Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Barbecue) A South By Southwest primer on Central Texas’ finest cuisine

Those two families have something else in common, in that a Mueller family feud led son John, who was co-running the Taylor operation, to open his own place in Austin a little more than a year ago. John Mueller’s BBQ is the closest thing to a traditional, country-style barbecue joint in town. Not only is it head and shoulders and beer-gut above the competition, but I’d rank it among the best in the state. The brisket is tender enough to cut with a fork (always a reliable indicator), the sliced pork loin has a smooth but rugged flavor, the sausage squirts juice when it’s cut, and the meat on the ribs pulls easy from the bone. There’s also chicken and turkey and the standard three sides; in addition to the Taylor-style jus sauce, they offer a thicker sweet sauce typical of this area.

The other place in Austin I can recommend most enthusiastically is Sam’s Bar-B-Que on the East Side, which stays open until 3 am. Sam’s is primarily take-out, with just a handful of tables, and lives by the Southern old-school philosophy which refuses to acknowledge recent health concerns about consuming too much grease. My last few visits, the brisket needed to cook a little longer though it retained powerful flavor. The made-on-premises, pork-and-beef sausage is always wet and spicy, the pork ribs tender, the chicken iffy. Sam’s also serves mutton, or lamb, which invariably separates the grease freaks from the more diet-conscious eaters, and the sauce has more kick than most.

Most visitors wind up eating at Iron Works, because it’s right next to the convention center, or at Stubbs, because it’s a concert venue. I consider the former unexceptional but acceptable, while the latter has been coasting on the rep of its namesake, the late and legendary C.B. Stubblefield, since it opened. Both would have a hard time breaking into the lowest rung of my Top Ten. (The Salt Lick in nearby Driftwood is another perennial favorite I have trouble recommending because it can be so erratic.)

So in addition to Mueller’s and Sam’s, here’s the best of the rest around town. County Line, which has two Austin locations, may be a chain, but it’s a consistently good one, and the beef ribs can be inspired. BBQ World Headquarters, located in the Travis County Farmers Market, is the only place in town that serves certified Angus beef, and their well-marbled brisket is rich and ambrosial, with the other meats not far behind.

Ruby’s B-B-Q, which is located catty-corner from Antone’s Record Shop just north of the UT campus, is known for its all-natural (i.e., hormone-free) brisket, which I usually find could use a little more marbling, and also does a good job with chicken and turkey, both of which can dry out easier than red meats. And while nobody, I mean nobody in his/her right mind, goes to a barbecue joint for the sides, if they did they would certainly have to check out Ruby’s for the black beans, two kinds each of potato salad and slaw, the home fries and the mac & cheese.

Just west of downtown, House Park Bar-B-Q is a modest, underrated little hole-in-the-wall with solid, no-frills brisket and sliced pork (and too-sweet sides). In south Austin, the best bet is Artz Rib House, especially for its sinfully fatty country pork ribs (which are sort of like a mini-chop). Back on the East Side, Ben’s Long-Branch Bar-B-Que offers lean but moist brisket, pork ribs that strike a delicate balance between fat and meat, and mutton that doesn’t even try to.

And while Hoover’s Cooking isn’t even a barbecue joint — the menu features comfort food such as chicken fried steak and meat loaf — Hoover Alexander’s pork ribs are so close to perfect that he makes me violate one of the ‘cue-lover’s most sacred rules, the one that states you should never order the barbecue in a restaurant where barbecue isn’t the reason for being. Fortunately, there are so many good barbecue joints in and around Austin that it’s an easy rule to observe.

WHERE TO EAT

Traditionally, barbecue is a lunch meal in central Texas, and even in Austin itself, some establishments are not open for dinner. Call ahead to confirm evening hours, dialing area code where indicated.

AUSTIN

John Mueller’s BBQ, 1917 Manor Rd., 236-0283
Sam’s Bar-B-Que, 2000 E. 12th St., 478-0378
County Line on the Hill, 6500 W. Bee Caves Rd., 372-1742
County Line on the Lake, 5204 FM Rd. 2222, 346-3664
BBQ World Headquarters, 6701 Burnet Rd., 323-9122
Ruby’s B-B-Q, 29th & Guadalupe, 477-1651
House Park Bar-B-Q, 900 W. 12th St., 472-9621
Artz Rib House, 2330 S. Lamar Blvd., 442-8283
Ben’s Long-Branch Bar-B-Que, 900 E. 11th St., 477-2516
Hoover’s Cooking, 2002 Manor Rd., 479-5006

LOCKHART

Kreuz Market, 619 N. Colorado St., 512-398-2361
Black’s Barbecue, 215 N. Main St., 512-398-2712
Smitty’s Market, 208 S. Commerce St., 512-398-9344

LULING

Luling City Market, 633 E. Davis St., 830-875-9019

ELGIN

Southside Market & Bar-B-Que, 1212 U.S. Hwy. 290 E, 281-4650
Cross-Town BBQ, 211 Central Ave., Elgin, 281- 5594
Meyer’s Elgin Smokehouse,188 U.S. Hwy. 290 E, 281-3331

TAYLOR

Louie Mueller Barbecue, 206 W. Second St., 512-352-6206