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© 2017 Texas BBQ Posse LLC. All rights reserved.

THE GREATEST

Plus Austin's Top 5

BBQ I N TEXAS

TA BLE O F CO N TEN TS

Intro: Texas BBQ Tour................................................................................................3

Special Feature: Snow's BBQ......................................................................................4

Franklin Barbecue......................................................................................................6

La Barbecue................................................................................................................8

Micklethwait Craft Meats.........................................................................................10

Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew....................................................................................12

LeRoy and Lewis.......................................................................................................14

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The Texas BBQ Posse returns to Snow?s BBQ in Lexington. (L-R) Mark Vamos, Jim Rossman, Bruce Tomaso, Chris Wilkins, Michael Ainsworth, Gary Jacobson, Daniel Goncalves & Tom Fox. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

IN TRO DUCTIO N

This Texas BBQ Posse eBook focuses on Austin and five don?t-miss barbecue joints located there. But if you?re in the Texas capital on a Saturday morning, you should take advantage and drive an hour east to Snow?s BBQ, in the small town of Lexington. Over the nearly decade-long history of the Posse, Snow?s remains our favorite stop because of its food and ambiance.


Among the wonders of the world, it probably doesn?t rank with Machu Picchu or the Great Pyramid of Giza. But in the world of Texas barbecue, not hing com pares t o a t r ip t o Snow ?s on a Sat urday, t he only day t he joint is open. It?s a pilgrimage and rite of passage for lovers of smoked meat.

?It?s the ultimate Texas BBQ experience: great food, great people and the best setting in the state,? says Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins. For some on the Posse, a slice of Snow?s moist brisket folded in a simple slice of white bread remains one of the most memorable breakfasts they?ve ever eaten. ?I could have gone home at that point and the trip would have been worth it,? Posse member Gary Barber said after eating at Snow?s during our first big tour years ago.

For barbecue lovers, the setting is wonderful. You order inside a small red building and then eat outside, at tables, near the joint?s smokers. While you eat, you can watch octogenarian pit master Tootsie Tomanetz work her magic. Sometimes, you can hear cows mooing at a cattle auction facility a couple blocks away.

When you visit Snow?s, which opened in 2003, be sure to have your picture taken in front of the joint?s famous sign: ?We traveled the distance. . . We stood in the long line. . .We ate the #1 BBQ in Texas.?

Over the years, thousands and thousands of BBQ pilgrims have done just that.

Ribs are pulled off the pit at Snow?s BBQ in Lexington. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

Is Snow?s the Machu Picchu of Texas BBQ?

Food t ips: Brisket, pork ribs, and a Snow?s specialty, pork steak.

Address: 516 Main St, Lexington, TX 78947

Hours: Open Saturdays, beginning at 8 a.m., until sold out.


The Posse started going to Franklin Barbecue in 2010, before Aaron Franklin became a barbecue legend. His small trailer and smoker sat at the back of a parking lot in near-north Austin. The lines were short. What a treat.

In 2011, of course, he moved to a permanent building nearer downtown. The lines are long. But it?s worth the wait, especially if you?ve never been there before. One of Franklin?s strengths is consistency. We?ve eaten at Franklin many, many times over the years and never had a bad or even a mediocre meal.

To cope with the wait, bring a folding chair, a mug of coffee and, maybe, a small bag of donuts to share with your line mates. You?ll have lots of time to get acquainted. A few m ont hs ago, we got t o Frank lin at 7:30 on a Sunday m orning and t here were already 20 people ahead of us. The joint opens at 11 a.m . Everything Franklin serves is good, but Aaron made his reputation on brisket. Posse member Marshall Cooper, a barbecue competition veteran and the most experienced cook among us, once said Franklin?s brisket is the very definition of ?best.?

?The fatty brisket was melt in your mouth tender, with the right amount of salt enhancing the smoke flavor,? Marshall said. ?The flat cut of brisket was exceptional as well, perfectly tender with the perfect black crust imparting the flavor of the salt and pepper rub perfectly enhancing the smoked flavor.? No wonder Bon Appétit magazine once hailed Franklin?s place as among the best restaurants in America. Grab that folding chair and get in line.

FRA N KLIN BA RBECUE

Food t ips: Brisket, pork ribs, sausage.

Address: Franklin Barbecue, 900 E. 11th, Austin, (512) 653-1187.

Hours: Open Sun-Sat, 11 a.m.-until the meat runs out.


There was a time, not that long ago, when the Posse considered La Barbecue the best joint in the state. Some of the greatest pit masters around have worked there, including John Lewis, who went on to open his own place in South Carolina, and Esaul Ramos, who recently opened one of the hottest new joints in Texas, 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio.

At La Barbecue, which opened in 2012, we?ve gladly waited a couple hours in line for a chance to order their tasty beef ribs. And you never know who you?ll meet while waiting. A couple years ago, we ran into two Steves (Steven Hecht and Steve Barnes), long time Posse readers who lived in California and were on a Texas barbecue eating tour. Lots of fun, especially since they were near the front of the line while we were near the back and they ordered for us.

Even with the turnover in pit masters, La Barbecue is still smoking terrific stuff. And the beef ribs are truly terrific. On that visit a couple years ago, even my then two-year granddaughter loved her bite.

La Barbecue remains the cradle of great pit masters. That?s not surprising considering that one of its owners is LeAnn Mueller of the legendary Texas barbecue family.

LA BA RBECUEThe Texas BBQ Posse dives into a spread of sausage, brisket, ribs and turkey at La

Barbecue in Austin. (Photo ©Tom Fox)

Food t ips: Beef ribs, brisket, pork ribs.

Address: La Barbecue, 1906 E Cesar Chavez St, Austin, (512) 605-9696.

Hours: Open Wed - Sun 11am-6pm or until sold out,.

Note: Plans to move to new, nearby location in June or July 2017.)


If you?re looking for great barbecue without achingly long lines, then Micklethwait Craft Meats near downtown Austin and just a few blocks from world-famous Franklin Barbecue is the place.

?Why would you wait in line at Franklin when you can get this so close?? Posse member Sherry Jacobson wondered during a recent visit to Micklethwait (the ?th? is silent), which opened for business in 2012. She has a point. The litt le trailer operation, with two covered areas for seating, serves brisket, ribs and sausage on a par with anyone in Austin.

Prices are better, too, $18 a pound for brisket, recently, versus $22 at Franklin. And the joint also offers tasty deli-style items such as oak smoked chicken salad. On our trip, a half-pound of the salad disappeared from our plates before the brisket and ribs.

Made with toasted almonds, pickled grapes and arugula, it was very good. Though, it could have had a more smokey flavor. Of course, we did get back to the meat. ?The brisket is fantastic,? Sherry said, holding a piece up with a fork. ?This is the star of the plate.?

Stuffed, we headed home. On the way, we drove past Franklin. It was shortly after noon on a Wednesday and not a monster line by Franklin standards, but it was still out the door and around the length of the building. The people at the end would be eating a very late lunch.

New look for Micklethwait Craft Meats, same great brisketThree-meat plate with fatty brisket, a big pork rib, and knockwurst sausage & sides at Micklethwait Craft Meats.

Food t ips: Brisket, pork ribs, whatever deli-style item they are serving that day.

Address: Micklethwait Craft Meats, 1309 Rosewood Ave., Austin, (512) 791-5961.

Hours: Open Tues-Sun 11am until the food is gone.


There?s a lot of history swirling around Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew in Austin, which opened in 2011. It?s located in what was the city?s first shopping center, built in 1951. And the space now occupied by the joint was the movie location for the pool hall in Dazed and Confused, the 1993 comedy that made Matthew McConaughey famous. ?All right, all right, all right.?

And if you?re looking for great barbecue late in the day, this is one of the few places you?ll be sure to find it. While many other good joints close when they are sold out, Stiles Switch serves craft-quality smoked meat for dinner as well as lunch. Keeping the pits fired all day long is a real job. ?There?s no automation,? pit master Lance Kirkpatrick said. ?You gotta be loading wood on the fires all the time.?

When Posse co-founder Chris Wilkins, photographer Darren Carroll and I visited late on a recent Sunday morning, the place had all four of its pits working with five pit masters on duty.

On a light day, Kirkpatrick said, his crew will turn out 40-45 briskets; on a heavier day 75-80. The brisket we had for lunch was excellent. This was my eighth barbecue joint in eight days, including Franklin Barbecue. The slices of brisket at Stiles Switch and 2M Smokehouse in San Antonio were the best.

We also ordered pork ribs, a beef rib, the house-made sausage and a Sunday special, smoked chicken wings that are then fried and served with sauces, including bleu cheese. ?All right, all right, all right.?

NO GHOSTS, JUST GOOD BBQ SPIRIT AT STILES SWITCH

Order of Smoked Fried Buffalo Chicken Wings at Stiles Switch BBQ. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

Food t ips: Brisket, pork ribs and, on Sunday, the smoked-fried wings.

Address: Stiles Switch BBQ and Brew, 6610 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin.

Hours: Open Tues-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10pm & Sunday 11am-9pm.


New barbecue joints are opening all the time in Austin. LeRoy and Lewis, a trailer operation in the southern part of the city, is one of the most interesting, and best. LeRoy and Lewis, which opened earlier this year, is a collaboration including Evan LeRoy, the former pit master at Freedmen?s, and Sawyer Lewis, the former general manager at Contigo, an eclectic, comfortable restaurant on Austin?s east side.

Saturdays, the place serves more traditional smoked meats. During the week, you might get more adventuresome fare, such beef cheeks, peaceful pork (Mojo pulled shoulder), Capra lamb meatballs, mac and cheese stuffed quail, and smokey kimchi deviled eggs. The cheeks looked wonderful and tasted the same, eliciting a repetitive refrain of ?Oh my god,? as Posse members Sherry Jacobson, Michael Ainsworth and I ate small chunks.

The mottos written on the joint?s truck really tell the food approach of LeRoy and Lewis.

?Rot at ing var iet y of classic + advent urous cut s,? says one.

?Sust ainable + hum anely raised in Texas,? says anot her .

During our recent visit, Sherry commented that this was probably the first time the Posse had ever had kimchi at a barbecue place. Garam masala spice in the meatballs, too. ?Somebody went to culinary school here,? she said. Lewis affirmed that LeRoy had indeed gone to culinary school. ?We?re all t h ink ing out side t he box t rying t o com e up w it h dif ferent ways t o do t h ings,? Lew is said.

The beef cheeks at LeRoy and Lew is in Aust in, Yes!

The beef cheeks stole the show during lunch at LeRoy and Lewis in Austin.

Food t ips: Don?t miss the beef cheeks if they have them!

Address: LeRoy and Lewis, 121 Pickle Rd, Austin, (512) 775-3392.

Hours: Open Thursday-Sunday, 11 a.m. until the meat runs out.


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