I will be spending time in Killeen TX soon and am looking for good BBQ restaurants in that area.
I have heard that Cooper's Pit in Central Texas is good, and there is a location as close as Round Rock, which is about 60 miles.

Any good ideas or suggestions closer, say Killeen, Fort Hood, Temple, Waco?

My mouth is watering over the idea of real Texas BBQ!

Here you go:

Texas BBQ Trail (http://www.texasbbqtrail.com/)

Central Texas BBQ Dynasties (http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-11-09/food_set.html)

BBQ in Central TX (http://homepage.mac.com/ravnhaus/BBQ/joints.html)

Have fun... and don't forgit the lipitor... ;)

Mmmmmm, I shouldn't have read this post on an empty stomach! Texas BBQ is something we don't have much up here, and something I would like to eat more of!

Time allowing, I think we are going to try out Cooper's in Round Rock, and Clem's in Temple!

Thanks!!!!

It doesn't get a whole lot of love from the folks on Chowhound, but I like Coopers in Round Rock. I always try to stop there on my Dallas-Austin drives. It's just a couple of minutes off the interstate.

Get the brisket and the sausage. Both fantastic. Other meats were forgettable.

Cooper's is good. I'll also recommend Schoepf's BBQ in Belton: 702 E Central Avenue in Belton. Brisket and sausage were great, and I loved the cheesy potatoes.

BBQ in Texas can't be beat!!!!!!!!1

The Cooper's BarBQue originally mentioned is probably the Cooper's BarBQue in Llano, NOT the (coincedentally named) Cooper's in Round Rock. If you're a bbq fan, there's no comparison. The Cooper's in Llano wins by a landslide.

Except by Speedy's, or Lexington Number 1 (PORK) bbq in Lexington, NC (near GSO)! As Emeril says, it's all about the pig fat!

Except by Speedy's, or Lexington Number 1 (PORK) bbq in Lexington, NC (near GSO)! As Emeril says, it's all about the pig fat!
That's a weeeeeeeee bit far for a dinner drive from Killeen.

I think that you want to scrum in this thread... Best BBQ in U.S. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=311878&page=1&pp=30).

I know it isnt close, but it is worth it. Get to the Salt Lick just outside of Austin and Kreuzs and Blacks in Lockhart. It is the mother lode I tell you! Although chains like Bill Something or other (I cant remember the name :( ) in Austin are better than most of the BBQ in the country. You can hardly go wrong with BBQ in Texas as long as you stay out of Dallas. ;)

The Cooper's BarBQue originally mentioned is probably the Cooper's BarBQue in Llano, NOT the (coincedentally named) Cooper's in Round Rock. If you're a bbq fan, there's no comparison. The Cooper's in Llano wins by a landslide.

Not a coincidence. The two places were founded by brothers, both sons of the founder of the original Cooper's in Mason.

http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2001-11-09/food_set3.html

...........You can hardly go wrong with BBQ in Texas as long as you stay out of Dallas. ;)
Thank goodness I found my 10 foot pole, just in time for this post.

Thank goodness I found my 10 foot pole, just in time for this post.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Here is where we ended up:

Temple: Clem Milewski's BBQ. Pretty good
Round Rock: Cooper's Bit: VERY good

In both cases, the smoked sausage was outstanding, a BBQ speciality you don't see up here often. The Texas brisket was great at both, especially Round Rock.

With more time, it sounds like it might be worth heading further to Lockhart or Llano. Thanks for everyone's help!!

I just made a drive yesterday from Schulenburg to Temple up the "BBQ Trail" since I had some time to kill. I stopped at Smitty's in Lockhart, Meyer's and Southside in Elgin, and I drove through Taylor but was so full by then that I couldn' bring myself to stop for more food. My plan was to sample about a 1/4-1/2 pound of meat at each location (sausage and brisket). Here's my non-expert opinions:

Smitty's: great atmosphere; I loved the huge pits right when you walk in and where you order. Meat was served on butched paper with a knife and some bread or crackers. Prices were good. I only got the brisket here, which, while flavorful, was a little drier than I like my brisket to be.

Southside Market: sausage was absolutely great. Again, I found the brisket to be a little drier. Maybe I'm weird about how I like my brisket... Anyway, Of the three I tried, I think this was my favorite.

Meyer's: Sausage was also great here, especially the beef sausage, but the atmosphere reminded me more of a restaurant in some respects and not how I felt a BBQ joint would normally be. They also sold a bunch of shrink-wrapped dessert pastries. That tended to take away from the homey feel of the place.

All were quite good and all were reasonably priced. I'm looking forward to coming back down and trying the ones in Taylor and some more on the west side of Austin.

Thanks for the tips! Now I have even more places to try for that next trip to Killeen/Fort Hood ....

I just made a drive yesterday from Schulenburg to Temple up the "BBQ Trail" since I had some time to kill. I stopped at Smitty's in Lockhart, Meyer's and Southside in Elgin, and I drove through Taylor but was so full by then that I couldn' bring myself to stop for more food. My plan was to sample about a 1/4-1/2 pound of meat at each location (sausage and brisket). Here's my non-expert opinions:

Smitty's: great atmosphere; I loved the huge pits right when you walk in and where you order. Meat was served on butched paper with a knife and some bread or crackers. Prices were good. I only got the brisket here, which, while flavorful, was a little drier than I like my brisket to be.

Southside Market: sausage was absolutely great. Again, I found the brisket to be a little drier. Maybe I'm weird about how I like my brisket... Anyway, Of the three I tried, I think this was my favorite.

Meyer's: Sausage was also great here, especially the beef sausage, but the atmosphere reminded me more of a restaurant in some respects and not how I felt a BBQ joint would normally be. They also sold a bunch of shrink-wrapped dessert pastries. That tended to take away from the homey feel of the place.

All were quite good and all were reasonably priced. I'm looking forward to coming back down and trying the ones in Taylor and some more on the west side of Austin.

We tried Cooper's in Llano. I can't understand why that place is so full. The meat wasn't particularly tender, the sauce is a joke and it's not exactly cheap. We tried several cuts of meat and none of them tasted smoked, plus the brisket was pretty dry the day we went. All that for $38 for lunch. We would never go back there again.

We tried Cooper's in Llano. I can't understand why that place is so full. The meat wasn't particularly tender, the sauce is a joke and it's not exactly cheap. We tried several cuts of meat and none of them tasted smoked, plus the brisket was pretty dry the day we went. All that for $38 for lunch. We would never go back there again.

$38? How many of you were there?

BTW, in central texas, skip the sauce. "Sauce is what other BBQ joints use to cover up mediocre meat".

We tried Cooper's in Llano. I can't understand why that place is so full. The meat wasn't particularly tender, the sauce is a joke and it's not exactly cheap. We tried several cuts of meat and none of them tasted smoked, plus the brisket was pretty dry the day we went. All that for $38 for lunch. We would never go back there again.

Strange. I've found Cooper's in Llano to be some of the best Q I've had. You're right, it ain't cheap, but that prime rib sure is tasty!

Note to the OP: there is a Dickey's BBQ Pit in Round Rock - okay, it's a chain, but last time I ate there (several years ago) their sliced sausage sandwich with spicy BBQ sauce was pretty damn good.

Thanks for the additional tip! I think I recall seeing Dickey's but was leery cause it was a chain. That sandwich sounds good, so I think we'll give that a try! (It does look like there will probably be return trips)

Thanks to all for their advice!!

Strange. I've found Cooper's in Llano to be some of the best Q I've had. You're right, it ain't cheap, but that prime rib sure is tasty!

Note to the OP: there is a Dickey's BBQ Pit in Round Rock - okay, it's a chain, but last time I ate there (several years ago) their sliced sausage sandwich with spicy BBQ sauce was pretty damn good.