What time do John mueller & La BBQ typically run out of brisket on a Thursday? Anticipate I can be in line by 1215.

Cutting it close. Best time is around 11:30

What about a saturday arrival to la bbq? Would 10:30 be ok? Also, thinking of taking the metro down there. Is there area around plaza saltillo questionable?

Went to Bartley's in Grapevine today. Based off Yelp's 3.5 stars, I wasn't expecting much, although I hear they got beat up pretty bad with one and two stars after the TX Monthly rankings. Probably by people like me that have been to the top guys. It's hard to be like Franklins/Snows, yet that's who I will compare every BBQ restaurant with.

My dad and I just went with meat. We tried mild and hot sausage, ribs, lean and fatty brisket. Sausage was pretty good. It was different than most places. Consistency was less fatty than most. I would get the hot again. The ribs were cooked perfectly. Take a bite and it would pull easily, yet didn't fall off the bone. I wished it had a little more rub on it. The brisket had probably a 1/4" smoke ring and a good bark. Flavor was good. Tried the sauce just to say I tried it. Was pretty good. Tasted similar to Railhead in Fort Worth, but sweeter.

All in all, I would go back. It's probably right about a 3.5 on yelp. Above average, especially for Fort Worth area, but doesn't come close to some of the places down near Austin.

I've not been to La BBQ on a Saturday. I'd think 10:30 would be ok but it depends on what else is going on that weekend. Something is ALWAYS going on in Austin.

I've never had an issue at John Mueller's. I think I've even showed up at 11:15 on a Saturday and not had much of a wait.

Nothing compares to the wait at Franklin.

I've done a few places since my last update. Need to get around to posting...

I have Bartley's as a B- from my one visit. I thought the Ribs and Brisket were above average. As good as anything else I've had in the Fort Worth area, except for Woodshed (which is a bit different than your standard BBQ fare anyway).

quote:

---

Nothing compares to the BBQ at Franklin.

---

FIFY

EDIT: effed up code

[This message has been edited by agcrock2005 (edited 4/11/2014 4:57p).]

Meat is fine, but who has the best cabbage and/or collard greens?

LA Barbeque:

Got there at 10:15AM. Ordered at 11:30AM.



Verdict:

-Best prepared pork spare ribs I've had at a restaurant. Not saying they tasted the best I'm just saying they weren't dry and flavorless as most other restaurants are.
-Brisket (middle), was pretty most and delicious. Better than most places I've been.
-Sausage. It was ok.

I think if you're going with a small group of people it's worth the wait. Especially with the free beer.

A-/B+

Through a fortunate circumstance I got to eat at Pecan Lodge (first time) and Lockhart (been many times).

Pecan Lodge:
brisket: the cut I got was very fatty. Moist. Smoky. but very fatty.
sausage: good
pork ribs: amazing
beef ribs: again, very fatty. But in an indulgently good kind of way. Not sure I could eat them routinely, but it was really good.


So to compare the two

Brisket: edge to Lockhart (but again I may have gotten a bad cut, the flavor was there at Pecan Lodge for sure)

Pork Ribs: Pecan Lodge, which is saying something because I live Lockhart's ribs

Sausage: Lockhart, which is to say Kreuz's sausage (is that considered cheating?)

Sauce: I know, I know, you shouldn't use sauce. But use it sparingly. Pecan Lodge is much better

Fixings: I liked the mac&cheese at Lockhart better, as well as the other fixins.

Been to Bartley's in Grapevine. Massively underwhelming. Maybe it was just busy on a Friday night but this wasn't even remotely good to me.


For some reason, I like Bakers Ribs better than most. Their brisket is really quite good. For a mini-chain, it is really good.



By the way, anyone been to Tioga Springs recently? It has been 10 years at least for me, wonder if that BBQ place out there is still any good?

Went by Bob's BBQ in Henderson that is on the list. I have no idea how this place made the list. Ordered brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. It was about 1 PM and the plate went from the cutting board to the microwave. I seriously almost cried when they did that.

The brisket was dry as hell and had no seasoning. Ribs were dry and flavorless. Sausage was Ekrich or something. Not good. Not good at all unfortunately.

[This message has been edited by bobbyb0322 (edited 4/27/2014 9:28a).]

Had Lockhart Smokehouse in Oak Cliff yesterday. No chance to take pics.

Everything I had was wonderful. I would put it in at a solid A, but still a ways behind Pecan Lodge.

The Brisket was moist, tender, rendered perfectly, and had incredible flavor.
The jalapeno sausage was excellent. Tons of flavor and not too spicy to overwhelm that flavor.
The ribs were incredible. Just enough bark and bite, yet still tender, and extremely flavorful.
The highlight, though, was the shoulder clod. Tons of flavor, very tender and moist. Loved it.

The sides were great as well. I almost always get beans, but I didn't here. Mainly because I had so many other things to order. I had the potato salad, and it was some of the best I have ever had. The blue cheese slaw was my favorite side; incredible. And, the jalapeno mac n cheese was great stuff, but a little too spicy.

We finally made it out to Hutchin's BBQ in McKinney last night to see what the buzz is all about. I was shocked to see it win DFW's Favorite BBQ in the Dallas Morning News' recent poll, especially considering the waves Lockhart & Pecan Lodge have made recently, so I figured it had to be legit.

It definitely lived up to the hype. Here is my assessment compared to Lockhart Smokehouse since that is the most recent competitor I have been to before Hutchin's:

The brisket was delicious; almost perfectly cooked. Perfect bend test, moist and very flavorful bark. My only criticism is it did not have enough smoke to it (might just be my preference as I personally like a very strong smoke flavor). I would put it just a hair below Lockhart's.

The jalapeno sausage was just OK. By the time we had sat down after paying at the counter, it was already cold (may have gone cold on the chopping board) but the flavor was still very good. Lockhart's sausage easily wins this head-to-head.

Now for the highlight: the pork ribs. Pretty confident these were the best ribs I have ever had in a restaurant. The meat was not overcooked/falling apart and still had a good pull off the bone, yet was extremely tender and flavorful. Very subtle sweetness to the bark with just the right amount of smoke and spice. By far my favorite of the meal.

The sides were all excellent. We had the mac & cheese, ranch-style beans, green beans and fried okra. The mac & cheese was better than Lockhart's IMO (Lockhart's is just too damn spicy), both beans were above average, but the fried okra was my favorite. They ran out of okra while were were waiting to order, but brought us a fresh batch after we had sat down; you would not believe the portion size for only $1.50 individual serving!

Again, Hutchin's totally lived up to the hype, and I am even more on-board with this place after learning they bought Randy White's BBQ in Frisco closer to my house. I hate to be a fence-sitter, but I would rate Hutchin's just as good as Lockhart Smokehouse, albeit for different reasons as detailed above.

Bill Miller's BBQ FTW.

I will be in McKinney with my son on that weekend, and I will have to try it. I was very impressed with Lockart's (and I agree the mac n cheese is too spicy, good by too much), but Pecan Lodge still sits atop my list with the Granary in San Antonio in a fairly close second. I have not tried Franklin's, Snow's, or La BBQ. Setting times and dates for those for this summer now!

Went to Lockhart Smokehouse in Dallas for lunch today. I'll preface by saying I'm a huge BBQ snob. I've been to Franklins, Snows, Pecan Lodge, all of Lockhart and many of the others on this list.

Brisket had great flavor and smoke ring was perfect. It was very tender yet a little on the dry side.

Pork Ribs were very dry. Flavor was great, just very over done.

Sausage was from Kreutz, so it was great like always.

Sides: Blue cheese cole slaw was weird and really good. Loved the pickled jalapenos and spicy pickles, but wish they had regular onions rather than pickled red onions. Sauce was unique and good.


Overall, good atmosphere, nice people and decent BBQ. Not sure it deserves to be in the Top 50, but I also understand BBQ is hard and sometimes places have bad days. Will probably go back at some point to give it another try.

In Dallas, I still prefer Odoms or Hardeman's to pretty anything on the list. Plus they have great greens and cabbage.

Just ate at the brand new Texas BBQ place in Austria

It's been a while so here's what I've been up to. Quick List this time!

Cuero:
BBQ Station - Crumbly Brisket so dry that it begs for sauce. Ribs are decent but not worth a stop. C-


Smolik's - The Smolik’s in Cuero doesn’t capture the magic of the location in Mathis (same family, different owners) but is still clearly tops in town. Avg brisket, fairly good ribs/sausage. Outdoes Barbecue Station across the board. (The business is currently in transition after the former owner passed away) Grade: C



Tyler
Stanley's - Was first in line for this trip to Stanley's. It's an iconic spot in East Texas but it has always been a little underwhelming for me due to the HUGE buzz it garners. Don't get me wrong, the Ribs and Brisket are both good and it's clearly one of the best in East Texas. Grade: B-

Jefferson
Joseph's Riverport - I love the little town of Jefferson and thankfully was able to finally try Joseph's. Previous trips have seen them closed early or burned down... It was worth the wait. The Perfectly smoked brisket and slightly sweet ribs were wonderful. Storebought sausage was fine as was the pulled pork.Grade: A-


Houston
The Brisket House - I'll begin with the disclaimer that I went late in the day - the worst time to sample BBQ. The meats were not great but I'd be interested in going back for a fair lunch sampling. On the plus side, I appreciated the heavy pepper rub on the ribs and all of the Aggie maroon (This is run by the former owner of Tom's in CS BTW). Grade: C++


Corpus Christi
Julian's - Worth the trip for the excellent beef rib alone. Everything else was just average. They sure seem to be trying really hard and I have hopes they'll round out their deficencies. Grade: B--


Odem
Barnyard BBQ - Downright awful. The meats amounted to a dry mushy mess. These meats spent more time in the oven than near smoke. Grade: D+


Galveston
Leon’s World’s Finest In & Out - Leon's pushes Texas BBQ over the border to Lousiana. It's an interesting take on Texas BBQ and definitely has more spice than the typical joint. They're putting out some very fine pork ribs. The housemade sausage is unique and tasty. The brisket is a complete miss. Grade: B- -

Pearland
Killen's - My first trip to their new Brick & Mortar location was a success. We waited near the front of the line before opening Sunday morning and by the time the doors were opened there were about 70 people queued. Not bad. Clearly the standard for BBQ in Houston. Everything was excellent (Beef Rib, Pork Ribs, Brisket, Bone-In Pork Belly, Housemade Sausage). I was very impressed with the bone in pork belly. It was a first for me and it was even better than the pork ribs. The beef rib shines brightest at Killen's. Grade: A


Vienna, Austria
Big Smoke - This BBQ joint was the first of its kind in Austria. We got to visit on Day 2. They traveled through Texas earlier this year learning about Texas BBQ to prepare themselves. They released a video documenting this (I've not watched it yet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URbuUtKgKDw).
However, this clearly is not Texas BBQ. The brisket was a miss for me. It wasn't bad and would certainly satisfy a European but as the staple of Texas BBQ, it was the most disappointing for me. The ribs were good, also not Texas Style, but had a good enough rub and were well prepared. Finally, the sausage was excellent. The best I had in Austria or Germany - which is probably sacrilege to the residents of that country. All of the meats could have used some more smoke. I'm not sure what kind of wood they were smoking on and that also played into the flavor. Solid effort for Austria though. Grade: B-

quote:

---

Houston
The Brisket House - I'll begin with the disclaimer that I went late in the day - the worst time to sample BBQ. The meats were not great but I'd be interested in going back for a fair lunch sampling. On the plus side, I appreciated the heavy pepper rub on the ribs and all of the Aggie maroon (This is run by the former owner of Tom's in CS BTW). Grade: C++

---

we get them to cater lunch at the office on occasion and it's easily the best [moist] brisket I've had in town [not saying much]. maybe because it sits in its own juices while they bring it over, but the bark is awesome and the meat is juicy. that cream corn will probably clog your heart instantly, but it's pretty awesome. I think [hope] you just went at an off time. would definitely recommend giving them another shot.

Will be in Austin in June for a wedding. Heading into town Wed and was thinking of going to Franklins Thursday in the morning. How early should we get there? In just gonna take a book and read while waiting. It's a vacation so I don't mind relaxing hole we wait.

Anywhere else we need to go in Austin while there a few days?

My understanding is that the 2014 Texas Monthly BBQ Fest is scheduled for September 14, the day after the Rice game. I don't know what the ticket prices will be this year. Last year, they were $125 for VIP and $75 for general admission. It really is an excellent way to taste the wares from Franklin, Mueller, LA BBQ and all the heavy hitters. I would recommend it, if you can get tickets.

quote:

---

Will be in Austin in June for a wedding. Heading into town Wed and was thinking of going to Franklins Thursday in the morning. How early should we get there?

---

8:30AM

quote:

---

just gonna take a book and read while waiting.

---

*****. Take beers and chair. Socialize with others. Great atmosphere and people are nice. Actually kind of fun. Two of us went without anything, and we said next time we go, we're going with ice chest and dominoes. Would be a blast.

quote:

---

Anywhere else we need to go in Austin while there a few days?

---

http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/meat-and-men
Aaron Franklin’s past was scoured for clues, and among the most often cited was that he had previously worked for John Mueller, a descendant of the legendary Mueller barbecue clan of Taylor. John had operated a well-regarded joint on Austin’s East Side from 2001 to 2006 before flaming out, plagued by personal demons and money troubles. At which point Aaron had purchased his pit. Perhaps, the barbecue cognoscenti mused, there was something in that pit.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/lists/la-barbecue
In this case, “La” is not a definite article referring to the “Cuisine Texicana” this relatively new joint says it serves; it’s an abbreviation referring to the first name of the co-owner LeAnn Mueller, granddaughter of the founder of Taylor’s famous Louie Mueller Barbecue (disclosure: LeAnn is a contributing photographer at Texas Monthly). Housed in a little trailer with a few picnic tables under old pecan and live oak trees, this eatery opened in 2011 as JMueller BBQ, the ballyhooed comeback of LeAnn’s brother John, who had run a well-thought-of joint on Austin’s East Side that went out of business in 2006. Enormously talented but famously ill-tempered, John lasted a little over a year here, before a spat with his sister caused a split between the siblings. LeAnn changed the name; hired pitmaster John Lewis, previously of Franklin Barbecue; and didn’t miss a beat. Her brother, meanwhile, went silent for a spell, only to resurface yet again at John Mueller Meat Co.

A while back, after he left Franklin Barbecue, Lewis was considering moving out of Texas, but he has since become part-owner of La Barbecue, so we should have him around for a long time. This is especially good news, because in April he unveiled his huge new personally designed pit, which is producing even better results than before, if that is possible.

EDIT: Can't take credit for the last part. Copied it from another thread.

[This message has been edited by agcrock2005 (edited 5/22/2014 2:14p).]

quote:

---

Heading into town Wed and was thinking of going to Franklins Thursday in the morning. How early should we get there?

---

Instead, drive 30 miles to Lockhart, eat at Smitty's or Kreuz, drive back to Austin. You'll get better BBQ in less time, even with the drive.

quote:

---

Instead, if you want to do something really stupid and regretful, drive 30 miles to Lockhart, eat at Smitty's or Kreuz, drive back to Austin. You'll get much ****tier BBQ in less time, even with the drive.

---

FIFY

Thanks for the info on arrival time to Franklins. As it happens Lockhart is on the way from Houston to Austin (sort of) so I'll be stoping off at Kreuz on Wednesday for lunch.

How early do you have to show up at LA BBQ right now on a Saturday?

quote:

---

You'll get much ****tier BBQ

---

Well that certainly explains why they've been in business for 113 years.

Good advice above on how to handle Franklin. Treat it like an experience and enjoy the company. It's a good time.

LA BBQ is not nearly the spectacle but is the clear #2 for me in Austin. I've never been on a Saturday but from my experience, if you're in line when they open, you have nothing to worry about. There will be a line and a wait but you'll get food. I'd probably get there about 10:30. They do have free booze on the weekend to make the wait a bit easier.

Micklethwait is another good option. Their craft sausages are enjoyable to try. They also serve pretty good ribs.

There's always John Mueller as well. He serves up some great brisket. I've not been impressed with his beef ribs. They have Barton Springs Soda which is notable.

For dinner there is Lambert's which is "fancy BBQ". Higher price tag but good food and a great atmosphere. Freedman's is at the tip top of my "To Try" list, I've heard they're similar with great BBQ and cocktails.

As far as Lockhart goes, don't listen to the haters. Black's BBQ and Kreuz rule that town. It is absolutely worth a trip out there for one (or both) of those joints. Black's fatty brisket is spectacular. Kreuz has my favorite sausage in the state and their shoulder clod is excellent. Both are better than most places you'll find in Austin (except Franklin). The others, especially Smitty's, aren't worth the stop other than to just check them off the list.

I put Louie Mueller in the same category. Great alternative to Austin BBQ. LM has my favorite beef ribs in the entire state.

A few others on my to try list:
Opie's BBQ: Spicewood
Wilhite's BBQ: Creedmoor
Blue Ox BBQ: Austin
Blue Ribbon BBQ: Austin
Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ: Austin

[This message has been edited by CDub06 (edited 5/23/2014 9:19a).]

quote:

---

The others, especially Smitty's, aren't worth the stop other than to just check them off the list.

---

That's an interesting observation, since Smitty's is a clone of Kreuz.

Meat don't lie

quote:

---

That's an interesting observation, since Smitty's is a clone of Kreuz.

---

other way around.

[This message has been edited by Carter4133 (edited 5/23/2014 11:53a).]

quote:

---

other way around.

---

??????

Kruez has been around 113 years. Smitty's, about 13.

In honor of Pecan Lodge's Deep Ellum debut (today), thought I would share the D Magazine feature on how they came to be. Really a great article for those that have followed PL & the Fourtons.

http://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-magazine/2014/june/the-unbelievable-story-of-pecan-lodge?single=1