While at a conference in Austin last week, I was able to try three of the five Austin barbecue joints on the Texas Monthly Top 50 and one newcomer that did not make the list.

My first stop was Stiles Switch Barbecue and Brew.


I really liked the brisket, ribs, and Switch original sausage, but the turkey was pretty unremarkable and didn't have the smoky flavor the other meats have. The brisket had the largest smoke ring of any brisket I had. For sides, I had the beans and the mac n' cheese, which were both average at best. This was really good barbecue, but not as good as others I would try that week.

My next stop was John Mueller Meat Co.



This was some absolutely fantastic barbecue. I got the brisket, turkey, beef rib, pork rib, and beef sausage. Everything was really good here and well above average. The sausage was the best I had while in Austin and the beef rib was one of the best I have ever had. For a side dish, I got the baked squash and it was great.

I also went to a new restaurant/bar called Freedmen's Bar. My father-in-law said it was his favorite barbecue spot in Austin and he had tried each of the 5 joints on the Texas Monthly top 50.


I ordered the brisket taco for an appetizer. After one bite of this brisket, I knew this was going to be a good meal. For my main meal, I ordered the Holy Trinity Plate which included brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. The brisket and sausage were the second best I had in Austin during this trip and the ribs were the best pork ribs I have ever had. I ordered the beans for a side and they may be the best beans I have ever had and were seasoned with cilantro and pieces of their house sausage.


My final stop was at the Mecca of Smoked Meats, also known as Franklin Barbecue.



I knew from past experience that we needed to get there early, so we arrived at 8:15 and were were the 5th and 6th people in line. I pulled out a lawn chair and a book, so the 2 hour and 45 minute wait went by pretty quickly and the temps were not bad for Austin in June. By 10:00, the line stretched throughout the parking lot and was over 200 people deep. I ordered brisket, pork ribs, sausage, and turkey with beans and cole slaw. The brisket was the best I have ever had and was even better than my previous experience trying it. The smoked turkey was also the best I have ever had. Great smoky taste with a nice peppery rub. The ribs and sausage were above average, but nowhere near the caliber of the brisket and turkey. The beans and cole slaw were fantastic too. Usually I am not a fan of cole slow but I would eat their's any day.

I didn't get to try Lambert's or LaBarbecue, but will save them for my next trip.

My best meat choices out of the places I visited.

Best Brisket-Franklin Barbecue
Best Rib-Freedmen's Bar
Best Sausage-John Mueller Meat Co.
Best Turkey-Franklin Barbecue
Best Side-Beans at Freedmen's Bar

Great report. Thanks. Now I'll have to go try some of these joints. Although I'll most likely pass on Franklin. Despite all I've heard, I'm not going to spend half the day waiting in line for lunch.

Thanks for sharing. Looks like at the end of the day you were on meat overload...I'm hungry. Gonna fire up the pit later on and get ready to watch the Spurs while the wife and burn some meat.

Neat review..That taco looks outstanding...For people that know Austin, Franklins use to be a place called Bens Long Branch for 30 + years and had a line daily like Franklins,but never closed till midnight on the weekends...Nationally known daily for incredible ribs,brisket and one of the only palaces in Texas that had mutton daily!!!

Thanks for info!

Ha! We ate at John Mueller's Saturday. The 4 of us got there around 11:20 and waited almost exactly one hour. During that time, they ran out of shoulder clods, turkey, beef ribs, cole slaw, and squash. John personally was passing out free Lone Star beer to those on queue, and a live band was playing.

My wife was really bummed when they ran out of turkey, but we weren't disappointed in the brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. The moist brisket was excellent, fatty and crusty, and we ate 2 lbs of it. The pork ribs were very good. But like the OP, we were really impressed by the sausage; it appears to be home-made due to the variable diameter of the links. The meat is gritty and chewy and quite tasty, especially when dipped in the thin, peppery, slightly-sweet sauce.

John Mueller's patrons have to eat outside on picnic tables under a canvas awning, and it was pretty hot Saturday. But again, the beer was FREE, so no one was complaining. Overall, we loved the decadent primal experience at JM's; it's probably what true Texas BBQ eating should be.

Great review

Good stuff my friend, makes me want to get in the car and head to Austin!

Franklin's brisket & pulled pork is by far the best I have ever had. For those that don't want to wait in line, you can call it in and pick it up. For a weekend order, you need to call it in 3-4 days prior.

We actually called and tried to pre-order two weeks in advance, but apparently they limit their number of pre-orders and said they were sold out of pre-orders through the end of June.

Interesting; that is frustrating. I suppose this time of year drives that. I did it I believe the the February timeframe.

NDN98 - have you been to Louie Mueller's before? if so, how did John's compare?

I have been to Louie Mueller's once and they are remarkably similar. Much like Louie Mueller's, John Mueller loves pepper and the rub on the meats has a ton of the cracked peppercorns. The brisket and beef ribs are almost identical in taste at both places. John Mueller doesn't have quite the selection that Louie Mueller has, but what he has is very good.

10-4 thanks

Well done sir! I just finished dinner and now about to eat my arm off after reading this.

LOL

Good to see John make a comeback!

8:15 as in AM?

Franklin's is awesome. You can drink a beer in line while waiting to get some great bbq. My favorite place overall to eat in Austin, is Perlas but for bbq, I like Franklin's.
You don't have to be at Franklin's that far in advance but they do sell out of meat. And yes, he means 8:15 n the morning.. normal wait Is 1-2 hours. It's worth it

So I made my way to Austin last week to visit friends that I had not seen in 12 years after moving back to Dallas....I knew most couldnt get away for lunch so i was on my own every day..My first stop was Lockhart and Kruez!!! Still in my opinion the best around...I always get the same....One dry hot ring,end cut chop,end cut ribeye,and 1/4 brisket,sticks of cheese,onions,fresh japs,tea and was out the door for 19.75...Im a bark fan!! If there is no bark Im not eating it...AFTER a long night on Tue I was pumped to go get a couple of those brisket tacos at Freedmans that he had in the pic!!!!Tried for 15 minutes to get parked and to no avail....The lot behind to place is being turned in to a strip convenience store so they had it blocked off..Thur as well..So that was a no go...I headed up Lamar to Stiles and Switch...I got the 3 meat plate w 2 sides and a tea,they charge for jalapenos(2 for a dollar), and it came to 22 and some change... ... The brisket was dry but had great bark..The 2 pork ribs were probably the best I have ever had...Tender,moist, and not falling off the bone..I m not a fan of falling off the bone unless its chicken...I got the spicy link sausage and it was pretty darn good as well... The beans and potato salad were slightly above average... Next time I will just bite the bullet and try Freedmans no matter how long it takes to park.I still am craving that taco in the picture...

The parking situation around Freedmen's is not good right now. Since it was after 6, we parked at a construction site across the street because they didn't have it fenced off yet.