So glad I made it there in 2011 before it went crazy. Stood in line at 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, a dozen people in front of me. Served easily and also had them wrap up a big package to go that went into my back pack for the flight home.
I’ll never stand in that line again. But funny enough, I have no issues getting up early to drive the hour plus to Snow’s on Saturday morning to beat their line.
Yes, I’m juvenile
Yep and that’s a nice drive from Austin to Snow’s on a Sat morning. For the drive, throw in some tunes from local artists you find in Waterloo records. Enjoy the scenery, have bbq for breakfast, drive back and take a nap.
I had the same experience when I went a few years ago. I got ribs, brisket and sausages. Smitty’s brisket was tough and I had to tug hard to pull it apart. Kreuz’s was boring. Black’s was solid, the brisket and sausage was pretty good.
What do you think of Luling Market? or is that what you meant when you said City Market? I loved their ribs.
I thought J Mueller was pretty darn good too but they were still new when I tried them.
its sad if the lockhart joints have gone downhill. its been years since ive been there.
the austin folks i know prefer other places to franklin – and speak very highly of snows – but everybody is different and bbq is a day to day thing.
hell the last trip to austin i didnt have much bbq at all. we had it one night but i cant remember where.
spent the rest of the trip eating other austin specialties and, well, yeah, drinking a shit ton.
[quote=“Jase, post:142, topic:3662”]
Yes, I’m juvenile
[/quote]So are they sometimes.
[quote=“linus, post:144, topic:3662”]
but everybody is different and bbq is a day to day thing.
[/quote]I’ve noticed that by watching the different pit masters. Even the best have bad “cooks” sometimes. It’s like a good performer having an off night. Once it’s done there is very little they can do to fix it.
Certainly not as experienced as you but I thought some of the offerings were fairly good in Lockhart, Blacks for brisket and Smitty for links. You can do a lot worse in TX - ie. pretty much all the places in Dallas listed on the TM50 list.
Did not know about the Mueller sister’s connection @ La Barbecue… nice factoid.
True, but the best barbecue cooks don’t really have off days. Consistency is hallmark of skill.
agreed. but everyone has off days.
What do you mean by “off days”? Not as good? Inedible?
Also, don’t confuse getting there at the very end of service after the barbecue has been ready for 3 hours with an “off day.”
Sure, bud. That’s why there’s great barbecue everywhere.
why are we arguing?
Why is the sky blue?
Why does the sun shine?
Why does the heart break?
Why don’t we all get back to restaurants or backyards that exist in LA? 
Gracias.
No. I’m trying to understand what you mean by an “off day” because people’s expectations are different, and why you’re singling out barbecue as a food where there are “off days”, and what’s your point. So, what’s your point?
If the first meal you have at any place is the best, then everything after that could be an “off day.” And, based on your definition of “not as good”, then everyone and every food establishment would have an “off day”, not just barbecue, if it’s not as good as you expect. Right?
BBQ is somewhat inconsistent by its nature, especially when it comes to whole, large muscles, like brisket, pork butts, and even large ribs; it’s not a 1/4 pound patty of ground beef. Each piece of meat is different. People are also cooking with wood, which can vary significantly. So, that’s why I asked what you meant by an “off day” because there’s almost always going to be some variation. Barbecue may be different almost every time you cook or eat, even at a single place.
But, that doesn’t mean that every time it’s different, it’s an “off day” to me even if it’s not as good as a previous time. You can’t see what’s inside brisket until you cook it and cut it. If one piece of meat doesn’t taste as good, but it’s perfectly cooked, that’s not an “off day” to me. You can’t blame the cook or restaurant for the variation in meat quality. (As an example, I almost exclusively use USDA Prime briskets. But, I’ve had similar size and weight Choice grade briskets that resulted in a better product.)
So, I consider an “off day” as something outside of normal variation of that person’s usual standard, like was the meat oversmoked, was the seasoning or amount of seasoning incorrect, was the meat over-rendered or under-rendered, was the meat not tender enough, or falling apart, was it dry, etc. I generally judge barbecue as needing to meet certain general characteristics/standards as far as tenderness, doneness, and each characteristic being within a certain acceptable range because nearly every piece of meat is different. Just because it’s not as good as the time it was the best, or even as good as last time, doesn’t equal an “off day” to me.
And, within my definition, I can say that some BBQ people have not had “off days.” Adam Perry Lang hasn’t had an off day of the times I’ve had his BBQ in LA. I had Danny Edward’s BBQ twice in three days in Kansas; no off day. But, there’s no way to determine if someone on an off day unless you go days or weeks in a row, or catch someone on an “off day,” or someone says they have an “off day.” Then again, maybe the barbecue just isn’t that good and what you thought an “off day” was the best that that person could do (or you went late when the BBQ had been held for hours). I could say that about a few places in LA; what I considered an “off day” was how they made barbecue. I have also confused an “off day” with declining quality, e.g. Bludso’s in Compton.
So, perhaps, every barbecuer has an “off day” by your standard, or by their own standard. I’ll just say that I’ve had barbecue several times from several people, competition cooks included, year after year that never met my criteria of an “off day.”
mhlee
your response was too long for me to read.
sorry.
um…no.
Proving Fermat’s last theorem is complicated. BBQ is much simpler.
…linus!
Carne asada sandwich: marinated BBQed flap meat, chipotle mayo, avocado, and pickled onions courtesy of my dear mama.
Yeah! Now you’re talkin’ my language. Marinated Flap Meat is perfect on the grill.
