Friday, July 10, 2015


Updated Review of FullHouse BBQ (Austin, TX) 

Fullhouse Website & Facebook & Twitter (@FullhouseBBQ) ) 

A new update for the Fullhouse review (found here).
I hate indecision. So it bothered me that I was on the fence whether or not FullHouse was worth a trip. (For those of you wondering who haven’t checked out our FAQs: Worth a trip means you are willing to drive 60 miles or more one way JUST for the BBQ. No side stops, other errands, etc. To use an example, a trip for me is driving from my home in Georgetown out to Cooper’s in Llano.) But to see if I could commit, I went back today. They had baby-back pork ribs today (a Friday-Saturday special), so I order ½ pound of them and a chopped beef sandwich. 

Chopped Beef Sandwich: Let’s be honest. In most places chopped beef is mostly about the sauce. They take their lean brisket (or a brisket they didn’t cook as well as they liked), add a ton of sauce, and serve it up. Not here. I’d say this has less than half the sauce you’d find in most chopped beef. And I think that’s a good thing. I can actually taste the smoke in the brisket. The sauce is serving as a complement (much like mustard or ketchup on a burger) rather than the dominant flavor. This is one of the better chopped beef sandwiches I’ve had. 9.0/10.

Baby-back ribs: Robert (Owner and Pit master) warns me ahead of time that he uses a wet rub on his ribs, and that he knows some people don’t like that. My problem with wet rubs (which he mentions as well) is that it all too often results in poor cooking. Either the meat is over/undercooked, or the sauce is burned. It is also often used less as a rub and more as a “saucing in the later part of cooking”, meaning that they dry cook the ribs, and only add the sauce in the later stages. This results in less flavor getting into the meat (and a potentially dry rib if they aren’t paying attention. The bottom line: when using a wet rub you have to pay a lot more attention to your meat. Robert clearly does. The ribs are juicy and tender, with a nice smoky flavor. You don’t get the crust that you do with a dry rub, but there’s a wonderful sweetness that goes well with the smoke.  Most importantly, the flavor goes to the bone. These are nicely done. 9.5/10.  

I said in my previous review that to say a place is worth a trip I want at least three scores of 8 or above. After today, Full House now has four: brisket, sausage, chopped beef, and baby-back ribs. I can safely say they are worth a trip.  

*Note: Robert indicated he’s getting a new smoker, and once that happens he plans on having baby-backs and chicken every day in addition to his current selection. So check his website/Facebook to see when that happens. Until then, make note that the baby-backs are a Fri-Sat item only.* 

-Tom

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