J. Kelly's Barbeque

4/28/10 Austin, TX. J. Kelly's used to be Ben's Longbranch BBQ. It's in the same building, but I can't verify whether it's the same grub or not. It's good stuff though. The ribs are totally covered in some strong pepper rub. Maybe too much, but still good. Not the most tender, but you get the idea. Brisket was pretty good too, perhaps a little dry but overall it's good stuff. The sausage was great! Get whatever suits you at J. Kelly's, but don't pass up the sausage. It's only $1 more to get a 3 meat plate compared to a 2 meat plate. Let's face it, you're gonna die someday so you may as well load up on BBQ right now! The sweet tea might be the best I've had at a BBQ establishment, sweet, sweet, sweet. The baked beans were also top of the charts. Not sure what they did to 'em, but they didn't have any of that earthy taste that most BBQ joints like so much. The tato salad was good too. They know how to add sugar to things to make them taste better. Maybe they've been reading a page out of Hard 8's rulebook (great BBQ in Coppell, TX). Overall I'd say this place is a B+, fighting for an A. The deal-maker/breaker is as follows:

Guest reviewer Steve McMinn, Blog-Bee-Que photographer and nanner pudding expert: I do consider myself a connoisseur of the best fruit based pudding known to man. If I’m at a BBQ joint, there will be a serving of banana pudding in front of me. I believe that banana pudding helps seal the deal for a great BBQ experience.

If you go to J. Kelly’s BBQ get the banana pudding. Quite frankly, this is the best banana pudding you can eat at any BBQ joint in Austin. This pudding has all the elements one would look for. The ‘Nilla Wafers are crispy, there is an unexpected extra sweetness to the recipe and the texture of the pudding is as smooth as the jazz music playing in the background.