Austin BBQ Pok-e-Jo's, Artz Ribhouse, etc??

My mouth is watering already thinking about our Roadfood.com trip to Austin in April..

I'm already doing some very important research on places that have BEEF ribs , so I can get my beef rib fix...
(looking forward to lots of good brisket , too, espescially at the Roadfood stops like Kruezs Market...)

I'll drive around on my own before and after the Roadfood tour.
Is County Line any good? How about Iron Works?

Most of all, it's good to know the places to AVOID... so I don't even have to waste my time going to them...the ones that are a lot of hype, or has -beens, whatever..

I like my ribs nice and crusty, (not the soft , soggy kind)...with a charred type of taste..

I may also be planning a side trip , flying to Dallas from Austin, so I can finally meet this Roadfood "twinwillow" guy (Hi Mike!!)..

And , as you might expect, I hope to have some good beef rib encounters in Dallas , as well... mixed in with a good bone-in ribeye steak , as steaks are also the way to go in Dallas..


any and all help is very welcome! (including your Dallas opinions!)

and I look forward to meeting more of you on the Austin tour..
some of you I probably will already know from the Nashville tour..
in that case, hello again!!

Artz pork ribs are KILLER, Poke-Joe has good brisket and ribs and very good sides...try the pickles
County Line in Austin...both of them.. do very good Beef ribs. The Iron Works also does great Beef Ribs. Not being a big beef rib fan, I didn't try them at many places.
Wish I could be there...sigh.

Ellen - thanks for kicking this thread off. I was thinking of the same thing as I'll be in 2 days early to try some additional places.

Ellen

If you go to Dallas
DO NOT go to Angelo's
You'll be underwhelmed
especially after your enounter with the pit masters in the Austin area.

Ellen,
Check on Ironworks before going there. I was past there a couple of months ago and it looked like they were closed down.
PLB

quote:

Originally posted by ChiTownDiner

Ellen - thanks for kicking this thread off. I was thinking of the same thing as I'll be in 2 days early to try some additional places.

Yes, I'm glad my Austin replies are starting to come in! (it took a few days; good to not see the "0" replies anymore!!)

and regarding Dallas, thanks for the "places to avoid" (Angelos) Wandering Jew. I plan to fly to Dallas first, rent a car, and finally get to meet twinwillow. He says the place for beef ribs in Dallas is Big Al's, and the places for steaks are Bob's Chophouse, and Poppa's. Plan on going to all 3 places. Got to get my bone-in ribeye.

And he says I'm going to LOVE Louis Muellers in Austin for the beef ribs.

I can hardly wait for this trip!! These are my favorite foods!
I've had enough of pizzas, cheesesteaks, tuna subs here in the AC area. (even my south Florida trip food a few weeks ago did'nt excite me as much as all this bbq will!!!) ( And yes, I did finally try a burger at Le Tub in Hollywood, FL..(real good, almost too big, if there is such a thing) (and no pickles)

Ellen here is a link to our Austin trip last year. It goes right to Page 9 because our photo report on the Texas part is contained in Pages 9 and 10 of that thread.

Louis Muellers had great Beef Ribs..see the photos. A smart idea if you are heading out to Louis Muellers in the afternoon or later...call ahead and ask them to save you some Beef Ribs. Those on my tray in the photo were the last two available that day. Twinwillow went without because he was behind me in the service line.

A great stop on the way from Dallas to Austin..in Belton Texas, is Schoepf's BBQ. Directly beside the I-35 freeway one exit north of the US 190 road to Fort Hood. Again check the photos, the BBQ Pork Chop is top-notch here.

We like the Salt Lick BBQ. The food is good and the ambience is great for the roadfood photo freak (me) I love the service grill they have in the restaurant...You can get some great photos of the BBQ process there, along with very good meat!

OK, Here is my link to the photo essay- http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17265&whichpage=9

Ellen- I believe in Austin the BBQ you want would be from John Mueller (Louie's grandson) @ 1917 Manor Rd. (512) 236-0283.Of course,it most certainly would be worth a trip up to Taylor,TX to sample the brisket at grandpa's (206 W. 2nd St. 512 352-6206) or down the street at Rudy Mikeska's (300 W. 2nd St. 512 352-5561) or for that matter, sample the sausage just a hop,skip and a jump away at the Taylor Cafe @ 101 N.Main St. 512 352-8475. Taylor, like Lockhart, is a fine destination to taste multiple samples of Texas BBQ in a concentrated area. I envy your trip. Have a great time. Chow

quote:

Originally posted by acmalcolm

Ellen- I believe in Austin the BBQ you want would be from John Mueller (Louie's grandson) @ 1917 Manor Rd. (512) 236-0283.Of course,it most certainly would be worth a trip up to Taylor,TX to sample the brisket at grandpa's (206 W. 2nd St. 512 352-6206) or down the street at Rudy Mikeska's (300 W. 2nd St. 512 352-5561) or for that matter, sample the sausage just a hop,skip and a jump away at the Taylor Cafe @ 101 N.Main St. 512 352-8475. Taylor, like Lockhart, is a fine destination to taste multiple samples of Texas BBQ in a concentrated area. I envy your trip. Have a great time. Chow

The first time I went to Austin A little over 2 years ago- John Mueller's was closed and out of business- did they reopen?

My personal favorites are Louie Meullers and Rudy Mikeska's both in Taylor. The County Line (s) are all right as is the Iron Works. I would avoid Rudy's as it is a chain and is very pedestrian not to mention overpriced. Of course if you schedule allows it make a run to Lockhart and Elgin. City Market in Luling is also very good. Enjoy and overeat.

Almost forgot

Sam's Bar b Que in Austin is also really good!

**My only suggestion is- go during broad daylight preferably on a weekday***

ellen

Stephen Pyles is somewhat a legendary chef down here, at he's famous for his bone in ribeye. It's a FABULOUS restaurant.

http://www.stephanpyles.com/menu.asp

SP's Bone-In Cowboy Ribeye with Red Chile Onion Rings and Pinto-Wild Mushroom Ragout
A 24 ounce bone-In rib eye is dry-marinated in three chile powders (guajillo, ancho and chipotle), salt and a little sugar for 12 hours. The steak is grilled and served on top of a sauce of pinto beans, corn, wild mushrooms, peppers, red wine, veal demi and chipotles. The steak is topped with thinly sliced onions rings that are coated in chile powder, flour, paprika and fried.

quote:

Originally posted by planojim

ellen

Stephen Pyles is somewhat a legendary chef down here, at he's famous for his bone in ribeye. It's a FABULOUS restaurant.

http://www.stephanpyles.com/menu.asp

SP's Bone-In Cowboy Ribeye with Red Chile Onion Rings and Pinto-Wild Mushroom Ragout
A 24 ounce bone-In rib eye is dry-marinated in three chile powders (guajillo, ancho and chipotle), salt and a little sugar for 12 hours. The steak is grilled and served on top of a sauce of pinto beans, corn, wild mushrooms, peppers, red wine, veal demi and chipotles. The steak is topped with thinly sliced onions rings that are coated in chile powder, flour, paprika and fried.

I looked at the menu online.........what a creative chef Stephen Pyles is!
And that's a nice , big piece of meat for $39.00. (often one only gets 18 ounces for those prices)

I noticed there was also a "coffee cured strip steak" on the menu.
Reminds me of Bobby Flay's steakhouse here at the Borgata Casino where I work (in A.C. , baby)..

quote:

Originally posted by acmalcolm

Ellen- I believe in Austin the BBQ you want would be from John Mueller (Louie's grandson) @ 1917 Manor Rd. (512) 236-0283.Of course,it most certainly would be worth a trip up to Taylor,TX to sample the brisket at grandpa's (206 W. 2nd St. 512 352-6206) or down the street at Rudy Mikeska's (300 W. 2nd St. 512 352-5561) or for that matter, sample the sausage just a hop,skip and a jump away at the Taylor Cafe @ 101 N.Main St. 512 352-8475. Taylor, like Lockhart, is a fine destination to taste multiple samples of Texas BBQ in a concentrated area. I envy your trip. Have a great time. Chow

welcome to Roadfood, acmalcolm! Great post for your 1st one!
Too bad you can't join us in Austin in April..

I hope you are surviving all your winter storms out there in Nantucket..

Looks like I better make a few phone calls, and see if son John Mueller is still in business, huh, WJ?

And I better call grandpa Louis to have him hold some beef ribs for me. Or go early in the day, or else I may have to fight for those beef ribs!

quote:

Originally posted by Big_g

Artz pork ribs are KILLER, Poke-Joe has good brisket and ribs and very good sides...try the pickles
County Line in Austin...both of them.. do very good Beef ribs. The Iron Works also does great Beef Ribs. Not being a big beef rib fan, I didn't try them at many places.
Wish I could be there...sigh.

IMHO, I would stay away from Iron Works. County Line is good at the original location.
Artz's ribs ARE KILLER! Get the "country style" smoked ribs. I usually bring some back to Dallas when I go to Austin. I've never seen these "country style" ribs any place else.
Have the beef ribs at Louis Mueller's but, don't pass on the brisket!!!! Ask for a fatty piece.
John Mueller's is long gone. Wasn't very good to begin with.
With all due respect to the Mayor, I went to Schoepf's in Belton at his suggestion.
It was good. But, doesn't compare to the other places on the tour.
Ellen, the suggestion for Stephan Pyle's in Dallas is a real good one. We'll try it instead of Bob's Chophouse. I think you'll enjoy the experience more than Bob's.
As some of you already know, I had to cancel my place on the tour and sell my tickets because, I have a really good friend's wedding that weekend in Dallas.. I totally forgot about the wedding when I bought my tickets.
I'll really miss seeing all of you I have never had the pleasure of meeting.
Well, as the Brooklyn Dodgers used to say, "wait till next year".

Twinwillow,
Thanks for the update on Schoepfs BBQ in Belton. I think their Pork Chops are great, but I would have to put them further down the top ten list when all menu items are compared (also).

Since you can't make it to Austin, why don't you consider the February Glee Club session in Mobile. Many of the folks you met last year in Austin will be in Mobile and the menu includes both BBQ and some good Gulf Seafood.

We will be interested in your report of the dinner at Stephan Pyle's with Ellen. "A Bone-in Cowboy Ribeye" is indeed a "nice, big piece of meat for $39.00". Let us know how that turns out, please!

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

Twinwillow,
Thanks for the update on Schoepfs BBQ in Belton. I think their Pork Chops are great, but I would have to put them further down the top ten list when all menu items are compared (also).

Since you can't make it to Austin, why don't you consider the February Glee Club session in Mobile. Many of the folks you met last year in Austin will be in Mobile and the menu includes both BBQ and some good Gulf Seafood.

We will be interested in your report of the dinner at Stephan Pyle's with Ellen. "A Bone-in Cowboy Ribeye" is indeed a "nice, big piece of meat for $39.00". Let us know how that turns out, please!

I will, Al. Actually, I'm looking forward to going to Stephan Pyle's and having a big, bone in hunk of dead cow with Ellen. Medium rare, please.
Ellen, be sure to bring your trusty camera with you. we'll get a waitperson to take or picture for Roadfood.

thanks, twinwillow for all the "bone-in" attention! I'll definitely have my camera, my standard M.O.

I may have them make a few adjustments on that ribeye sauce. "hold the mushrooms", please, (hate mushrooms), and put the veal demi on the side... (not a veal person). Hope that does'nt take away too much from the dish.

I'm looking forward to the Stephen Pyles experience; however I still love a true steakhouse.
So, the 2nd night I'm in Dallas, I can return the favor , if you'd like to join me at Bob's Chophouse. And I've got a BIG dilemma at Bob's, as they offer both the bone-in ribeye and the bone-in NY Steak!! (the ribeye looks so yummy on their website)

And I still want to try Poppa's for a steak, looks like I'll have a busy 2 nights

Ellen, I'm pretty sure you are referring to Pappas's www.pappasbros.com They were named the best steakhouse in Texas in the current issue of Texas Monthly magazine. So looks like you'll need 3 nights.