CENTRAL TEXAS — "7 Days of Q"
On a recent work trip to San Marcos, I decided to seek out some of the highest-praised BBQ in central Texas. Like many of my travels, it began with an idea and led to an obsession and gluttonous adventure. My ultimate goal was to visit a different place each day and then rank them. To maintain fairness, I decided I would order the same items at each location: brisket (some lean, some fatty), pork spare ribs, coleslaw, and beans. I conducted some preliminary online research to identify the highest rated barbecue places within a 1 ½-hour drive of San Marcos. After considering each location’s days and hours of operation against my schedule, I narrowed down the list and began my “7 days of Q.”
DAY 1 – THE SALT LICK (Driftwood, TX)
The Salt Lick is about 40 minutes northwest of San Marcos (~30 minutes southwest of Austin) and greets visitors with a festival-sized dirt lot; welcome to "Meatfest!" This location is cash-only (onsite ATM), BYOB, and hosts live music on their large patio dining area. The most impressive feature is the pit area where wood-fed flames warm a meat-smothered grill. The reasons to visit include the family picnic atmosphere on the patio and the smoothly smoked brisket.
BRISKET: Nice lean body that was moist and tender; medium-level of smoke flavor that kept me engaged.
RIBS: Meat quite tender and fell off the bone with ease; light pork and smoke flavors.
SAUSAGE: Crispy skin and slightly spicy.
($14.95 – Thurman’s Choice)
DAY 2 – MILLER'S SMOKEHOUSE (Belton, TX)
Miller’s Smokehouse is about 1 ½ hours north of San Marcos (~1 hour north of Austin) in the small town of Belton. Walk through the deli-looking front dining room into the rear dining area to find live music and a bar pouring a variety of locally-brewed beers. The reasons to visit include the friendly service, moist cake-like cornbread, and delicious pork ribs washed down with some of Austin’s tastiest brews.
BRISKET: Marbled texture; tasty with a very light smoke flavor, but definitely overshadowed by the ribs.
RIBS: Light outer skin with a relatively lean, yet juicy, meaty texture; smoked pork flavor with a subtle heat that leaves a lingering warmth in your mouth.
BEANS: Not bad, but nothing of note.
($10.95 – 2 meats/2 sides)
DAY 3 – FRANKLIN BARBECUE (Austin, TX)
Franklin’s has quickly become a coveted Austin institution and touted as the “best bbq in the USA.” With daily hours of “11AM until sold out,” the lines are notoriously long (@FranklinBBQLine) and it’s not unusual to wait up to 4 hours for a plate of Q. I arrived on an Easter Sunday at 8:15 A.M. to a line halfway down the block and didn’t receive my first taste until 12:38 P.M. The wait is made easier with an overcast sky, $5 chair rentals, and good-spirited patrons who bring tailgate provisions. In the end, is their Q worth the wait? Definitively, yes. The reasons to visit include the “experience” and brisket and ribs that are overwhelmingly tender and flavorful.
BRISKET: Lean portions have a purplish smoke ring and provide texture, while the fattier portions are silky and spreadable; a smoky flavor runs through the lean cuts while the fattier cuts knock you unconsciousness with a 1-2-punch of smoke and sweet buttery flavors. I found that the fattier cuts were so overwhelmingly rich that I had to mix them with lean cuts and/or sauce; perhaps, I'm not worthy?
RIBS: A peppery spice-rubbed exterior wraps ultimately tender pink morsels of pork; peppery and sweet pork flavors are blissfully balanced.
BEANS: subtle heat with full flavors of chili powder, paprika, and cumin.
($17.00 – 2 meats/2 sides)
DAY 4 – COOPER’S OLD TIME PIT BAR-B-QUE (Llano, TX)
Cooper’s Old Time Pit is about 1 hour and 45 minutes northwest of San Marcos (~1 hour 20 minutes west of Austin) within the rolling hill country. Visitors are greeted by several rows of metal tomb-looking grill pits under a large covered awning outside of the restaurant. The process is simple: pick your meats, have them dipped in Cooper’s tasty sauce (or not), and then take your meat-piled cafeteria tray inside to select your beverages, sides, and payment. The reasons to visit include the wide-variety of meats and their amazing BBQ sauce.
BRISKET: Crunchy exterior bark, but meat texture is a bit stringy; the BBQ sauce is thin, yet brings a huge savory tang flavor that tickles your taste buds. I wouldn't mind drinking a pint of their sauce!
RIBS: Not available; sold out!
ALTERNATES: Smoked turkey was moist and peppery; Pork loin was amazingly flavorful, but may have had a pinch too much brine/salt.
BEANS: A bit watery, yet nice briny flavor.
($30.00 – meats sold by pound, sides extra)
DAY 5 – HAYS COUNTY BAR-B-QUE & CATERING (San Marcos, TX)
Hays is located just off of I-35 in San Marcos (~30 minutes south of Austin). The space lacks atmosphere and is reminiscent of stepping into a double-wide trailer. Like Cooper’s, they don’t sell combo plates (2 meats/2 sides); rather, meat is sold by the pound and sides are sold à la carte. The reasons to visit include convenient access from the highway; unfortunately, the BBQ is not one.
BRISKET: Crispy bark exterior to standard quality meat texture; bark is sweet and meat is lightly smoked without much flavor.
RIBS: Smoky bark and slightly dry meat with a chew; slightly smoky and tasty, but unworthy of much praise.
BEANS: Thicker texture with little smoky chunks and strings of pork; subtle pepper and pork flavors.
($23.00 – meats sold by pound, sides extra)
DAY 6 – STUBB’S BAR-B-Q (Austin, TX)
Stubb’s is known for their nationally-distributed BBQ sauce and the big-name musicians that have played and recorded on their stage behind the restaurant. The atmosphere at Stubb’s is one-part corporate Texas-style restaurant and one-part music concert venue; unfortunately, BBQ is not their forte. The reasons to visit are predominantly musician and beer-related; unfortunately, the only food worth eating are the beans. I was so disappointed with Stubb’s, I decided to double-up and eat at a second BBQ place on day 6.
BRISKET: Dry and crumbly with a chopped beef consistency; not much flavor, requiring it to be drowned in their infamous BBQ sauce that tastes more like tangy-ketchup.
RIBS: Somewhat tender with a thin bark and reheated appearance; not much flavor.
BEANS: Nice body with a slightly smoked pork flavor.
($14.95 – Stubbs Minor Plate)
DAY 6 – STILES SWITCH BBQ & BREW (Austin, TX)
Stiles Switch BBQ lives on the north side of Austin and has a respectable reputation for Q. The dining room is large and comfortable and the covered outdoor patio area is a nice venue to ingest live music. Although I had what some may consider an acceptable "dinner" at Stubb’s, Stiles’ Q was so tasty that I couldn't stop eating until I was painfully full. The reasons to visit include the exemplary brisket and ribs that are moist and flavorful; and you don’t have to wait 4 hours to enjoy them!
BRISKET: Thick peppery bark and balanced marble textures of lean and fatty; sweet and smoky flavors whose balance is almost unsurpassed. Sauce is unnecessary, yet theirs is sweet and tangy with a creeping heat; I may follow my Cooper's pint of sauce with one from Stiles!
RIBS: Moist with balanced body of tenderness and chew; smoky and porkilicious flavors that give Franklin a run for his Q.
BEANS: Nice body with cumin and smoke flavors.
($13.99 – 2 meats/2 sides)
DAY 7 – BLACK’S BARBECUE (Lockhart, TX)
Black’s is about 25 minutes east of San Marcos (~35 minutes south of Austin) in the picturesque little town of Lockhart. In a hotbed of BBQ joints, Black’s is the oldest family-owned place in Texas and shoots it out with the others using unorthodox smoking techniques and providing indoor and patio dining areas that exude personality and authenticity. The reasons to visit include their giant forearm-sized beef ribs and delicious brisket and ribs.
BRISKET: Fattier brisket is delicate while the leaner has a tougher bark with a nice chew; nice sweet and smoky fat layer with a bolder smoke flavor. Extra sauce is unwarranted, but theirs is sweet and tangy with an essence of chili powder.
RIBS: A nice chew without toughness, but a tad greasy; smoky pork flavors that are quite tasty.
BEANS: Thick and rich, but nothing to get excited about.
($12.50 – meats sold by pound, sides $1.59 each)
Over my seven days of meat-binging, I devoured some of the best BBQ available in central Texas. Even better, I had the opportunity to taste their menu offerings in very close succession, allowing me to evaluate and rank them against each other more effectively. I decided to rank each place by their brisket, ribs, sauce, and beans, and created overall composite rankings.
If you're up for a delicious adventure, you need to take a trip down to central Texas. Beyond the great music and art scene in Austin, the hills are covered in delicious smoky BBQ. Next time I’m in that area for work, I’ll indulge in a different 7-day challenge. Until then, I’m going to avoid BBQ and recover with exercise, seafood, and vegetables. Regardless, I hope my gluttonous sacrifice and rankings help guide you to your own blissful BBQ experience!
