The Salt Lick B.B.Q. - Austin Texas
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Spectacular BBQ less than an hour’s drive from Austin.
Every time I see a sign at a restaurant boasting they have the “world’s best” of something I am immediately convinced. Maybe it’s the best, maybe not. It’s an unprovable fact. All that really matters is if the guy who painted the sign believed it. There’s no shortage of gasconading throughout Texas. Everything is bigger here and you probably shouldn't mess with anything. The Salt Lick B.B.Q. is not the kind of place that wouldn’t bother claiming they have the world’s best barbecue, they’d rather convince you with their food.
A 45-minute drive from Austin for dinner might seem excessive to first time Salt Lickers (my phrase, not theirs), but it’s worth every minute. Take the quiet drive through the edge of Texas Hill Country. A lit sign, made from the same locally sourced limestone as the Salt Lick’s signature barbecue pit, will guide you down the gravel driveway to the restaurant.
You were just a twinkle in your meat’s eye when it went into the pit days ago. Get on the list with the hostess and join the others siting under trees and canopies enjoying the live music. Let your hunger grow, you’re going to need it. There’s always a wait.
Restaurant founder, Thurman Roberts, found love in Hawaii during his WWII Navy Service. After the war he returned to central Texas with his new wife. To make a little extra money he built a limestone backyard barbecue pit and began to sell slow roasted meats. There was, after all, no Etsy back then. He combined old Mississippi family barbecue traditions, passed down from his grandmother, with the sweet tastes of Hawaii. His meat was a hit. Over the next fifty years the restaurant grew into what you see today.
When your table is ready you’ll be lead past the open grill where they're putting the finishing touches on your dinner by grilling over flames burning live oak wood. There is your choice of bench and table seating. Take the bench seating. If you’re lucky, you’ll complete your Texas experience by being seated next to a boot wearing fellow with a ten-gallon hat and a bolo tie. He will say one word to you, or maybe it was a word, it doesn’t matter. Real Texas cowboys are much different than the ones who dance for money at my local Flaming Saddles.
Take a look at the menu, but settle on the Family Style option. "All you can eat beef brisket, sausage, pork ribs, potato salad, coleslaw and beans.” Don’t stop eating until you want to cry, then order desert. The homemade pecan pie (with a scoop of ice cream) is the perfect end to the meal. The cobbler is also a winner.
Have someone pull the car around and, if you have the strength left to drive, head back to Austin.
Their signature sauces are available to purchase from their website, along with an “I like pig butts and I cannot lie” t-shirt (http://saltlickbbq.com). You can also make the best of a layover by visiting their locations in the Austin International Airport, the Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City, the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, and the Houston Airport.
