Brisket Quest!!


 
Facundo Silva

Facundo Silva

TVWBB Member
I'm not sure where to post this but I wanted to share with you guys that I'll going on a 4 day BBQ trip to Austin!! To eat great BBQ and drink beer!! I will definitely go to Franklin's, Salt Lick, Snow's and a few others. Open to suggestions. It's my first time going to Texas.

Cheers!!
 
I haven't been there myself, but Cooper's just opened on Congress and 3rd (I believe). A friend has been a few times and says it's really good. I think this is a new location of the original Cooper's in Llano.

Also, they opened a Black's BBQ on Guadalupe fairly recently (last year I think). This is a new location of the original Black's in Lockhart.

There's also County Line and Iron Works, which have both been here for many years.

And I'm sure you've heard about the lines at Franklin's. From what I hear, plan on waiting a good three hours or so, probably outside.

Franklin's, Iron Works, Cooper's, and Black's are all in or fairly close to downtown. Salt Lick and County Line are a bit more of a drive. Then of course if you want to drive a little farther, there are a few famous joints in and around Lockhart (Black's being one).

I really don't know much about this stuff, but I know Black's and Cooper's are both new to Austin. I've just recently starting learning about BBQ and haven't really tried much yet though.
 
I live in Austin. When are you coming to town?
Tips on your trip. Find out whats going on in town the week you are here. If there is a big event like a UT football game or SXSW festival the lines are going to be nuts so get there early.
Go to Franklin but your going to want to be in line before 8am. Bring a cooler a good book and a chair if you'd like. I tend to just sit on the ground.
Snow's is only open on Saturdays so keep that in mind.
The Salt Lick is cool because its out in the middle of no where and you can bring your own beer but to be honest the BBQ is not that great. If your going to say you went cool if your going cause you hear its good I'd skip it.
Places you might want to go instead is John Mueller Meat Co., Louie Mueller Barbecue (in Taylor), LA BBQ or Micklethwait Craft Meats.
And you can always make the hour and a half trip to Lockhart if you have the time to do that.

Have fun and let us know how it went who you liked the best yada yada
 
This is my bud's place in South Austin. He is getting rave reviews and being told that his BBQ is better than Aaron Franklin. No joke. I think it's worth a try if you are in town and truly seeking the best BBQ you can find.

http://gebbysbbq.com/
 
BE's tips are good ones. The first highlight would be Franklin. Enough has been said about it -- all true. Take a short trip to Lockhart (about 20 minutes from the airport) where you should at least stop by the Big Three: Smitty's is a piece of Americana you won't find anywhere else, Kreutz is a classic and Black's has an amazing beef rib. They are all close to each other and the courthouse is an classic bit of Texas architecture. The Salt Lick is a great experience -- a huge rustic camp in the middle of nowhere, but just about 30 minutes from downtown Austin in Driftwood. The sausage is great. Bring your own cold beer and just order the meat by weight -- the sides are not so great. The pecan pie, however ... Cooper's has several locations but the original Llano joint is best. It's a hike out Hwy 71 from Austin, but the pork chop is worth the drive.

While you're down here, take advantage of the awesome music venues. Highlights: Dale Watson, most Thursdays at the Highball on S. Lamar, Redd Volkaert for Saturday Happy Hour (3pm; free) at The Continental (South Congress), Chickensh!t Bingo on Sunday afternoon at Ginny's Little Longhorn on Burnet. Take in anyone's show at The Broken Spoke on S. Lamar. The definitive honky tonk. Stay off of Sixth Street. If you really want a laid-back Hill Country experience, go to Luckenbach on a weekend afternoon, after first having lunch at Cranky Frank's in Fredericksburg. It's a good hour-and-a-half from Austin, but it's a nice ride through Texas wine country (yes, Texas wine country).

Hope you have a great trip!
 
Louis Mueller's in Taylor is my all-time favorite anywhere. Opie's in Spicewood is supposed to be really good out of ones that haven't been mentioned.
 
good luck on the road trip. for my Bday I took a BBQ road trip to eat at Franklins. I was in line at 6:30am and we were the second group in line. best brisket and pork spareribs i have ever had! I would also suggest beef ribs at Louie Muellers in Taylor, TX over Salt Lick. I think Salt Lick is way over rated. Never been to Snows but really want to go. The only being open on Saturday makes things tough. Good luck!
 
Forget the lines. Go to Rudy's. They'll even give you samples! It's not pretentious and it's almost as good as Black's. I went to the original Black's and it was as authentic as you can get. The beef rib is crazy good there.
 
Dan Y said:
Forget the lines. Go to Rudy's. They'll even give you samples! It's not pretentious and it's almost as good as Black's. I went to the original Black's and it was as authentic as you can get. The beef rib is crazy good there.
Click to expand...

I think Rudy's seems to get lumped into a lower-class level of BBQ (like Bill Miller's - basically fast-food BBQ). My wife's work has had their Christmas party at Rudy's for the last 3-4 years, and it's always been pretty good. But this past year, I have to say the brisket is some of the best I've had.

Granted I'm still pretty new to BBQ - despite being born/raised in TX, BBQ has just never been my "thing", but I'm beginning to like it more. So, I don't have a lot of experience for comparison, but I can't imagine anyone having any complaints about the brisket at Rudy's that we had this past Christmas.
 
Thanks for all the tips guys!! I just arrived in Austin and I'm planning to go to Franklin tomorrow. I heard Wednesdays and Thursdays are their "slow" days. I'm planning to be there at 7:30. I'll let you know how it went!
 
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