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.