Barbecue without a wait - Austin, Texas.

Spring is around the corner and many folk will find themselves making a pilgrimage to Austin or at least a pit stop on their way to one of the state’s many natural water sources. Regardless of why you want to go down south and get weird, nobody has time to spare while on vacation – especially in lines.

When it comes to lines, we scoff; cursing those ahead of us for taking too long, since it’s their fault they arrived earlier than us. Our choices are to leave or continue practicing half-assed patience.

Admittedly, there’s a certain sense of entitlement married with accomplishment when we are the ones everyone else is waiting for. You always know that everyone else is now cursing you but you pretend to not notice. You’ve waited your turn and couldn't care less if anyone else gets theirs.

This may not seem as big of a deal when it comes to gas station lines or the drive-thru at Starbucks because luckily for every American, there’s another gas station down the road and three Starbucks before that. However, when it comes to getting your smoked meat fix, a line often determines our perception. Although great taste and long lines can be synonymous, remember kids – looks can be deceiving.

Bragging about how you braved a line for hours just to eat somewhere doesn’t gain you any life points and in fact, makes you seem as awesome as a Galveston postcard from the 80’s. How about trying somewhere new and getting your fix – without a wait. With that being said, here’s a short list for your convenience.

Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ – 600 W. 6^th St. (Behind Star Bar). Open 5 pm Mon & Tues, Lunch/Dinner only Wed through Fri and all day Sat and Sun.

When coming to this food trailer, toss any stereotypes of how Texas barbecue should be served out the window. While the meat is smoked in the traditional manner, the Tex Mex angle comes from how the food is served. The simple menu is divided into two sections; Tex and Mex. Under the Tex you have sandwiches loaded with your meat of choice while under the Mex, you will find the same meat, though snuggled in a tortilla, handmade onsite. Order the smoked brisket taco with guacamole and tomato Serrano salsa and the smoked carnitas taco that includes caramelized onions, cilantro and a tomatillo habanero salsa, which is quite mild. At this point, you’ll forever forget those barbecue stereotypes.

Micklethwait Craft Meats – 1309 Rosewood Ave. (East Austin). Open Wed through Sat, 11 am - 3pm & 4:30 - 8pm. Sun 11 am – 3 pm.

Smartly located down the street from Franklin Barbecue, this canvas of a trailer has emerged from the shadow of the aforementioned top barbecue joint of the world. Here you will not only find a near perfect plate of smoked meat but some of the best sides to accompany a barbecue joint. Owner/Pit Master Tom Micklethwait is also crafty in the world of handmade sausage. One day he may concoct pork belly Andouille and the next, Thai sausage. His sausages are true to the word artisanal. Order the three meat plate for $14 and allow Tom’s meat to surprise you.

La Barbecue – 1200 E. 6^th St. (East Austin). Open Wed – Sun, 11 am until sold out.

If you must deal with any line, here’s a place worth waiting for. Having recently moved from their location on South 1st, the line isn’t a nightmare though it can be a consistently long at times. No fear – with live music on the weekends and free beer, this wait is the most tolerable of them all. My recommendation here is to purchase a handmade link of Pit Master John Lewis’s all beef sausage, along with the well seasoned pork ribs and a thick slice of fatty brisket. If you're wise, order one succulent beef rib and take it to go. Big Red is an encouraged liquid partner to your meal.

Pro-tip: Call ahead the day before or day of, walk past the line while getting cursed and pick up your order. That’s something worth bragging about.

Kerlin BBQ – 1700 E. Cesar Chavez (East Austin). Open Wed through Sun, 11 am through 3 pm or sold out.

Recently opened Kerlin BBQ has made a ripple in the Austin barbecue scene. Of course they have the whole no line thing but once you try Bill Kerlin’s brisket and ribs, you’ll be scratching your head as to why there isn’t a line. Being in close proximity to other barbecue joints with a hellish DMV style line, Kerlin BBQ is smoking superb meat worth skipping a line for. Try one slice of lean and one slice of moist with the ribs. Ask for extra pickles to dip  in the BBQ sauce and hum along with the music of Waylon Jennings.

Freedmen’s Bar – 2402 San Gabriel St. (West Campus). Open Tues through Sat, 11 am – 12 am. Brunch starting at 11 am on Sunday.

Evan LeRoy has seemingly mastered the craft of not only smoked meat but smoked food overall. After tasting his barbecue, one may think that a pit master, decades older, is cooking but he has accomplished this level of prowess while only in his mid-20’s. Although open for lunch with great specials, the historic building which houses the restaurant, truly comes to life upon dusk. Order the Holy Trinity with smoked beats and grilled cabbage slaw while sitting in the patio under strands of party bulbs. After tossing back a cocktail of your choosing, finish the night off with smoked banana pudding. All this and no line.

Micklethwait Craft Meats

3 Stars

Attempting to keep up with the blossoming Barbecue scene in Austin I actually visited the newly opened Micklethwait Craft Meats (MCM) in February. After driving past an unruly line of business type, hipsters, and tourists at Franklin, I was eager to be among the first BBQ fans to try Craft Meats. Somewhat regrettably, I left upon learning that brisket was only served at dinner and when visiting a BBQ joint, I do my best to tackle the Texas Trifecta in one sitting. No worries as plans to return would be executed soon enough.

Micklethwait Craft Meats took to the trailer / food truck / BBQ scene by storm with almost immediate praise of the quality. Sometime in March, news of brisket being sold for lunch was announced as the response to his Texas Post Oak brisket was high across the board. Supply, meet demand. My opportunity for a return visit surfaced toward the end of April and MCM was on the agenda. The night before my Craft Meats visit, I was floored by Freedmen's and literally floored by an unhealthy abundance of Mescal from Clive Bar, where I swore I found Waldo. Oh, the next day would be tough.  

A local Austin photographer, Robert Lerma, met me and a female companion at Craft Meats to offer his musings as well. His travels have taken him to many of the finest Texas BBQ joints while generating photographs along the way. I was delighted at the visual of the meat displayed in the trailer and even more so meeting Tom Micklethwait. For the sides, slaw and jalapeno cheese grits were the culprits. After living in Mississippi, I quickly became a sucker for grits and rarely turn down a chance to order them.

Robert and I, as well as the female companion whose opinion that "trailer BBQ does not sound good and there's no way I'd ever eat BBQ from a trailer"...sat down at the picnic table. After taking a bite myself, I quickly fed her the Thai sausage and...dun dun dun, "Oh wow, I usually don't eat sausage but this is some of the best I've had." It was agreed that the sausage was superb and just the amount of spice I'd expect. The ribs, although a bit shy on the meat portion, were enjoyed equally as they had the mark of Central Texas style with salt, pepper, and peppercorn. Where they lacked in meat, they settled for with flavor. Here's where my visit took another turn. The brisket. It was dry, flavor-less of the Texas Post Oak, and the bark was crisp to the point it flaked off with an ashy texture. I've seen other patron's pictures of the brisket where it glistened nicely but this was not my experience.

While I would've liked adding another star or two, I weigh brisket a bit heavier than sausage and ribs. I don't doubt that Tom can deliver a great brisket but being new to serving at lunch, there may be some room for error. With continued growth and a promising buzz, lines from Franklin will begin to find their way a couple of blocks east to Micklethwait Craft Meats. Recently I posted this line as a reply to a comment on the Texas BBQ Posse blog which I find fitting for here and many Q joints alike:

"I will return again only because there is so much hype but due to finances, I can't spread myself too thin with revisiting the same joints repeatedly such as the Posse or Vaughn. I have to base on one time experiences which consistency can always vary with each visit and product judged differently by each individual." This will not be my last visit to the artsy yellow trailer on Rosewood Ave.