Texas BBQ Road Trip! Reviews and Videos

[wcpreston]

Here's the video from our visit to Louis Mueller BBQ in Taylor, TX

https://youtu.be/bAyVI03Gd4E

[Jim White]

Did someone say Frito Pie?

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/the-pit-mastery-program/soup-chili-and-stew/914075-frito-chili-pie-essential-comfort-food-or-crime-against-nature

[Mr. Bones]

Yeah, Frito Pie??? Yes, Please, Ma'am!!!
Congrats, that actually woke me from an Induced Coma lol
Chili Cheese Fritos, when I have my own preferance....

[BBQPhil]

I've often thought of flying from San Diego to Austin just to try Mueller's beef ribs. Looks lit might be worth the trip.

[Michael_in_TX]

I can't express how much fun this has been following your videos/posts. This has been a blast!

[wcpreston]

Glad to hear it!

[58limited]

I've been enjoying watching your BBQ travels for the past week. I've never heard of Valentina's so I need to check them out the next time I'm in that area.

The one time I went to Salt Lick I bought a pound of brisket in addition to my meal to take to some friends I was meeting in New Braunfels. I didn't get brisket with my meal since I was getting some to go, just had the pork ribs which were very good. After eating my meal I decided to order another pound to go for two pounds total. These were cut from different briskets and when we tried them later they were very different from each other: the first we opened was bland and flavorless, a big disappointment. Later we opened the second pound and - wow - it was quite good with a nice smokey flavor and a bit of spice.

[wcpreston]

I thought the brisket was weird. Look at it in the pics. What brisket have you ever seen shaped like that? My wife liked it, but I thought it was meh. The flavor was OK, but the mouth feel was just off. I was a little less forthcoming in the video.

[Troutman]

That's the biggest challenge for any bbq restaurant, consistency !!! I saw a deal on TV about Salt Lick several years ago. Although the big draw is the open pit smoking of all manner of meat and sausages, the real cooking is in the back. A lot of it is done in large cabinets then finished off or reheated on the smoker pit. I imagine that creates even greater variety of flavor profiles.

[wcpreston]

Pics of today's visit to Micklethwait's, while I edit the video.

[Panhead John]

I can tell ya right now, just from the pics….👍👍
Even the sides looked great!

[wcpreston]

I shouldn't have to say it, but the brisket failed on two points:
1. Mostly flat. (we were not given a choice)
2. The little point that was there was stringy

You can see that in the pics above.

[Mr. Bones]

OY!

[RonB]

I somehow lost track of this thread, but I am enjoying what I have seen, and will go back and catch what I missed.

[wcpreston]

Here's the video from Micklethwait. Quick summary: good pulled lamb, good sides, mediocre brisket.

https://youtu.be/4_uNYJzOgEo

[gcdmd]

Were the chili beans sweet? Did they have ground meat in them? I have a recipe that calls for brown sugar but haven't tried it.

Keep up the good work, Curtis. I'm looking forward to your review of La Barbecue. My son lives in SA, but we haven't gotten to La Barbecue, yet.

[wcpreston]

They were not sweet and had no meat. It was just like I described: beans that taste chili.

[wcpreston]

Two more days in the trip. Saturday will be La Barbecue in Austin and Sunday will be Pecan Lodge in Dallas. Then we go home. Someone gave us a $100 gift certificate for Pecan Lodge, so that's why it'll be our last one.

[LA Pork Butt]

I never was a fan of lamb chops, but I have done a few lamb shoulders just like I would a Boston Butt and I love it. I would do lots more if it wasn’t so darn expensive.

[wcpreston]

My wife threw a massive baby shower for our niece who happens to live in Fort Worth. She knew about our trip, so it was our thank you.

[Troutman]

You're going to like LA Barbecue, good stuff. Never been to Pecan Lodge, used to be the top rated joint. Looking forward to your opinion.

[wcpreston]

La barbecue got 10/10! Video to follow.

[Mr. Bones]

Well, it's not like any of that looks 'Tasty', or any sucha kinda thing! LOL

[nikolausp]

I am headed here (La Barbecue) in about 30minutes, then heading to UFC: AUSTIN later today! Looking forwards to checking out the new Misting Fans they have at La Barbecue. I've never been there before.

[nikolausp]

Temp in Austin today is 101 degrees, NOT counting heat index, lol. OUCH!

[wcpreston]

We didn't order this beef rib, but it looks similar to Louis Mueller's ribs. And check out this juicy, jalapeño-filled sausage!

[Michael_in_TX]

THAT is some serious sausage.

[wcpreston]

La Barbecue video is uploading. It will appear here!

https://youtu.be/EV6zbKF7fOI

[LA Pork Butt]

Your tour has inspired me to go out and eat BBQ, to cook BBQ, and to plan a BBQ tour. After your last stop I would appreciate your thoughts on the tour. Too long? Too short? Just right. Strategy in ordering and comparing? Learnings?

[wcpreston]

I will be doing just that when I'm done.

[58limited]

I've really enjoyed this series. I've had La Barbecue once back when they were still a food truck. My understanding of the history is that La Barbecue was started by Wayne Mueller's sister LeAnn (Wayne, Louie's grandson, took over Louie Mueller's in Taylor when his father Bob retired). Originally LeAnn helped to finance her other brother John but they had a falling out. LeAnn kept the business and named it La Barbecue. I don't know if this is accurate or not but my friends in Austin pronounce it L A Barbecue.

[58limited]

Also, that is why I will not open a German BBQ joint and call it by its German name. I don't think "Die Barbecue" is a good marketing decision.

[Panhead John]

A better name would be "Stinkender Furz BBQ"

[Troutman]

So would it be pronounced DIE Barbecue?

[wcpreston]

We are now back home in San Diego. I owe you one more update, but I'll give you the short version: Pecan Lodge might be the worst BBQ on the trip. The pulled pork was so bad, they friend getting free leftovers left it behind. The sausage was meh, the brisket was OK flavor-wise and mostly tender. But it was cut wrong. The sausage was meh and bordered on dry. The pork ribs were OK, and the beef rib was OK, but we wasted a lot of money on not-so-good food.

I'm going to sound like an old man, but the thing I really hated about Pecan Lodge was the fact that were CONSTANTLY on the very loud PA announcing order numbers that were ready, or repeatedly telling us we can't save tables. It was already super loud (metal building, concrete floors) and the PA just made it louder. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Hey, Pecan Lodge, get a couple of these and stop yelling at everyone all the time.

https://www.amazon.com/3-Digit-Number-System-Ticket-Dispenser/dp/B004GEYYOE/

[Panhead John]

Don’t blame you at all. That would annoy the hell out of me also. My only minor nitpick with Brett’s was the guy with the guitar singing and rambling on about his wife, also too loud. I’d rather hear a little recorded background music from people or bands we’ve heard of, at a reasonable volume.

[wcpreston]

Here are pics. The first is the beef rib. Probably the best thing. It was like the first two we tried.



The pork ribs were also good.



Sausage was better than Snow's super over-cooked ones, but not much better.



The brisket was cut wrong again. How hard is this?





I didn't get a close-up of the pulled pork, but it was DRY. Not even good smothered in sauce.

[Troutman]

Dang it even looks bad. How hard is it make it LOOK good? What an ending to a great bbq crawl. Looking forward to your parting thoughts.

[LA Pork Butt]

We went there a number of years ago and it was quite good, but my son went there more recently and was disappointed. He wasn’t surprised at your review. BBQ can’t live off of past reputation.

[gcdmd]

I hope you used your gift certificate so you weren't out any cash.

BTW, were the chili beans at Micklethwait sweet?

[Whiskeyman53]

Great videos and posts. I looked forward to the reviews from your bbq journey and was not disappointed.