In Search of the Best Barbecue in Austin, Texas

If there’s one thing people think of when it comes to Texas cuisine, it’s barbecue.  And since no one knows barbecue better than the experts at Man Up Texas BBQ, our Google Places team in Austin joined forces with the popular blog to run a contest for the ultimate BBQ adventure. The 25 lucky winners were chauffeured to three of the top-rated (but least well-known) ’cue joints in Austin, and the diet-busting debacle began.

Our first stop on the BBQ bus was Sam’s BBQ, an East Austin legend with the slogan “You Don’t Need Teef To Eat My Beef.” Attendees got a glimpse at the old-fashioned brick grate pit before chowing down on some seriously tender brisket, pork ribs and mutton. And the slightly gamey mutton, a protein many in the group had never experienced before, was the hands-down favorite at this stop. Bus rider Dylan reviewed Sam’s saying “Sam's was really amazing. One of the places I will start taking visitors to Austin who want a uniquely local experience.”

Up next was Willie’s BBQ, a small hole in the wall attached to the side of a gas station.  Reviewers got to try the brisket and their unique boudin sausage, which blew many folks out of the water. Eli Castro, a Google Places user and food blogger at Grubbus.com, put it succinctly: “I only know boudin from the hundreds of billboards dotting I-40 between Beaumont, Texas and Mobile, Alabama, promising parts of animals I’d never really planned on eating. I had no idea what it was - alligator foot sausage? Turns out I was wrong - boudin is pork and rice sausage, different than any sausage I’ve ever had, and, as Willie's does it, totally delicious.”

Our last stop for the day, Vic’s Bar-B-Que, was also the favorite. Vic himself came out to meet the reviewers before plying them with brisket, pork ribs and beef ribs that more than justified the numerous BBQ trophies adorning the walls. This earned Vic’s five stars from John R., who stated “The brisket fell apart in my mouth! The beef ribs were GIGANTIC and delicious.” Closing the meal off with some traditional banana pudding, the stuffed winners boarded the bus to return home and begin digesting their meat comas.

Special thanks to Honest Tea, Graham’s Texas Tea and Treaty Oak Rum for providing complimentary on-board beverages for the BBQ bus. From start to finish, the bus, beverages and barbecue were definitely a Best Ever Austin experience!

Missed out on the BBQ bus? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and follow us on Twitter and Facebook to hear about all of our upcoming activities!

Posted by Whitney Francis, Austin community manager. Photographs by Eli Castro.