Louis Mueller BBQ
Last week I was in Central Texas on business. Before I left town I did some research as I knew this area was a "hot bed" for Texas BBQ. I came across a great BBQ blog called Full Custom Gospel BBQ. I wrote the site owner and he was kind enough to recommend a handful of great places to hit. On Tuesday last week I was 30 minutes from a Texas Landmark and I convinced my travel companions to head to Taylor, Texas and Louis Mueller BBQ. This place has been doing BBQ since 1949 (the year my Dad graduated from High School). Taylor is small (pop. 14,000) and without doing some research I would have never suspected what I was going to find.
To be honest I had never been to an authentic Texas BBQ joint and had no idea what to expect (other than what I had read). Walking in the front door you are greeted by this amazing smoke smell. Remember when you were a kid and you got to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on a stick and hang out telling ghost stories by the campfire. Remember how your clothes smelled the next morning.......that is what Louis Mueller's smelled like (amazing!).
Yeah, that's a James Beard Citation Award
Menu......gotta love it.
Check out the business cards on this wall. The brown cards are that way because of the smoke they have seen. The smell makes me want to build a smokehouse, but I am not sure my condo board would approve of that.
Wayne Mueller (3rd generation owner) & Me
While I didn't get to the restaurant that late (5:00pm), they were out of all but the Pork Loin, Chopped Beef and Brisket. I was going to go with a mixed plate, but thought better after I saw the Brisket. I ordered 1 lb. of Moist Brisket (the end with the fat) and Wayne told me if I was in the area again to call ahead and they would either hold food or cook a bit more.
Moist Brisket
The Brisket was served with a couple of slices of white bread, a dipping sauce, some raw onion slices and dill pickle chips. I got a side of beans and a Shiner Bock (these guys have been making German style beer in Texas since 1914), served in a Mason Jar...........Yum!
Louis Mueller BBQ
To be honest I had never been to an authentic Texas BBQ joint and had no idea what to expect (other than what I had read). Walking in the front door you are greeted by this amazing smoke smell. Remember when you were a kid and you got to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on a stick and hang out telling ghost stories by the campfire. Remember how your clothes smelled the next morning.......that is what Louis Mueller's smelled like (amazing!).
Yeah, that's a James Beard Citation Award
Menu......gotta love it.
Check out the business cards on this wall. The brown cards are that way because of the smoke they have seen. The smell makes me want to build a smokehouse, but I am not sure my condo board would approve of that.
Wayne Mueller (3rd generation owner) & Me
Moist Brisket