Louie Mueller Barbecue

Visited:  Monday 10/30, 2:30 pm

What I ordered: brisket, turkey, jalapeno sausage, cornbread.

My take: brisket is half moist w/a nice peppered dry rub, and half dry with a crispy bark but not much flavor / turkey has a rubbery consistency / jalapeno sausage is tasty - meaty, spicy, with visible jalapeno pieces and a snappy casing / cornbread tasted homemade and is a nice compliment to barbecue.  The barbecue sauce is a thin, au jus style that is fine for the brisket but no help for the turkey.

The place: you step back in time as soon as you walk through the door, this place speaks of generations of barbecue, wafts of smoky meat permeate the atmosphere.

Pro Tip: Monday afternoon there was little to no line.  Skip the turkey.

Flores Barbecue

Visited:  Saturday 10/28, 7:15 pm

What I ordered: brisket, rib shredded meat, potato salad, beans, pickles, banana pudding

My take: brisket is good w/a flavorful bark / rib meat is okay (probably would be best as a sandwich) / beans w/bits of bacon is full of flavor / mustard red potato salad is better than most / house-made pickles are great / banana pudding is a dream come true

The place: is in a large building, not much atmosphere inside or out, but plenty of seating and the sweet smoky smell of barbecue surrounds you as soon as you walk through the door.  The folks serving up the barbecue are enthusiastic and friendly.  Great logo.

Pro Tip: check their days/hours open before you go (as of this post they are closed 4-6 pm in between lunch and dinner), and check their Facebook page for mouthwatering photos of their daily specials

Top 5 BBQ

Visited:  Saturday 10/28, 4:30 pm

What I ordered: chopped beef nachos, mac & cheese

My take: 5-stars for the tastiest nachos I've ever enjoyed!  There's a lot going on with these nachos in terms of ingredients and flavor, with the smoky barked chopped beef and the spicy dry rubbed house-made corn chips being the stars of the show / the mac & cheese is good

The place: it's in strip mall surrounded by fast food joints, with a modestly sized interior dining space with barbecue and bbq nachos or baked potatoes at the ready to go.

Pro Tip: it's a quick stop en route Austin to Dallas (and you better believe I'm stopping here from now on)

BBQ on the Brazos

Visited:  Saturday 10/28, 10:40 am

What I ordered: brisket taco w/cheese, rib meat taco w/cheese (adding potatoes is optional)

My take: the hearty brisket taco is good (one is more than enough), not fair to compare but the tortilla is no Valentina's / the rib meat taco had inedible pieces of gristle that I had to pull out of my mouth

The place: is inside the Texaco station and the interior is a pleasant and clean space to enjoy your food and there's an upstairs dining area with a view of the racetrack.  The folks working there were friendly and passed out pieces of brisket to people waiting in line.

Pro Tip: there wasn't any line Saturday at 10:30 am; if you want breakfast tacos you have to get there before 11 am (and by 9:30 am weekdays)

La Barbecue

Visited:  Wednesday 10/25, 2 pm

What I ordered: brisket (combo fatty and lean), pork ribs, chipotle sausage, pickles, potato bun.

My take: both briskets were good, but the fatty is some of the best so far / the pork ribs are tender (but not fall off your fork tender), with a flavorful peppery crust / the sausage isn't my favorite texture-wise and lacked the flavor punch I was seeking. The crispy, thick dill pickle slices are the best (totally worth the $2).

The place: inside a Quickie Pickie, with a line that wraps around outside (covered w/tarps for shade) and then down the length of the building on the inside.  Plenty of indoor seating and several benches outside under cover.  There's a nice selection of craft beers on the menu.

Pro Tips: Get your brisket slices separately and then add pickles ($2) and a potato bun (.50) to make your own tasty sandwich.  I was there Wednesday at 2 pm and waited in the outside line that wrapped around twice, and noted when I left at 3 pm that line was empty - good time to go!

Hay's County Barbecue

Visited:  Sunday 10/22, 2 pm

What I ordered: brisket, jalapeño-cheese sausage, pickles.

My take:  the brisket is tender with a flavorful smoky and sweet crust / the sausage is perfect in texture, meaty, and with chucks of cheese and pieces of jalapeno that really give it a nice kick / solid tangy pickles

The place: nothing fancy about the interior, but they were working on creating a sweet outdoor space

Pro Tip: for less than $8 you can get a combo: pulled pork or chopped beef sandwich, side & sweet tea/fountain drink

City Market

Visited:  Saturday 10/21/17, 12:00 pm (Re-visited Saturday 3/24/18)

What I ordered: brisket (with "bark on it"), pork ribs, hot link sausage

My take: the brisket had a thick ribbon of unrendered fat, however the part that was edible was tender and with a smoky, flavorful bark / the glazed pork ribs were meaty and tasty, sweet and smoky / the hot link was a course sausage in a natural casing and was flavorful, mildly spicy

The place: occupies a prominent corner spot on the Main Street, you stand in one line to order meat inside the "smoke house" then another line for sides, dessert, drinks and utensils

Pro Tip: bring cash! (they don't take credit cards)

Kreuz Market

Visited:  Wednesday 10/18, 3:30 pm

What I ordered: jalapeno cheese sausage (I've already tried the brisket a couple time previously; it is inconsistent)

My take: they sure know how to make great sausage!  My sausage was spicy with enough jalapeno to give it a kick but not overpower, w/garlic and pepper seasonings and lovely pockets of warm cheese and the snappy casing is also flavorful

The place: is huge with plenty of seating.  You walk down the entrance corridor to the pit room for the meat, then to the main dining area for your sides.

Pro Tip: They now have forks!  (but still no sauce)

Baker Boys BBQ

Visited:  Wednesday 10/18, 12:30 pm

What I ordered: turkey, sausage, pickles.

My take: turkey was moist, juicy and with flavorful pepper crust, best so far on my tour / sausage is coarse and meaty, flavorful and with a snappy casing / pickles are good

The place: the whole town of Gonzales take pride in its "Come and Take it" tagline and Baker Boys plays with it in their signage. The metal building houses a no frills interior. The folks that work here are very sweet

Pro Tip: Try the turkey

The Granary Cue & Brew

Visited:  Saturday 10/14, 2:30 pm

What I ordered: brisket, pork ribs, beans, bread pudding, watermelon, pickles

My take: brisket is moist, salty (luckily I do like salt) and with a tasty bark/ pork ribs are tender, also salty, and with a sweet glazed crust / beans are flavorful / bread pudding is too dense, nothing special / how can you go wrong with watermelon?  The pickles are the sweet bread & butter kind (yuk).

The place: located in the Pearl District so lots of fun shopping opportunities to work off those calories after your meal!  It's also a brewery with some fine craft brews.  I like that they reclaimed most of the original materials from this vintage location and re-purposed them during the remodel (i.e. the restroom doors used to be bedroom doors!)

Pro Tip: Beer goes great with BBQ!

Smolik's Smokehouse

Visited:  Saturday 10/14, 10:30 am

What I ordered: brisket, sausage, kolaches (cream cheese & apricot)

My take: (we probably should not have eaten here since they had no running water, but it was a long drive from Austin so we went for it). brisket has a thick swath of unrendered fat and with tough-to-cut meat / sausage is good, meaty and peppery and great w/their vinegary bbq sauce / kolaches are dry even though they just came out of the oven.

The place: there's a large interior room w/plenty of seating, and the entry way is filled with historic artifacts of all kinds with nicely displayed informative facts and stories.

Pro Tip: Stick with the sausage

Valentina's Tex Mex

Visited:  Friday 10/13, 7:30 pm

What I ordered: smoked brisket taco, pulled pollo taco.

My take: the brisket taco is the Bomb! - so far on my tour, "#1 Best Brisket" goes to Valentinas, and then it gets even better when you wrap it up in a delicious handmade flour tortilla, and add their fresh sea salt lime guacamole and delicious tomato serrano salsa. This taco is frequently on my mind these days.... / pulled pollo taco was also great! Tender, moist chicken done right, complimented by their sea salt lime guacamole and medium-spicy tomatillo habanero salsa.

The place: a trailer located in a "permanent" space offering plenty of outdoor covered seating. Cute Texas decorative and historic items cover the walls.

Pro Tip: Try to go off-peak hours, as the line can be long....yet so worth the wait!

Freedman's

Visited:  Tuesday 10/10, 1:15 pm

What I ordered: chopped brisket sandwich, potato salad

My take: the chopped brisket sandwich is a solid deal, w/moist and meaty brisket that is a delicious bark / potato salad is basic / (I've been many times previously and highly recommend the smoky beets and the banana pudding served layered in a jar!)

The place: Love the history and story of this place, it feels like the building has an "old soul".  Read about it's history on the back of their menu.  Gaze at the beautiful marble and wood bar.

Pro Tips: Upgrade your sandwich a $1 for the "Lunch Box" combo to get a side and non-alcohol beverage or a Lone Star beer. Sandwiches are half-priced during happy hour. Whiskey goes great with BBQ!  Although I didn't imbibe during this lunch trip, my "go to" after hours is the 'Ol Schmokey cocktail.

Pinkerton's Barbecue

Visited:  Sunday 10/8, 3:00 pm

What I ordered: chopped beef sandwich, glazed pork ribs, jalapeno cheese rice, south Texas beans, pickles & onions.

My take: chopped beef sandwich is meaty, delicious bark, jalapeno bun a nice touch / glazed pork ribs are meaty, tender and deliciously glazed / jalapeno cheese rice gets my "second best side at a BBQ joint" vote / South Texas beans were tasty...and I'm not easily won over by beans

The place: cute Texacana interior decor, all wood and stone and taxidermy and a full bar inside

Pro Tip: skip the white bread and get the jalapeno bun instead

Truth Barbecue

Visited:  Sunday 10/8, 11:00 am

What I ordered: brisket, sausage, pork rib end (freebie), corn pudding, pickles & pickled onions.

My take: brisket A+, fall-off-your-fork tender / pork rib A+, succulent, meaty, tangy and sweet crust and my favorite so far / sausage A+, snappy, smoky and flavor punch / corn pudding A+ and best "side at a BBQ joint" so far.  Dill pickles and pickled onions are delightful

The place: Hill Country gem, photogenic decor (colorful "Love Texas!", Truth signage, rustic porch), you can actually see the smoker in action (get there at opening).  This place had the friendliest folks serving up the BBQ; the people here made this the epitome of what the BBQ experience should be all about.

Pro Tips: There's a cooler on the pouch w/some beverages (beer, Austin Eastciders) and a donation jar.  DO NOT pass up the corn pudding!