Recommendation for Best BBQ in Austin

HOLY CRAP... if I go home hungry it is my own damn fault... bring on the bibs, napkins & tooth picks....

Holly CRAP.... now I need a place to HIDE.... how do I change my handle..??? I may need help...!!!! any suggestions..??

I ate at Black's in Lockhart on Friday. It was excellent and well worth the relatively short drive!

Great thread, thanks to all who posted. Love Salt Lick, Iron Works, and Stubb's, but still looks like I have more rounds to make for great BBQ! Originally Posted by Katerina

if it's good enough for Katerina, it's good enough for me!

If you think you can wing it in terms of distance and time, I recommend Snow's BBQ in Lexington, TX. It's not too far from Round Rock. Google it for details. Only open on Saturdays till they run out of meat.

Dom Originally Posted by Domynion

Snow's has the best brisket for sure. Best all round has to be Kreuz's in Lockhart. Mueller's in Taylor can be good but I have found to be inconsistent. I personally don't think you can get good BBQ in Austin and I've lived here 35 years, Rudy's is probably as good as any locally if you want to pay double (I don't). I haven't tried Franklin's but way overpriced just looking at their menu. Salt Lick sucks.

Ate at Rudy's again tonight, delicious. A third of a pound of extra moist extra black briskets - outside cuts, they call it here in Austin, how cute - with sauce and a couple of quarts of lemonade, yum!

Gents & Lady... we went to Ruby's on 29th & Guadalupe. VERY good.. nothing fancy.. but the food was great...short ribs were pretty good... sausage was VERY Good... brisket was sooo dang good.... Review to follow... we did kind of stand out with the Blue & shirts on with the UCLA on the front... I will make a trip to Austin just for the BBQ now...

Ruby's also sells deep fried Turkeys around Thanksgiving that are excellent.

Can't believe I've missed a bbq thread for this long! If you go to Taylor, drive right past Muellers and go to Taylor Cafe. Best in Taylor by far! I'm not a fan of Salt Lick in Driftwood at all. It seems that people get caught up in the atmosphere and look over the food. Good times can be had there for sure, but if I'm just looking for bbq it's waaaaay down on the list. Cooper's in Llano is good if you know what to get. I agree, they're brisket sucks. You have to get the pork chop at Coopers. I know, pork chop at a Texas bbq joint, are you serious? Give it a shot, you will not be disappointed.

Mann's is closed on Sunday and Monday, so don't make the mistake of going there then.

In order to get respectable Texas-style BBQ you must go to Lockhart as Tatonka has reported, or go all the way out to Driftwood.

There are numerous BBQ places in Austin but they are all terrible - including IMHO the much vaunted "IronWorks."

The brisket at Ironworks is always very dry, and their side items are very small in portions and usually just aweful. Their pinto beans are barely cooked and flavorless. They are really expensive and have no air conditioning. You pay a premium to sit in the heat and sweat, stand in line with all the other tourists there because it looks like an authentic place from the outside [which it isn't] and then eat small portions of under-cooked beans and brisket so dry no sauce will moisten it. If I were desperate I would chance "Bens" on the east side, off 11th I think, "Manns" on Research near Olen Rd., or even "Poke-E-Joes" various locations.
Whatever you do stay away from the "Green Mesquite" or "Rudys" as they are clones of the horrible fare of Ironworks.

For that matter there are no good Mexican restaurants here either. No really good pizza that I have been able to find, etc.

The restaurants here are like the music scene - crowded with people seeking to sell a very inferior product based on the rep of the town as an awesome place, but without much substance to back it up.

Just curious, how many of you have eaten at Sam's BBQ on E.12th street (just east of Chicon St)?....I've eaten there many times, not as good as Kreuz's but decent BBQ if you don't want to drive too far.

I like the BBQ at the Salt Lick but the sides are terrible. I used to go to Copeland's years ago and enjoyed it. County Line used to be much better but is still ok.

BBQ is like pussy, everybody has their own tastes in what they like and don't like. But when you really need some any will do in a pinch.

I like most of the places named, they all have their high and low points. The best? At my place...