Smoked Meat

This guy was in the heart of downtown delivering firewood for smoked meat cooking at Lambert's Fancy BBQ.

And why is this significant?

Because on most days, there are fifty to one hundred people in line at this BBQ cafe! Shot this on July 4. I think that they were closed.

Stubbs To Go

The Mean-Eyed Cat Bar on West Fifth serves up Stubbs Barbeque. Jackie has been partaking when she's in the neighborhood. She says:

The brisket plate, with cole slaw and serrano cheese spinach was ample and photogenic. I later discovered it was all delicious.

Now I have to try it.

The Line

One day in May we were headed to lunch at an Eastside place on 11th when we noticed the line for Franklin's Barbecue. No, we didn't join them but headed to our destination, Hillside Farmacy.

Two Heads are Better?

This statue of a two-headed Longhorn is at County Line on the Hill a fabulous barbecue joint out on Bee Cave Road. We don't have an explanation, dear readers, do you?

Bar-B-Que

There are many ways to spell barbecue (barbeque, Bar-B-Q, and Bar-B-Que as here) but in Texas it means slow-cooked beef brisket (and maybe sausage, chicken or even turkey) with a tangy red sauce usually and some sides like Cole slaw and potato salad and ranch beans. The slow cooking in a pit makes it tender. Guess what this sign said before the letters fell off (speaking of spelling)?

House Park Bar-B-Q is near House Park (a football venue for local schools) on W. Twelfth St.

Iron Works B-B-Q

You might ask what iron work and barbecue (or B-B-Q as the sign says) have to do with one another. Well, this barbecue place is in the building that housed the Weigl Iron Works, a shop that made lots of the wrought iron around town back in the day. Now it's been a place for Texas barbeque for thirty years but it is designated an historic place for its former life. Iron Work B-B-Q is a favorite place for barbecue and, unlike many Central Texas and Hill Country Emporiums is right in downtown Austin! It is steps from the convention center.

Food in the 'Hood

We've eaten at Lambert's many times but Monday night was the first time we walked over from our new condo to this neighborhood restaurant. This tuna was wrapped in the thinnest gourmet ham and seared rare and served with a citrus, jicama and micro greens salad. Lambert's bills itself as fancy barbecue. (Or as the bumper strips say 'Fancy Barbecue?") Indeed. We've featured their table sauces before here.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, No...

...it's Bar-B-Q sauce! Last Sunday we went to the University of Texas Women's Basketball game at Erwin Center. The center has mezzanine seating and so the Rudy's Bar-B-Q people use the height to fly a giant bottle o' sauce balloon around above the crowd. Occasionally it releases coupons which flutter down to patrons. Rudy's is a place that started in a little town in Texas and is now a 'chain' but mostly limited to Texas (although the brand has leaked into Oklahoma and New Mexico). When I'm at my dad's, their 183 location is where we get piles of slow-cooked meat and appropriate sides for visitors.

Barbecue Time

Whether you say barbeque, barbecue or BBQ, you have choices for slow-cooked meat in Austin. Our version means beef brisket, sausage, ribs, maybe chicken with sides of cole slaw, beans, potato salad and white bread. (Although the County Line offers wheat and their white is not some commercial product.) Onions, pickles, jalapeños are worthy condiments. Tangy sauces may be served. This is the sign for 'County Line on the Lake' near 360 (Cap. of Texas) and RM2222. There is another (original) County Line off Bee Cave road (called 'County Line on the Hill' by those in the know I believe). This is a great stop for sampling some barbecue in when in our area.

Fancy Barbeque Table Setting

Lambert's downtown was our lunch spot on Friday and while we didn't have the fancy barbecue (rather I had fish soup and a salad of fried green tomatoes topped with crab meat) we tasted some of their house sauces on a bit of bread.