Review of The Pit BBQ  (@Williams Dr. in Georgetown, TX)

The Pit BBQ Website (inactive)

The Pit BBQ -  (Yelp Link) or (Facebook) *

I stopped there for lunch today after an appointment. I've driven by in the past, so figured I'd see if it was any good. The place looks a little like a converted fast food place (maybe an Arby's). There's no real BBQ feel on the inside. I order a 4 meat combo plate with brisket, sausage, pork ribs, and turkey.

 

Turkey: The turkey has some smoke flavor and is not too salty. But it is chewy in places and dry in others. Seems a little uneven in the cooking. 6.0/10.  

Sausage: Again, fairly chewy. Flavor is OK, but nothing to write home about. Not a lot of snap in the case. 5.0/10.  

Pork Ribs: I'm starting to notice a theme here - chewy and tough. I actually have to cut one of them with a knife. Not much flavor at all. Fairly poor example of how a rib should be done. 3.0/10.  

Brisket: Dry, not much bark, and no smoke flavor to speak of. Honestly, if I close my eyes I wouldn’t be sure that it is even BBQ. 3.0/10.

Is it worth a visit? I'd have to say no. This place may be popular with locals, but I'm not seeing the attraction. The only thing here I found decent was the turkey, and not so much so that it's worth going for. There are plenty of better places out there.  

Is it worth a trip? Obviously not.

 

-Tom
 

Black's BBQ Review (@Austin, TX location)

(The Original Black's Barbecue Website)

Note: Many years ago a large group of us did a BBQ tour visiting Lockhart and Luling, and Black's in Lockhart was one of the places we tried. Our memory (admittedly this is at least 5 years ago) of the place was decent, but not anything we'd make a trip for.  For the Lockhart location, one of

the strongest selling points would have been sides. That is, you get better BBQ at other locations, but you might get a better overall meal at Black's. (This is our memory anyway).

(Al's comment: Having been on that trip, I think I probably remember their sausage most fondly.)

Having never been here before, Tish and I stopped at the Austin location to pick up some BBQ to take home for lunch. I left my phone in the car, so no pictures from the location. Food appears to be kept on a warming pit behind the counter, and pits are elsewhere on premise.

They have no plate specials, so everything is strictly "by the pound". We order 4 pork ribs, 1 pound each brisket and turkey, and 2 sausage links (links contain wheat and gluten so they are for me only).

 

Pork Rib: This is disappointing. The one I get doesn't have much flavor besides pork, and has almost no crust. I'm tasting no real smoke or spice on mine. Tish's has a little more crust and a little more smoke flavor. Mine is very chewy in places. 4.0/10 (Tish gives her a 6.0/10).

Sausage: Not a lot of snap in the case. It has a coarser grind than many others. Flavor is decent, but not outstanding. Definitely a "take it or leave it".  5.5/10.  

Brisket: Again, nothing really stands out here. Some smoke flavor, but not a lot, and not a lot else going on. Bark is OK but not great. 6.0/10 (Tish concurs).

Turkey: Has a good smoke flavor, but a little salty. It's also just a little on the chewy side. I've had better, but I've certainly had much worse. 7.0/10 (Tish concurs on score, although hers was a little more tender).  

In short, this is no different than many other BBQ places in Austin (or Texas). There's nothing really horrible here, but nothing really outstanding.  

Is it worth visiting? If you're in the area and decide you want BBQ, sure. They offer family packs, and I can see them being a popular place for people working in the area.  

Is it worth a trip? Absolutely not. If you've traveled an hour for BBQ, there are plenty of other places in the area worth spending your time on. This is not one of them.

 

The Austin location can be found here. In case you want to know our FAQ's for review.

Cooper's Bar-B-Que  Review (Llano, TX)

(Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que Website)

(With a jingle no less.) 

Mike and I made a trip to Cooper’s BBQ in Llano today to eat some BBQ there and bring some back (Tish loves their sirloin). It’s a decent trip for each of us, and if you’re coming from the Austin Metroplex this place definitely qualifies as a “Trip” (see FAQs post to know what we are talking about). I’ve been there before and always enjoyed the food I’ve gotten.  

 

It’s got a nice homey feel, and the pits are visible from outside. In addition, Cooper’s has the meat visible outside. You point at what you want and they cut it or give it to you. “I want that pork chop”, or “Cut me half that link of sausage”.  

Mike orders a variety of things, as he gets his carry-out order at the same time he gets his dine-in food. I just get my dine-in food: going with a piece of original sausage, a slice of fatty brisket, a slice of turkey, a piece of sirloin, and a pork rib. (My to-go order is two pork chops, some cabrito, and a pound of sirloin for Tish).  

A general note about their smoke: On almost everything I tried, the smoke flavor is subtle. The rub is definitely the strongest of the flavors. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is noticeable (some places more than others).  

Sausage: In terms of texture, snap of the casing, and moistness, the sausage was prepared just fine. It had a nice snap, wasn’t too chewy, and was very moist. But the sausage has a flavor to it that personally didn’t appeal to me. I’d give it a 5.0/10, but would easily understand that most people would rate it higher.

Pork Rib: The pork rib has a decent crust, and is moist and tender (without being over-cooked). Having said that, this was the one item where the subtly of the smoke harmed the score. The rub flavors didn’t do as good a job as carrying this item as it did with others. At most places smoke would make up the difference, but not here (at least, not with this rib). It’s OK, but not anything outstanding. 6.0/10. 

Brisket: The brisket has a nice flavor, is moist and tender, and is really good. Again, subtle on the smoke but the rub compliments it nicely. Couldn’t finish all of mine as my piece was a little too fatty, but good stuff! 8.0/10.  

Turkey: Things are improving steadily however. The turkey has a nice subtle smoke flavor, and the rub accents the flavor nicely. My piece is a hair on the dry side, but Mike’s is nice and moist (I should have eaten this first). It’s definitely worth a try. 7.5/10.  

Sirloin: Even better than the brisket. My piece is nice and tender. The rub works well, it’s not over-cooked (while I’d call mine medium I suspect most would call it medium rare), and the subtleness of the smoke brings out the flavor of the sirloin. To put a crown on it, my wife will eat it when it is pink. 8.5/10.  

Pork Chop: The pork chop is nice and tender, with a good flavor (like the pork loin below). Just the right amount of smoke. Tish has never had it before, and is majorly impressed as well (I may have changed her favorite from sirloin to pork chop). Note: The pork chops here are like the beef ribs most places. I ordered two pork chops, and they came in at just a hair under 3 pounds (about $40). When I brought them home my wife said “$40 for pork chops?!?”  Now that she’s tried them, I have been forgiven and she agrees it was a well-spent $40. 10/10.  

Pork Loin: I have to save the best for last. This is juicy, tender, and has an excellent flavor and crust. Just the right amount of smoke. There may be another place that does it differently but as well, but I haven’t had better. 10/10.

Cabrito: A disclaimer here. I’ve only had goat a handful of times ,and never smoked. I found the flavor OK (a little gamey, but well-seasoned). It was a little dry, but this had been reheated (I comment on it because reheating was not a problem with the pork chop). More importantly, the meat/bone ration seems poor. Of my 4/10th of a pound of cabrito, over half of it was bone. Since I’m not an expert here, I’ll give it 5/10. I’d eat it if given to me, but it’s not something I’d order.  

 

So, is it worth a visit? Absolutely. Cooper’s has a wide variety of items, and does an excellent job with most of them. I suspect they have a dedicated regular lunch crowd, and I can see why they are opening a location in Austin proper.  

Is it worth a trip? With three scores (so far) 8 or higher, a 7.5, and the sausage score being based on personal taste preference, it’s definitely worth a trip. The quality of the food combined with the atmosphere (and free beans) makes this a place everyone should visit at least once.  

Speaking of trip, if you are coming from the Austin area there’s two basic ways: Hwy 71 or Hwy 29. Which is shorter depends on where you are. But (having done both) there are perks to either. Hwy 71 is the prettier trip. Lots of good scenery: trees, rolling hills, etc. If you want the relaxing drive with a great view, go that way. Hwy 29 is the route that’s a little more fun. There’s a 10 mile stretch just west of Burnet where you have nice curves and hills. If you are willing to fudge the speed limit a little* then the drive becomes a lot of fun. The location is noted here.

*If you are a law enforcement officer reading this, that was put in strictly for entertainment purposes. As a law-abiding citizen, I would never..… Al, stop laughing!

 (Al's note: I can't! Oh Lord, my sides hurt.)

Micklethwait Bar-B-Que Update ("Mistakes were made")

Mickelthwait's Site & Facebook & Twitter (@CraftMeats)

One thing I think it is important for a reviewer to do is admit when they may have made a mistake. As mentioned earlier, we went to Micklewait BBQ on 5/24. At the time, I loved the brisket, sausage, and chicken, and was less fond of the ribs and pork shoulder. We had ended up with a fair amount of left-overs, and froze them for eating later. During this week I’ve been eating the left-overs.

Even frozen and then re-heated, my opinion of the sausage and brisket has not changed. It’s still flavorful and tender. And the chicken is still moist (incidentally, always best to reheat very slowly and with a moisture source nearby). My ratings on these items has not changed in the slightest. 

But the ribs...My wife had re-heated the first batch and handed me a rib. The difference between that rib and the two I had on 5/24 was the difference between night and day. Good smoke flavor all the way to the bone. Just the right amount of bite. Even re-heated I would give this rib an 8, and I suspect it would have been higher fresh.  And the same has been true for every other re-heated rib I’ve eaten.  So, revise that to 8/10.

I don’t know if I just ended up with the only two flawed ribs in the batch, or if my taste buds were being tempermental that day. But it certainly appears their ribs can be top-notch as well.  

I’m definitely standing by my recommendation that Micklewait is worth a trip!

-Tom

 

(Al's editorial: FYI - I erroneously put Micklethwait's in Round Rock on the original posting.  The error has been corrected. Per their website, they can be found here.)

 

Original review can be found here.

FAQ's (AKA, what are you guys talking about when you go BBQ chewin'?)

 

What do your scores mean?

 

We work on a 10 point scale. 8-10 indicates an excellent example of the item. 5-7 is decent. 4 or lower is poor (with a 1-2 being flat out inedible). Each item is ranked based on how well we think the item can be done overall, not compared to other items on a given location’s menu.

 

What is this “Trifecta” you are referring to?

 

A common definition is an achievement involving three successful things. For most BBQ lovers, the trifecta is brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. While we will certainly rate other items if available (and we try them), we will tend to give more weight in our overall summaries to the trifecta. If you are getting excellent scores in two or all three of the trifecta, you are probably a top-notch BBQ place.

 

There’s a few comments in some of the reviews about “purist”. What does that mean? Are you Puritans???

 

Nope. It simply means that we are looking at the meat by itself, without sauce or sides (this does not include a wet rub). There’s a philosophy some people hold to: Good BBQ does not need sauce, and really great BBQ may actually be hurt by sauce.

 

Is it worth a visit? Is it worth a trip? What does that mean?

 

“Is it worth a visit” is fairly self-explanatory. Is this place even worth going to at all. Places with multiple scores of 4 or lower probably aren’t even worth the bother. Now, when we say Is it worth a trip” we are being more demanding. We mean “Is it worth traveling 60 minutes or more one-way solely for the purpose of having the BBQ. No side trips, no other errands, etc.  An example might be someone in south Austin heading out to Coopers (Llano, TX) or Snows (Lexington, TX). Multiple scores of 8 or higher are usually worth a trip.

 

Your ratings seem to be primarily based on the food. No ratings based on service or the venue? 

The food is what we are about, so that is how we score places. If we ever have a horrific customer service experience, we may comment on it, but that would be separate from the food rating. Likewise, we will describe the venue and mention things people may be curious about (or need to know, like waiting outside with no shelter at Micklethwait), but that’s also separate from the food rating.

 

Different scores from different people? How can we take you seriously??

 

We’ll give honest reviews based on our perceptions of the quality/taste of the food. But in the end it is only our opinions. As this takes off, we make have multiple reviewers, and people making comments as well. Taste is subjective. I love Louie Mueller’s, but my wife doesn’t. If the scores are all in the same basic range (a point or so difference), then you have a range you can use to determine how a particular group of people felt about the place. This doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same way. It’s free advice. If most or all of us love a place, that’s a good sign. If we disliked it, that’s a bad sign. You’ll ultimately be the final arbiter of what you like and dislike.

Micklethwait Bar-B-Que Review

 

 

(Micklewait's Web Link )

 

 

We decided to go somewhere we haven’t been before: Micklethwait BBQ. Micklethwait appears about as Austin as it gets: two trailers in a lot in east downtown Austin. One is where the pits are, and the other is where the food is sold. There’s a small outside dining area. What appears to be a small herb garden is behind the trailers.  Various recycling containers are nearby. There’s a wonderful aroma in the air.

(Al: FYI - it looks like they plan on opening second trailer as Eastern European Delicatessen style somewhere as well.)

 

 

 

 

Although Scott, Al, Loni (a friend of ours from The Woodlands), and I were there, this was a pickup run for other friends from out of town. We do end up waiting about 1 ½ hours for our food ( a little over an hour in line to order and about 20 minutes to get it once ready). They were out of some things when we got there, but we were able to make a decent haul: 5 lbs brisket, 4 lbs ribs, 3 lbs sausage, 4 lbs chicken, and ¾ lb pork shoulder.

The viewing window

 

Pork shoulder: Has some smoke flavor, but is a little greasy. There’s a little flavor in the crust, but not much in the meat. Usually with sliced pork, it’s common that it tastes too salty. This isn’t salty enough (never thought I’d say that). Sauce improves it a little. 5.5/10.

(Al's review: Also found it to be greasy and bland. It's tender to eat, but that's about it. 5/10) 

 

Pork Ribs: Recently I’ve been having a run of flavorful pork ribs that were chewy and had a poor meat to bone ratio. This has a touch of the opposite problem. The ribs are very tender, moist, and have an excellent amount of meat on them. But there’s not a lot of flavor (at least in the ones I had). Some bite in the crust, but the underlying meat is fairly bland. 6.0/10.

(Al's review: Tender and I found the bark was really spicy good. But when you get to the inside meat it goes more bland - like the flavor didn't penetrate all the way through. 6.5/10)

 

So two items documented, and not great scores. However, things are about to change. 

Chicken: Poultry always seems to be a hard one for places to get right. All too often it comes out too dry, or too salty. Not here. My chicken leg is juicy, tender, and has a good smoky flavor. Just the right amount of pepper and salt. This is good stuff. 8.5/10.

(Al's review: Agreed - tender, moist, a little smoky. Did find it better with their sauce mixed in. Purist score: 7/10, otherwise I'd give it an 8/10.)

 

Brisket: The brisket is nice and moist. There’s an excellent bark on it, with a good smoke flavor and ring. The fatty brisket is not overly fat, but even the lean is flavorful. It’s cut very thick, but is still nice and tender. Good stuff. 8.5/10.

(Al's review: Tender and smooth taste (from the fat mixing in); right amount of smoke and the bark is crispy and flavored well. 8.5/10 as well)

 

Sausage: Micklethwait apparently changes the sausage every day. Today’s selection was something I’ve never considered before – Goat Chorizo. It is served pre-sliced (I really need to start remembering to ask about that). To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. What I got.. .was impressive. It’s a coarse ground sausage. Nicely spiced with a hint of sweetness. Some pieces are just a touch dry on the outside (because of the pre-cutting), but the insides of most are nice and moist. They did this right. 8.5/10.

(Al's review: Tender and light; right amount of spice but found mine a bit dry on taste. Does the goat chorizo flavor deter from your traditional style? Hard to judge because it remains quite good. 8/10)

 

Overall, Micklethwait has impressed me.

Is it worth a visit? Absolutely. I suspect if I lived closer I’d eat there quite often. While the pork disappointed a little, they more than made up for it with everything else, certainly enough so that I’d go back (and give the pork another try).

Is it worth a trip? I’d have to say yes. Anytime you can get three scores of 8 or higher, you’re doing things right. The brisket and chicken were excellent and that sausage impressed me (and I want to try some of their other creations).

 

Usually I won’t comment about the setup of a place, but Micklethwait does warrant it. Should you go, bear these things in mind:

*It’s a trailer. There is no inside dining and you’ll be waiting outside (no shelter). Take weather into consideration. There does appear to be a coffee trailer and a juice trailer on the same lot (although I don’t think the juice trailer was open when we were there).  

*Because it’s a trailer, there are fewer people working there, and service is slower than it would be other places. For the length of line I was in, at most places I would expect to have waited about 2/3rds the time before ordering, and had my order filled when I made it. So factor in a longer wait time than normal.

And despite that you really need to give them a try.  

 

 

Standin' in line; markin' time; waitin' for BBQ that's mine.

 

(Al's additional word of warning: Supplies are limited each day - they only cook X amount! You may want to go early or have a back-up plan. As we were getting our order, they were kind enough the advise the remaining people in line (and it was probably a good two dozen of them) that they were running low and what they could limit themselves to in ordering.)  

The Salt Lick Bar-B-Que Review (@ Round Rock, TX location)

 

 

 

 (The Salt-Lick Website)

 

I’ve always considered Salt Lick to be as much about the experience as the food. The Driftwood location has a unique atmosphere that everyone should experience once. The BBQ I’ve always considered to be decent but not great. Atmosphere and their All You Can Eat (AYCE) platters were the biggest selling points. I’ve gotten older, so the AYCE isn’t as appealing, and the Round Rock location just doesn’t have the atmosphere that the Driftwood location has. I’ve gotten quite a few adequate meals here. It’s not a bad place to go before or after a ball game.

 

 

My friend Al and I made a spur of the moment stop to grab a late night bite (around 9pm). (Incidentally, Al’s a friend from Florida and the tech guy behind this site.) We decide to split a 4 meat plate, and add on a beef rib.

(Al: Hello there!)  

 
 

Pork Ribs: Good flavor, moist, but a little chewy. Very little meat on the ribs. The flavor is the same as their sauce, so it appears the ribs may still be getting the wet rub. 5.5/10.

(Al's review: Strong flavor for me, spicy almost to sweet. But agreed on everything else - chewy and not very meaty. It's stretch to get a good chunk of meat. 6.5/10)

 

Sausage: Served sliced (I had forgotten about that or would have asked them to not slice it). Flavor is decent. Hard to tell about the snap, since it is sliced. Moist and not chewy. 6.5/10.

(Al's review: Juicy and tender; tasting some spiciness. Casing is soft ; not crisp. 7/10)

 

Turkey: Very moist. A light smoky flavor, and not too salty. This is easily the best item we try. 8/10.

(Al's review: Pretty much the same. I did find it was better with some of their sauce added. If you are BBQ purist (no sauces allowed to enhance flavor), probably a 7/10. Otherwise, same as Tom: 8/10)

 

Beef rib: Also tastes like it is a wet rub with the sauce. It is very tough, and not a lot of meat compared to other places. I may have been spoiled elsewhere, but this is a disappointment. 4.5/10.

(Al's review: Strong flavor in the bark; good smoke for me. The meat is tough on this one; there's an oily finish that softens it as you chew.  5.5/10)

 

Brisket: This is the one that surprised me the most. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve gotten meals here before and normally the brisket was decent. This … isn’t. Even the bark isn’t that flavorful, and there’s not really any flavor anywhere else. I’m almost immediately reminded of my Mann’s experience, where it is meat and…   There’s no smoke here. 4/10

(Al's review: Yea - not very impressive. Weak flavor and a little too fatty for a brisket. 4/10)

 

I understand that we were there late, but I work under a simple philosophy: If you serve it, be prepared to be rated on it. One thing nearly every top quality BBQ place I can think of has in common is this: They start serving at time X, and serve until they run out. Salt Lick appears to be cooking throughout the day and it shows in some of their later offerings.

Kitchen Pit

 

Is it worth a visit? It’s probably worth a stop if you’re in the area for some reason anyway. As I mentioned before, it’s normally a good place for a pre/post game meal. And it is certainly a good call if you have a tremendous appetite and want the AYCE.

 

Is it worth a trip? Nope. There are plenty of other places that are worth spending the time on. The Round Rock Salt lick isn’t worth spending 2 hours of your time (plus dining time) going to visit. Try some of the others instead.