Texas BBQ Trail
“The Texas BBQ Trail” is a website of Central Texas barbecue places; the term “barbecue trail” became popular by the 1990s. The “Texas BBQ Trail” website surprisingly leaves off two local favorites—Louie Mueller’s BBQ in Taylor and Kreuz Market in Lockhart.
Other Central Texas food tours include the Texas Sausage Trail and Lockhart’s Triple Bypass Tour.
The Texas BBQ Trail
Taylor - Taylor Cafe
Elgin - Meyers’ Elgin Smokehouse, Southside Market & BBQ
Lockhart - Black’s Barbecue, Chisholm Trail, Smitty’s Market
Luling - City Market, Luling Bar-B-Q
13 July 1994, Austin (TX) American-Statesman, “BBQ Banter” by Kitty Crider, Pg. E1:
So report Austin area writers Paris Permenter and John Bigley, who followed the smoke of the Texas barbecue trail for seven months.
(Authors of the “Texas Barbecue Book—ed.)
Austin (TX) American-Statesman
JOHN KELSO’S BBQ TRAIL
Author: JOHN KELSO
Date: June 13, 1996 Publication: Austin American-Statesman (TX) Page Number: 32 ${ Word Count: 587
Editor's note: Next week in XL, columnist John Kelso will hit the barbecue trail. His first stop is Branch BBQ in Wells Branch, and thereafter we'll run his sketches of barbecue joints bi-weekly. So you've just moved to Central Texas and you're wondering what's going on in those funky-looking barbecue joints by the side of the road.
Simple. The people inside are swapping lies and eating some kind of meat smoked over a wood fire.
Google Grousp: alt.food.barbecue
Newsgroups: alt.food.barbecue
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Paul Ferguson)
Date: 1999/07/17
Subject: Re: bbq issue of magazine?
I think you’re referring to the June 98 issue of Chile Pepper magazine,
“The BBQ Trail: Kansas City, Memphis, Texas, North Carolina”.
Austin (TX) Chronicle (November 9, 2001)
Central Texas BBQ Dynasties
What Becomes a Legend Most?
Do it Yourself Central Texas BBQ Trail
Now that you’re better acquainted with the members of the legendary barbecue dynasties of Central Texas, we’ve created an annotated list of the best barbecue joints in the area so you can sample them yourself. Think of it as a Do It Yourself BBQ Tour. There’s no need for travel agents or tour buses, just hop in the car with the map, the list, some friends, and your appetite! Give our best to the pit masters, and tell them the Chronicle sent you.
1. Cooper’s BBQ
403 N. Mays, Round Rock, 255-5638
The second generation of a Hill Country BBQ legend, Gary Cooper’s been serving his family’s style of barbecue in downtown Round Rock since 1985.
2. Louie Mueller Barbecue
206 W. Second, Taylor, 512/352-6206
The quality of meats served in this no frills downtown Taylor storefront has remained unchanged for more than 50 years. Savory meat jus with every order and a tangy potato salad round out the meal.
3. Rudy Mikeska’s
300 W. Second, Taylor, 512/365-3722
The Taylor store is the cradle of the “first family” of Texas barbecue where they serve great meats and nontraditional sides dishes in a cafeteria-like setting.
4. Cross-Town Bar-B-Q
202 S. Ave. C, Elgin, 281-5594
Look for this place off the beaten path if you prefer your brisket, pork ribs, mutton, and all-beef sausage down home, greasy and full of flavor, smoked over a slow oak fire.
5. Southside Market & Barbecue
1212 U.S. 290 E., Elgin, 281-4650
This more-than-100-year-old sausage factory is one of the main reasons Elgin is known as the “sausage capital of Texas.” Great varieties of sausage and $2 per pound brisket trimmings are a real treat, too.
6. Meyer’s Elgin Smokehouse
188 U.S. 290 E., Elgin, 281-3331
The current generation of sausage-making Meyer brothers expanded the successful family sausage business in 1988 to include a casual restaurant where they serve smoked pork ribs, turkey breast, and brisket.
7. Kreuz Market
619 N. Colorado, Lockhart, 512/398-2361
Rick Schmidt carries on the family tradition in his big new building on Hwy. 183 S., where there’s plenty of room for tour buses and regular customers alike.
8. Black’s Barbecue
215 N. Main, Lockhart, 512/398-2712
Bragging rights in this longtime Lockhart mainstay are that Black’s is the oldest barbecue restaurant around continually operated by the same family. Nationwide shipping available.
9. Smitty’s Market
208 S. Commerce, Lockhart, 512/398-9344
This historic old building certainly qualifies as Texas barbecue hallowed ground, as it was home to the legendary Kreuz Market for years before Nina Schmidt Sells inherited it and opened her own store.
10. Luling City Market
633 East Davis, near US Hwy 183, Luling, 830/875-9019
One of City Market’s claims to fame is that they don’t have any forks in the restaurant. That’s because their brisket is so fall-apart tender you’ll want to feel how good it is. You buy all meats by the pound (or link) in the smokehouse in the back of the dining hall.
11. Fushak’s Pit BBQ
920 Hwy. 80, San Marcos, 512/353-2713
Meats here are smoked over hickory in a rotisserie pit and emerge ultra-moist and juicy. Traditional side plus homemade banana pudding and pecan pie.
12. The Salt Lick
18300 FM 1826, Driftwood, 894-3117
Folks drive from all over Central Texas to relax among the picnic tables at the rustic outdoor pavillion and eat their barbecue family-style.
13. R.O.‘s Outpost
Hwy. 71 W. at Hazy Hills Dr. (17 miles west of Y in Oak Hill), Spicewood, 264-1169
Complete barbecue menu is available here as well as chicken fried steak and fried quail. No matter how much meat you eat, you must save room for the stellar pies.
14. Opie’s Barbecue
Hwy. 71 W. (20 miles past intersection w/ RR 620, turn right at gas station) beyond Spicewood, 830/693-8660
Choose pork chops, pork ribs, sausage, brisket, chicken, and sometimes cabrito from the 12-foot smoke pit, have it sauced, sit at the picnic tables and chow on down.
15. Pete Mesquite Bar-B-Que
2407 Hwy. 281 N., Marble Falls, 830/693-6531
Regularly voted the best barbecue in Burnet County, this place offers a tasty to-go menu for lake-bound boaters and picnic-goers, easy to grab from the drive-through window.
16. Inman’s Ranch House Barbecue
Hwy. 281 N. at Sixth St., Marble Falls, 830/693-2711
Affordable prices and good meat have kept the working man coming back here for over 35 years.
17. Inman’s Kitchen
809 W. Young (Hwy. 71 W.), Llano, 915/247-5257
The treasured family recipe for turkey sausage is what originally put Inman’s on the map, and it’s still as good as it ever was.
18. Cooper’s Barbecue
604 W. Young (Hwy. 71 W.), Llano, 915/247-5713
Still the most famous of all the Cooper’s outlets, this joint is admired by deer hunters from all over the country who make an annual pilgrimage to Llano to hunt and eat their barbecue here.
19. Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Q
Hwy. 87 S., Mason, 915/347-6897
The original outlet founded by George T. Cooper is still smokin’ after all these years, successfully operated by Duard Dockal for nearly 20 years since the old man retired.
HornFans.com
BBQ Trail - Central Texas
Stuck_At_Work
07/02/07 11:49 AM
The Rudy’s thread prompted me to post this…
My friends and I recently did a ‘Tour de BBQ’ through Central Texas. We did some internet research in advance and I had kept my Texas BBQ issue of Texas Monthly from a few years back.
We hit up 9 or 10 different BBQ joints along the way. We did Elgin, Lockhart, Luling, Taylor, and everything in between.
We rated each place on variety of meats, quality of meats, sauce (if any), and environment.
1. Luling City Market was AMAZING! It was by far the best of all the places we tried.
2. Louie Muellers in Taylor had closed by the time we arrived because they had sold out of meat - pretty impressive.
3. I didn’t realize how good beef sausage was. It is hard to eat any other kinda sausage now.
4. I wasn’t impressed with a lot of the other famous BBQ joints we visited.
5. There was a hole in the wall we tried down the street from Louie Muellers in Taylor that had some of the best brisket I’ve ever had - but I can’t remember the name of the place.
6. A lot of these places don’t believe in BBQ sauce. They think it masks the taste of the meat. I’m a believer in sauce. I think good sauce can enhance the flavor.
In summary, most of these places had better BBQ than you can find in Austin. If you haven’t taken the short drive to Luling City Market, you really need to.
RoadFood.com Forums - The Texas BBQ Trail
twinwillow
Posted - 04/30/2008 : 11:32:24
I have eaten at all those on on the, “Texas BBQ Trail”. I am somewhat “dumbfounded” to see the (glaring) omission of Louis Mueller’s BBQ in Taylor, Texas. IMHO, the very best on the “Texas BBQ Trail”.