Review Of Terry Black's BBQ (Austin, TX)  

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Since I was running an errand in that part of town anyway, I decided to swing by Terry Black's BBQ and pick up some lunch for Tish and myself. For those not in the know, Terry Black's is descended from Black's BBQ in Lockhart, and is run by two of his sons. I've lost count, but I believe that between the various Black family members they have 5 different locations in the Central Texas area.

 

Anyway, TB's follows the standard order/pay/pick up at the counter format. I order a pound of brisket, a pound of pork ribs, ½ pound original sausage, ½ pound turkey, and a beef rib (weighs about 1.5 pounds).

(For some reason I had a brain freeze and forgot to take more pictures of the order. Oh well.)

Turkey: The turkey has a light pepper flavor in the rub, and is tender and juicy. There's just the faintest flavor of smoke however. It tastes good, but not necessarily like smoked turkey. 7.0/10.

Brisket: The brisket has a nice bark, is moist and tender, and looks beautiful. There's a slight sweetness to the flavor. However, like the turkey there's not much smoke flavor (even in the bark). It's a perfectly good taste, but it just doesn't put me in mind of BBQ. Again, 7.0/10.

Pork Rib: The rib is juicy, tender, has a nice crust, and is one of the biggest pork ribs I've had (lots of meat). There's a nice pepper bite, and a much sweeter flavor in the rub. Again, the smoke flavor is very mild. However, in this case I'm willing to overlook it. 8.0/10.

Beef Rib: They go with the brontosaur ribs here. Mine has a nice bark, is well prepared, and has a good pepper flavor. The smoke flavor is a little more noticeable than in the brisket, but is still pretty light. It's still a well-done rib. 8.0/10.

Sausage: The sausage is tender, juicy, and has a nice snap. The smoke flavor is a little stronger here than in other items, and there's a nice sweetness as well. This is good stuff. 8.5/10.

All too often, when a restaurant opens up other locations (or offshoots), there's often a concern about quality. In the case of Terry Black's at least, they've managed to maintain a high level of quality. While my personal preference would be for a stronger smoke flavor, the quality of the preparation is definitely up there.

Is it worth a visit? Yes, and they seem to have a wide variety of sides for lunch.

Is it worth a trip? With three scores at 8 or higher, yes.

-Tom