrims who prefer more side
options, Black’s serves cafeteria style in the self-described “oldest and best
major Barbecue house in Texas continuously owned by the same family since
1932.” Brisket, pork cuts, and peppery sausage can be accompanied by a deep
stable of mayo-based side salads, as well as stellar pie-style cobbler.
DRIFTWOOD
Salt Lick
FM 1826, 892-14333: Wed-Sun, noon-10pm.
For many Austinites, the Salt Lick Experience has become a standard routine
for when out-of-town guests come calling. After a quick stop for beer (bring
your own) and a relaxing drive through a Hill Country sunset, Cousin Bart from
Paducah gets treated to a big mess of the Lick’s slow-smoked barbecue, served
family style — on big platters with everyone for themselves. An early mosey to
Driftwood will get you back in time for most SXSW festivities, making it a damn
good way to power up for the evening.
TAYLOR
Louie Mueller Barbecue
205 W. Second St. (US79), 512/352-6206. Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm (4-6pm, take out
only); Sat, 8am-until they sell out.
Mueller’s building used to be a gymnasium near the turn of the century, but
now the old basketball court features one of the best pits in the Barbecue
Belt. The brisket and sausage come with styrofoam cups of a tasty dipping sauce
that borders on pepper soup. Trips to Mueller’s should be planned for early
lunch — consider it the perfect hangover breakfast — since they routinely
sell out before noon.
Rudy Mikeska’s
205 W. Second St. (US79), 512/352-6206. Mon-Sat, 10AM-8PM, Sun 10am-2pm.
The local representative of the prolific Mikeska barbecue dynasty, doing
business right across the parkng lot from Mueller’s. More consistent hours than
their neighbor, and a good fallback in case of emergency.
ELGIN
Southside Market
1212 Highway 290, 512/285-3407, Mon-Thu, 8am-8pm; Fri-Sat 8am-10pm.
Tradition holds that Elgin is the local town for sausage. Though many
of us mourn the Southside’s move to its current digs — a Sixties-era bank
building — the quality of their in/famous “hot guts” (spicy beef sausage) has
remained consistent. Wander around the building and see if you can figure out
which room used to be the drive-through.
Also in Elgin:
Bigger’s Barbecue, US290 at Loop 109, 512/285-3402; Crosstown BBQ, 214
Central Ave. (off Loop 109), 512/285-9308.
LULING
Luling City Meat Market
633 E. Davis, 210/875-9019, Mon-Sat 7am-6pm.
Across from the city’s main tourist attraction (a line of pump jacks in
cartoon drag), the City Market specializes in tender brisket, homemade sausage,
and a strikingly sweet table sauce. A latter-day remodeling left the Market
dining area distinctly less funky than in earlier days, but the pits still work
good as ever.
This article appears in March 7 • 1997 and March 7 • 1997 (Cover).