A look at the barbecue served at Terry Black's in Austin.
I was running some errands just before lunch time one
day. I was driving on Barton Springs Road
here in Austin, just south of the river when I noticed smoke coming out of a
smokestack. I rolled down the window and
breathed in the sweet smell of barbecue cooking. I had eaten at Terry Black’s
before, but figured this would be a good time to sample their wares again. And
indeed it was. . .
You will find Terry Black’s Barbecue at 1003 Barton
Springs Road, across the street from the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Terry Black is a member of the same family
that owns Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart.
His twin sons Michael and Mark run this particular restaurant. Unlike the Black’s located just north of the
UT campus, all the barbecue served at this restaurant is cooked onsite instead
of being trucked in from Lockhart.
When I first parked my minivan, I noticed the smoking
shed. I poked my head in and met Josh, a
nice young man who is one of their pit masters. He said they slow smoke (13 to 16 hours) about
a hundred briskets a day over post oak wood.
He was kind enough to open one of the pits where a handful of briskets
had just started the long cook. Oh, they
looked good. When Terry Black’s first
opened, there were complaints from some neighbors about all the smoke. Those people must not be from around here if
they can’t appreciate the smell of Texas perfume. Anyway, Josh told that has all been resolved
and the neighbors are happy.
After making my way through the short line, I ordered
my usual brisket and pork ribs. They
also had a big beef rib on the cutting table.
I could not resist the urge, so I got one of them too. The brisket was moist and tender, with a
great outer bark and a good smoke ring. Nice
smoky flavor, but not all of the fat had been rendered out. The pork ribs were meaty and had a nice,
sweet glaze on them. And then there was
the beef rib. Fred Flintstone would have
been proud of this: meaty, juicy, and full of flavor. Sort of like a brisket popsicle. I couldn’t finish it, so I took it home to
enjoy later. They had three types of red
sauce on the table (original, sweet, and spicy). I tried them all, but none of them really
stood out.
Terry Black’s has a large indoor seating area and a
good size area outside as well, but it was too hot to eat out there the day I
visited. The staff was very friendly and
great to talk with. Terry Black’s was
recently named as one of the Top 50 BBQ joints in Texas by Texas Monthly
magazine. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed
this barbecue. But there are a couple of
other joints in Austin that did not make the list that serve slightly better
barbecue in my opinion.
I rate this barbecue a single Hook ‘Em.
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