Cartwright's Famous Bar-B-Q

3/15/10 Austin, TX, Southpartk Meadows location. Cartwright's is consistantly solid. It's a significant step up from Bill Miller, but obviously wouldn't cut it in Lockhart. The convenient location is great and the bbq doesn't disappoint, so let's get started.

Both brisket and sausage were sampled this go-around and I have to say my hat is off to the sausage. Was pleasantly surprised that the sausage was this good. Just the right not-packed-too-tight consistancy and not too greasy either, this sausage exceeded expectations. Would be through the roof if they made a jalapino version. Spicy bbq sauce help with a bit of kick (sort of). The brisket was good. The extra moist is extra EXTRA fatty. Will likely try the lean stuff next time. The bbq sauce is about average, but they do give you a choice of regular or spicy. There's not much difference between the two though. The pecan pie for $1.25 was good, but as I've said before, who has bad pie? Insert whatever punchline you like there. Until next time, Cheers!

Vitek's BBQ

3/13/10 Waco, TX. Pronounced Vee-Tek, this place has what they call the "Gut Pak". It's similar to the Texas Trash at Up in Smoke in that it's a version of Frito Pie. This one has both brisket and sausage, mixed with baked beans, Fritos, pickles, onions, and jalapinos. It's truly awesome!

The sausage is hand-made by the former owner who is 72. His daughter runs the place now. It's difficult to taste the subtlties in the Gut Pak, simply because you have so many ingredients thrown into a bowl. However, EVERYTHING tasted awesome in this thing and I highly recommend it. Please note that I ordered the small Gut Pak. The big one is over 1 pound and I wasn't about to tangle with it that day... But we shall meet again!

***At this time I'd like to announce BATTLE OF THE BBQ FRITO PIES 2010. In this corner we have TEXAS TRASH from Up in Smoke. And in this corner we have the challenger, GUT PAK from Vitek's. Which one will emerge victorious?? The Texas Trash is available with cheese and sour cream, which got the nod last time. Not so in the future, as I think the sour cream masks alot of the other tastes you are supposed to experience. Up in Smoke is open until 9, Vitek's closes at 6 (boooo). Gut Pack comes in 2 sizes, Texas Trash only 1 size. Tx Trash comes with optional spicy beans, Gut Pack comes with jalapinos. Gut Pack has homemade sausage included, Texas Trash just brisket (might be customized though). I'll say that Vitek's is holding the lead as of right now, but this battle has just begun... My apologies for not exploring the brisket on its own merits, but that will be a task for a future visit. I DID sample the banana pudding and no, do not buy the banana pudding at Vitek's. Kudos to them for having it, but the soul is located in the Gut (Pak)! GAME ON!

Pok-e-Jo's Smokehouse, Inc.

3/10/10 Austin, TX Hwy 71 and Lamar. Like Rudy's, Pok-e-Jo's sets the standard for good everyday bbq. They have sweet tea, they have banana pudding, they give you all the pickles and onions you want. It's as if they had the BBQ restaraunt manual and got a B+ in every chapter. The fact that Pok-e-Jo's really has no achilles heel sets it apart from other establishments and it's because of this that I'm giving it a grade of B++. Everything down to the bbq sauce is pretty good. The green bean cassarole is pretty good and so is the jalapino corn cassarole. The ambiance is pretty good, the parking is pretty good, and yes, the brisket is pretty darn good. The ribs I don't know about, so I guess I'll be headed back to try them. Excuses to go get more BBQ are a dime a dozen and I got truckloads of dimes...

Hard 8 BBQ

3/06/2010 Coppel, TX. It's almost a good thing when you have to wait in line at Hard 8 BBQ because there is so much to choose from and you can take your time to sort out the game plan. I ended up sampling the $8.99 sirloin skewer. Strange choice with all the delicious brisket, sausage, etc. but the sirloin held it's own amongst its traditional compadres. Just enough pink in the middle with just the right amount of pepper/spices on the outside makes for good eats. Each sirloin tip is bordered with a slice of bell pepper and onion, about 6 total on one skewer. It's also available as a chicken skewer. The sirloin is also good with Hard 8's dark, sugary bbq sauce. Dump a bunch of sugar in a bowl of A1 and you'll get the idea. Come to think of it, sugar seems to be a staple in alot of Hard 8 sides. The potato salad was good and sweet. The coleslaw was very good and... well very sweet. And of course I can't write about Hard 8 without mentioning the banana pudding. So unpretentious looking, yet so fancy, it's the gold standard of banana puddings.

My kids will attest to how delicious the white bread and pickles are, but my son doesn't trust one of the stuffed bears on the wall. He's fairly sure that bear is going to roar at some point. Who am I to argue? Even if the bear were alive, it's worth the risk to dine at Hard 8 BBQ. I see a long relationship developing here... Solid A.

Up In Smoke BBQ

3/4/10 Abbott, TX. Up In Smoke is becoming the official I-35 travel stop for a BBQ fix. In this case, I had plans to mainline some Vitek's BBQ in Waco, but they close at 6 pm. Bummer. Which way to go on this one? I could stay bitter, and then never go there in some pointless unnoticed protest... but what if it's that good? They'll get their chance, and they better bring their A game for closing so early, but this post isn't about them.

Turkey! Got the turkey plate this time to change things up a bit. It's true to Up In Smoke standards in that it's minimally messed with (Think opposite of Rudy's). The turkey is quite tender and juicy, and it's very good with their spicy BBQ sauce. The cole slaw is pretty good, and the jalapino beans are rock solid as well. They DO have sweet tea so that's a big plus, but it's average at best. It's always a treat to get that slice of texas toast with the meal at Up In Smoke as well. The next visit will definitely involve Texas Trash instead of turkey, but the turkey is not bad if you're on a health kick for a day.

Bill Miller BBQ, I-35 and Ben White

3/1/10 Austin, TX. Q: How do you make a lunch at Bill Miller's Tolerable? A: Order either the $3.49 special or the #7 double chopped beef sandwich w/ french fries and sweet tea combo and escape only 5 bucks lighter than when you came in. It's pretty simple. At the very least, if you're going to put shit in your mouth, at least you aren't paying much for it.

The chopped beef is average, but you can throw some pico de gallo, pickles, and onions in there and it becomes quite acceptible. The real tragedy is seeing your buddies order $10 worth of old shoe leather and hot dogs. I know brisket is king at these BBQ joints, but at Bill Miller's avoid it like a Georgetown pilot angry that he's got to pay taxes. Plus, you get the added bonus of appreciating real BBQ on your next excursion. C- food, but an A for value if done right.

Cartwright's Famous Bar-B-Q

2/25/10 South Austin, TX. Dave Chappelle was right. BBQ Ribs will put you to sleep faster than any turkey or triptophane or whatever it is white people think puts them to sleep. I took down a pound of ribs from Cartwrights and BAM, no recollection of the following hour. the next thing I knew, I heard the phone ringing and America Idol was on TV. It could have been them aliens from outer space messing with the space-time continuum again, but it was probably the ribs.

The ribs were good. Very tender and extremely salty, B+. Must say I am plesantly surprised with Cartwright's... Or maybe I should just order ribs more often...