Not a fan of gas station BBQ.

They will let you place an advanced order to go and allow you pick it up before they open for the day, but sometimes finding an open opportunity to do this is hard since folks usually book it up two weeks in advance.

that's a good tip to know, I might just do that on the next trip there. thanks.

Where does Stiles Switch figure in the Austin BBQ universe? I tried it recently and I was curious as to the opinions in here.

Here's an article from last year that lists the top 10 in Austin:

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/ente...3620358.735375

He lists Stiles Switch at #6. I would personally drop Micklethwait down to #6 and re-arrange the top 5 to be:

1. Franklin
2. LaBarbecue
3. Brown's
4. J. Mueller
5. Stiles Switch

I ate the best baby back ribs ever at Black's last January. Remarkable; perfectly cooked, perfectly basted.

I also ate at Kreuz, and absolutely loved the smoked boneless prime rib and the pork chops. To finish off my BBQ pilgrimage to Lockhart, I got the moist brisket from Smitty's, which was great, and beef ribs from Chisholm Trail. I don't think I ate anything other than BBQ leftovers for the next couple of days.

The pit man at Kreuz (where they don't use sauce) told me that in his opinion the best sauce in the area was at City Market in Luling (15 miles south of Lockhart near the I-10); I got some and it was outstanding.

For all of you San Francisco BBQ fans, make sure you don't miss out on this one. I'll definitely be waiting in line for my brisket!

Franklin's pop up store

+1. But the argumentation is just so doggone much fun - given that gathering the evidence is part of the argumentation.

City Barbecue (started in Columbus OH, now spreading out to Indy, Louisville and Raleigh) is my personal favorite, and I've spent most of my adult life sampling 'cue in Kansas City (love Gates & Sons), Memphis, the Carolinas, Texas and Alabama. Each regional specialty is great, but City BBQ's advantage is that they don't lock into any one region - they have Carolina-style pulled pork, Memphis-style ribs, and Texas-style brisket. Try their smoked chicken leg quarter, though, for a very special treat.

[stern voice]Brisket is THE ONLY BBQ.[/stern voice]

Sausage if you're slightly perverted.

yup. and I have shipped the beef ribs all over the world!

Now I have to go there tomorrow.

Ate at Stiles in Austin last weekend. I wasn't too impressed with their brisket but their smoked turkey and their Jalapeno Cheddar sausage were excellent. The biggest surprise of the night though was their corn casserole...that was truly amazing.

...along with everyone else. ;)

Except Pa Kettle. Pa Kettle, why weren't you there?!?

I think pretty much everyone in the room would second CMK10's statement. That was excellent turkey and awesome sausage.

The Pecan Lodge - Dallas, TX

Great space in this trendy up and coming neighborhood just off downtown which has outdoor and indoor seating. They also have numerous beers on tap. Perfect menu and everything we ordered was delicious. Great ribs, brisket and pulled pork plus, burnt ends! The mac & cheese was also outstanding.

https://cmk10.smugmug.com/Travel/Tex...IMG_4044-L.jpg

https://cmk10.smugmug.com/Travel/Tex...IMG_4045-L.jpg

https://cmk10.smugmug.com/Travel/Tex...IMG_4048-L.jpg

as ex texan who has made endless runs for the bbq pilgrimage in the central hill county...

dallas' pecan lodge is the real deal

Oh, this dang thread again - makes my mouth water thinking about some of these places. My next trip is to Boston, KC, and Las Vegas. I know what KC has to offer, but what about Las Vegas - is there any place there that is competitive with the best places elsewhere? Definitely not going to be hitting the cheap buffets, but I can't recall ever hearing Las Vegas and barbecue in the same sentence.

First I visited Vegas regularly, then I lived there. I can't ever remember eating BBQ there or frankly even wanting to. I think you should focus on different cuisines while there then double down in KC.