Orngbld sounds like you might be interested in joining us on our annual BBQ Tour. Check this out: bbqtours
Going to Artz Rib House tonite. Should I just get the Baby Back Ribs or something else? Just checking. Anything else I need to try as well?
Iron Works? Over-rated! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) It's fine, I guess, for an ordinary plate of BBQ, but it's pricey, and nothing is outstanding.
of course, if you're ever in northeast Texas (Kilgore to be exact), you have to try the best pork ribs in the state at the Country Tavern and for a good sandwich stop in at Bodacious BBQ in Tyler...
in austin, best bbq (IMHO) is john muellers. 2nd best is rudys. they really know how to make cue even though they are a chain. Texas97
i have made road trips to louie muellers, kreutz, and smitty's. louie muellers has the best brisket i have ever had. it was worth the 45min. drive from austin. smittys & kreuz both had excellent bbq. the i have yet to go to either coopers or city market in luling. those are on my list. Texas97
Just got back from Artz. Had jumbo beef ribs with double beans, bread, etc. All the food was superb. My only problem was that the service wasn't too good. Took a long time to get drinks, food, etc. But granted it was a Saturday night at 7. I'd go again without hesitation.
spent a year of my life in Seguin, needless to say, I've been to Luling City Market many times. It's damn good, best I've ever had. I've always heard about Cooper's, but the only time I had it was when a friend brought some of his leftovers to our old deer lease out by Llano...it was good, but it was old & cold.
I've only been to Salt Lick once...took mom for Mother's Day last year. A hot spot back in her days at UT. Anyway, I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The sauce was unique and I liked it, and the family style gives you all the BBQ you could possibly want. IMO, the best BBQ experience I've ever had (granted the locale and amount of food had something to do with my opinion on the quality).
HookEmDave, I've always liked the sauce at the Salt Lick. It's the actual meat I've never been too fond of. At least it's nice to know they can get it "right" sometimes. When you add in the quirks -- BYOB, no credit cards, great rustic atmosphere -- it's just a real nice alternative to other local BBQ joints. The scenery is about as good as you'll find in these parts, too.
Thank you! So many people on this thread have bashed the Salt Lick that I was begining to think I was the only person who enjoys it. Sure, the meat isn't always perfect, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find a place that doesn't have an occasional off day. There was nothing better in school than to go out there with a bunch of friends, a few coolers of beer, and spending a few hours eating Q in a great atmosphere.
It's not that we "bash" the Salt Lick. Most of us will acknowledge that it is a great time, in a great environment, where you get to bring in coolers and coolers and coolers of beer, and you get to eat cue until you damn near crap yourself. That is a good time, for sure. It's just that the cue itself is not that great. The ribs are good, even very good. The brisket is average to below average, and the sausage is below average. So, when I go, I eat a shitload of ribs. I LIKE the Salt Lick. I enjoy going to the Salt Lick. Hell, I think I might try to put together an excursion soon. It's just that I rate it as a "whole experience" type restaurant as opposed to a straight-up "barbecue joint." Think of it this way -- put a tray of Salt Lick cue in front of me, and a tray of cue from Cooper's, Kreuz's, Meuller's, etc. in front of me. The MEAT from Salt Lick will not win that fight. But pick a joint where I'm gonna go with 10 friends on a Friday night? Salt Lick wins that fight. The food is certainly good enough -- it's just not great. But I don't go for just the food -- I go for the whole package.
The 'baby backs" at Artz's are incredable, but so are their "country style" ribs....you have got to try them both....the best ribs I have had anywhere.
bbq world headquarters is very underrated. Cooper's in Llano is very good, but Cooper's in Mason (the original) is great. There may be some place with barbecue as good as Kreuz and Luling City Market, but if I ever taste any better I will die on the spot.
I've been lucky to have gone to most these places. The Salt Lick is pretty good. Not my favorite but I do like the atmosphere, so that's why I go. Cooper's was really good when I went there....although it has been awhile. Mueller's(off Manor Rd.) was okay. The brisket was good but I guess since I more of a chicken/turkey/rib person I was a bit biased. Still my boyfriend loved the place. I didn't really enjoy their sauce or beans. The City Market...or whatever in Luling is really good as well. I like the setting of that place and the food is very good. But my favorite place.....for many reasons is Rudy's. Although people hate on it I love this place. I go there since they have the best smoked turkey(that's more my thing than brisket). Also I can't have barbque with out their sauce. I like the spicy sauce better than some sweet, tangy bbque sauces. Plus I think they have the best sides, cream corn, new potatoes are the best. I'm hungry now.......too bad there are not any bbque places open at 1 am.
i went to black's bbq in lockhart for my first time a couple of weeks ago. not impressed at all. got the pork ribs, sausage, and brisket. i have had better brisket at berts. the sausage (stuffed with jalapeno) was alright but nothing great. the ribs were pretty rubbery. i have been to kreuz in their previous location and smitty's market. brisket at kreuz is in my top 3 with louie muellers & john muellers. smitty's is almost there. great stuff plus the best sausage i have ever had. i think that i am going to kreuz for lunch this week. i have yet to go since they moved down the street. orngbld, have you been to house park bbq? i watched part of wed's CWS game at the tavern and passed by house park. seen it before and heard it was alright. what do you recommend there? also, i think in a couple of weeks i want to go to elgin for lunch. which place do you recommend there? southside or the other one? Texas97
went to kreuz today for lunch. had the pork chop & a link of the jalapeno stuffed sausage. possibly the best sausage i have had. the pork chop is different than john muellers. the rub seems a bit saltier but it is impressive. not as big as muellers and appears to be cut off another piece but very good. need to go again in a few weeks and have the brisket again. i haven't been since before they moved so i need to remind my taste buds. Texas97
went to schmitty's market again last week. had the pork chop & sausage to compare to kreuz. no contest. kreuz is the winner hands down in both. the rub on the pork chop was unimpressive. the pork chop at muellers is better than schmitty's. need to go to kreuz again and have the brisket again. been a while. Texas97
I thought the Coopers in Llano was complete ****. I'll have to give them a 2nd chance & try the one in Mason. When I ate there I was shocked because so many people on this board like them. Maybe they had an off day. I was with a large group & they guy that served us was all gung ho, & going on & on how he was so surprised we had never eaten there. & bragging about how good they were. After we started eating we all looked at each other & started asking each other if we were the butt of some kind of bad joke...it was that bad. I felt the same way about the County Line...utter dogshit. In fact County Line was worse...worse cue in Texas. I don't know how anybody can go eat at the County Line with all the good cue around cenTex. Salt Lick is decent, but I go more for the atmosphere. I do like the food though. Not great, but by not bad either. When I want cue I got to either Kreutz's, or Luling City Market...period. I'd say its a tie for the best cue in Texas with those two. The bomb! I'd like to try Blacks sometime. Rudy's is decent. Artz is pretty good.
in Austin: 1. Ruby's(not to be confused w/Rudy's) 2. Artz 3. House Park(lunch only) Ruby's is at 29th & Guadalupe, a bit expensive, great atmosphere, very Austin-ish(eclectic), incredible sides(spicy-hot beans), and the meat is steroid-free, whatever that means. All I know is it's the best I've ever had. It's hard to compare a place like Ruby's to the small-town joints, but if I had to it would rank right up there. I'm just shocked no one else has mentioned it on this list, being that it's a stone's throw from the campus, and has been there for awhile now.
I was recently told that the BBQ sauce at the Salt Lick had something like 18g of Fat per Tablespoon. Thats F-ing disgusting.
In Austin, my favorite is Mann's (across from Din Ho/Target) - they have very good brisket and chicken and the best potato salad I've ever had. Additionally they know everyone by name and have live music Thursday nights....Give'em a try if you're in the area. I don't care much for Salt Lick's BBQ (too inconsistent for me) but they do have the best peach cobbler I have ever had. Rudy's and Ruby's are pretty good too.
* BBQ World Headquarters (on Burnet) - for brisket. They were in the Top 50 bbq list per Texas Monthly. * Luling City Market / John Mueller's (on Manor) - for sausage * Artz / Rudy's / Salt Lick - for ribs Bout Time BBQ is a new place close to where I live - McNeil & Parmer. They have good brisket and sausage.
this sunday on our way back from lubbock for the tech game, we drove right by coopers and it was about dinner time so we decided to stop and try coopers. i had their big chop + brisket. the big chop was very impressive. it is similar to the pork chop at muellers in austin but a bit better. i still like the chop i had at kreuz a few months ago the best. the brisket was better than john muellers but not as good as louie muellers in taylor or kreuz in lockhart IMHO. for lunch today, i went to house park BBQ by the tavern (and house park stadium obviously). i had their pork loin b/c i had heard that was their best item. it was good but i would say that the pork loin at muellers is better and so might the one at rudys. i still need to go to sams BBQ in east austin to complete my austin tour. after that i need to go to luling to city market and some of the elgin places but those aren't as easy to hit up.... based on what i have had, i would rank kreuz #1 and louie muellers #2 for the best i have been to and that includes coopers in llano and schmittys in lockhart. Texas97
