Animal cruelty!!

When we came out of Kreuz Market this dog was sitting in the back of this pickup with his tongue hanging out. I would be too, if I had to sit out there and smell all that great BBQ without getting any! Hopefully his owner brought him a snack. :)

Kreuz jalapeno cheese sausage

Mmmmm. This year I made it a point to take my cooler to bring back a case of Kreuz hot jalapeno cheese sausage. I'll be munching these for a day or two and thinking of that poor dog.....

Clem Mikeska's, Temple, Texas

In a word, DON'T. Food-wise this was a sub-par experience. The brisket was chewy with little flavor, the ribs were leather tough, and I've had better sausage from a chain grocery store. The sweet sauce was positively weird and it took me awhile to put my finger on it. It tasted exactly like the sauce pork and beans come packed in. Blechh! Not my idea of BBQ sauce at all. The potato salad exuded some watery fluid (see the photo) which was most unappetizing. The only item worth mentioning was the bread. That was perhaps the best piece of bread I ever had. It came out of a clear wrapper so it must be some local Temple bakery. Outstanding, but a sad commentary when the best thing in a BBQ meal is the bread.

We saw another outlet for Clem at a gas station/truck stop and their sign indicated thay are opening another location in Belton. Beware. The Mikeska family has different joints in 5 other cities. Rudy's in Taylor, is definitley the best we have sampled so far.

Cartwright's BBQ, Bastrop, Texas

We had heard good things about this place and another in Bastrop so we decided to give them a try. The other place, Old Town BBQ, seems to have disappeared. No sign of it at the corner of Pine and Main, so we doubled back and hit Cartwright's on the freeway. We had a nice lunch around noon on September 16. They were doing a steady business at their drive through the whole time we were there. This place has a long history as Bastrop Meat Market and only recently (relatively) moved to their new digs to concentrate on BBQ.

The first bite of my brisket and I knew this was a great joint. Tender with smoke flavor through and through. I was starting to think I didn't get enough brisket, then I tried the ribs. Nope, I needed room for ribs, too, because they were delicious. Tender and smoky with a nice crust. The only problem was they were not hot through. Sort of as they had been sitting off to the side somewhere and not in the pit. Same problem with the hot sausage. It was neither hot in spice or temperature, but very flavorful and the right mix of wet and dry. The tater salad was the best I had this trip. Sweet mayo base with just a hint of mustard. Lockhart and Luling had better look out. Bastrop is on the BBQ map and Cartwright's put them there.

A lot of joints aren't open 7 days. This is a great stop when other places aren't open. Come to think of it, this is a great stop when they ARE open!

Black's BBQ, Lockhart, Texas

We've reviewed Black's before and they are another of the gold standards in BBQ to our senses. Consistently great, every trip. The brisket is tender with wonderful smokiness throughout. Last year the ribs were just a bit chewy, but not this year, back on form, melt in your mouth, and full of smoky flavor. This year the hot sausage was just a tad dry but still better than most of the places we sampled. I like the fact they have a little more variety on the sides and I had the mashed potatoes and the mac and cheese this trip. Pretty average stuff, but just a nice change to have options beyond the usual tater salad, slaw, and beans. The only disappointment this trip was when we got some Bluebell for dessert. It seems they are no longer scooping and instead have gone to the little single serve cups. Not a big deal, but a slight step down in the overall experience. Outside photo in previous reviews.

All watched over by the knowing gaze of a central Texas jackalope.

2007 Calories and Cholesterol Tour!

This is the third year my buddy Scott and I have headed to central Texas for several days of BBQ haj. We mixed things up this year, hitting a mix of our favorite places from previous years and new places we'd heard about or had been recommended to us. We based out of Lockhart for the first 3 days, then headed up to Austin for the last day and night. All in all, 10 BBQ meals at 10 different joints over 5 days.

As usual, these are my opinions only and, yes, I am well aware of the vagueries of reviewing BBQ. At any time you can have a bad or great experience that is not repeatable on your next trip. However this is what we experienced on this particular outing and the resulting opinions.

Note that if you click on the photos, you get to see a larger photo. If you're not hungry now, you will be. GO EAT SOME BBQ!!

Luling City Market, Luling, Texas

We've reviewed LCM before and it is another of the "greats" in the BBQ biz to our taste and this time was no exception. Melt in your mouth brisket, ribs, and decent sausage. All full of superb smoky flavor in every bite. Everything that place in Temple is not. I'm still not crazy about their mustard based sauce, but with such great Q, you don't need any. Be sure and click on the photo for the large version to see the wonderful "shine" on those ribs. Positively glowing with goodness!!