Austin BBQ New in Wheaton [closed]

There is a new BBQ restaurant in Wheaton on Front st.

Part of their announcement:

Our goal is to bring you an authentic experience and taste of the Texas Barbecue Belt, from the Hill Country surrounding Austin.

I have not been there yet and will probably head there this week unless I get snowed in. Pls post any reviews if you have tried this place.

Austin BBQ
226 W Front St
Wheaton, IL 60187
630-690-0526

http://wheaton.patch.com/articles/a-tas ... to-wheaton

Nice looking pit!
Nice write up on the pit too....

“The neatest thing about this place is the all-wood burning pit,” he said. “It uses no gas and no electric. The stove weighs 4,200 pound, and it took a crane to lift it off the truck when it was delivered."

We ate at Austin BBQ tonight. My dining companion had the brisket and I had the ribs. I think we both enjoyed what we had but I am not a good judge of BBQ restaurants because ribs to me are like pizza. I never met a rib I did not like. Dining companion concluded Smoque is better.

The ribs come with two side dishes, I had good coleslaw and fries. A mini corn muffin, a few cubes of cheese and pickle chips and a few chopped onions. The last three I did not get why but they must be an Austin, TX thing. Dining companion had blue cheese coleslaw and beans which were good.

The first thing to note about the place is the strong smell of wood smoke that hits you walking in. IN fact the clothes I wore there still reek of smoke.
Its a very casual kind of place with plastic knives and forks and paper towels on the table. No little hand wipes in packets, the dining room has a sink to wash hands right around the corner.

Would be interested in other reviews. My guess is its not worth a special trip but if you are in the area or live nearby it might be a good bet.

toria wrote:The first thing to note about the place is the strong smell of wood smoke that hits you walking in. IN fact the clothes I wore there still reek of smoke.

Sounding good!

I ate the rest of the ribs today cold. I love cold bbq ribs. So reflecting back I will say: the ribs are dry, they are not juicy, not blubbery. The membrane was removed. The meat was smoked and most of the fat had evaporated in the smoke process so there was no gristle or fat like you get with some ribs. They were not fall off the bone tender, but were tender in a chewy way. They ask you if you want sauce on the side or if you want them to put it on the ribs. I had them put it on at the end. I do think they were good and I would go back there. I don't think they are the ultimate rib at this time.

I visited Austin BBQ for lunch this afternoon. There isn't any signage on the outside of the building, but you could smell the pleasing aroma of smoke outside as you drove past. I arrived around 11:30 and there were only a couple of people eating. Service at the counter was a bit slow as they were filling an order for delivery. This place is the epitome of a small family business. The owner, and what I'm assuming was his son were the only ones working. Then the son left to go make the delivery so the owner was all that was left once a big group of people came in. So just a heads up that it might take a bit to place an order if there are other people in line or delivery orders to be put together. After about 5 minutes of waiting I placed my order. I had reviewed the menu online (http://austinbbq.net/menu.htm), however once you're at the restaurant all that there is to look at is a white board that only includes about half of the things on the online menu. I wanted to try a couple of different things, so I went with a 2 meat combo of sliced brisket and tri tip. Along with fries and coleslaw.

Just to touch on the sides to start, the online menu says fresh cut fries. It didn't seem like they were fresh cut to me, but more like the skin on frozen kind. They were poured out of a brown bag from the freezer into the fryer, so they were freshly made. Coleslaw was of the creamy variety, decent enough. They have 2 choices for cornbread muffins, regular or jalepeno, I went with the regular. It was ok. This was another place where the online menu differed from what you received. The online menu says your meal comes with hush puppies, but they were giving out cornbread instead.



I was the first person to get brisket for the day, so I got the end slices which contained a ton of bark. Brisket was pulled out of a warming oven and sliced to order. The slices had a nice smoke ring. Great smoky flavor. They were cut a little thin I think, as they crumbled a bit. It wasn't the juiciest brisket, but I think that might have been because they were the end pieces.


Same thing for the tri tip, pulled straight from the smoker and sliced to order. Tender, juicy, smoky and flavorful. This was my first time trying out tri tip. I need to go to Lillie's Q and check out their version.



I enjoyed the meats quite a bit. I think there is a ton of potential in this place. It seems like they're doing things the right way. I didn't get much of a chance to ask questions as it got busy, and with only 2 people working it was kind of hectic for the staff. I'll certainly be back to check out other things.

A couple of other observations: While sandwiches are on the menu, don't go in expecting a roll or bun. The sandwiches are just the meats on 2 pieces of white bread. They have smoked hamburgers on the menu, but you have to call an hour in advance so they can put them in the smoker for you. Also, they have clod on the menu.

What is clod? Also I'm wondering what the point of the cheese cubes and pickles are. I'll probably go there again. I will say that my clothes smelled like smoke and I had to wash them immediately it was so penetrating in there. The space was not smoky but the smell was like a campfire. Intense.

toria wrote:What is clod? Also I'm wondering what the point of the cheese cubes and pickles are. I'll probably go there again. I will say that my clothes smelled like smoke and I had to wash them immediately it was so penetrating in there. The space was not smoky but the smell was like a campfire. Intense.

Clod is beef shoulder.

the wimperoo wrote:

toria wrote:What is clod? Also I'm wondering what the point of the cheese cubes and pickles are. I'll probably go there again. I will say that my clothes smelled like smoke and I had to wash them immediately it was so penetrating in there. The space was not smoky but the smell was like a campfire. Intense.

Clod is beef shoulder.

Clod is also a cut that many people (Texans?) claim is better than brisket. In my experience, it isn't.

=R=

toria wrote:I will say that my clothes smelled like smoke and I had to wash them immediately it was so penetrating in there. The space was not smoky but the smell was like a campfire. Intense.

Boo Yeah! Tis a good thing...nothing like a bath, shower, swim or face wash of some fresh Hickory smoke!
Need to make tracks out there for a three way with some ribs. Babys, Spares and beef ribs....dont let me down!

I had food from Austin BBQ for the first time the other night and I thought it was fantastic. I had the brisket and sampled sides of blue cheese cole slaw and the Texas beans. The smoke flavor in the meat was beyond compare, both sides were very good. I used a Restaurant.com gift certificate, but I will be back, even without one.

I ate again at Austin bbq. They were doing a brisk business but it was not too crowded for comfort. The ribs were excellent and I got the last full slab that they had. My dining companion had the pulled pork. They were out of tri tip. We got to talk to the pitmasters and they said they put so much in the pit and then when it sells out they do not have anymore, or may have some some hours later. They put the briskets in the pit at midnight. The owner lives near by and comes to tend the fire during the night. The ribs I ate at seven pm were put in at 2 pm. They were going to have some more tri tip ready at eight but we did not want to wait. I had no idea the meat was cooked this long.

toria wrote:They put the briskets in the pit at midnight. The owner lives near by and comes to tend the fire during the night. The ribs I ate at seven pm were put in at 2 pm...I had no idea the meat was cooked this long.

Just but one of the reasons why proper cue is held in such high regard, and meat jello is just "dime a dozen" fodder that can be found almost anywhere. Though I'm also a fan of quicker rib cooks, ( I can do spares or tips just fine in two hours, baby backs a little less time,) long smoked brisket tops the cue food chain when it's done correctly, imo.

i heard good thingsabout this stop.
might have to take the ride.
cooking on j&r

I ate there on Sat late afternoon..He is cooking on an all wood fire (a J & R Oyler using oak). I got to speak with the owner Doug about his cooker as well as BBQ in general. He gave me a quick tour of the cooker and was very enthusiastic about his cooking process.You could tell he is passionate about the BBQ he is serving as well.
The brisket I had was outstanding...in fact Id say its some of the best Ive ever eaten inside or outside of a BBQ restaurant. I also got a sample of tri tip and pulled pork that was just as good.
Its great to see more good BBQ offerings opening up in the burbs.
Next on this list for me to try there is the beef ribs and beef clod.

Head's Red BBQ wrote: The brisket I had was outstanding...in fact Id say its some of the best Ive ever eaten inside or outside of a BBQ restaurant.

Bill,

This is a very strong statement, enough to get me to look Wheaton up on a map and head out to Austin BBQ. Hope you weren't just caught up in a moment.

Enjoy,
Gary

Gary - I can only attest for what I ate on Sat. I had some that had just come out of the cooker. Plus he was good about including a lot of point meat on my platter
That aside..It really was some kick ass brisket IMHO and ranked right up there with the some of the best of ive had.
But since ive only eaten there once though I cannot comment on consistency or if I just managed to stop in at the "golden hour"..only subsequent visits will tell. He has only been in business since December i was told.
Im crossing my fingers since there are really only a couple BBQ places in the burbs I would go to when i dont feel like cooking it myself and this one is close.

Here is info on the pit he uses. It is not an aquarium cooker.

http://www.jrmanufacturing.com/oyler.html

toria wrote:Here is info on the pit he uses. It is not an aquarium cooker.

http://www.jrmanufacturing.com/oyler.html

not many places around here using Oyler's either..a bit more fire tending with it compared to some of the gas fired ones although not as much as tending as an aquarium either
but its a pure wood cooker

toria wrote: They were out of tri tip. We got to talk to the pitmasters and they said they put so much in the pit and then when it sells out they do not have anymore, or may have some some hours later. They put the briskets in the pit at midnight. The owner lives near by and comes to tend the fire during the night. The ribs I ate at seven pm were put in at 2 pm. They were going to have some more tri tip ready at eight but we did not want to wait. I had no idea the meat was cooked this long.

when its cooked low and slow it is

I have lived in Texas and Kansas City. Moving here to the Chicago area I have been somewhat disappointed in the BBQ restaurants that I have been to, UNTIL....I went to Austin's BBQ in Wheaton! It may be laid back as far as atmosphere goes but when good BBQ is what you are looking for they are SPOT ON! The Flavor is everything! WOW!!! Living in Kansas our Favorite BBQ was Jack Stack Fiorelli's and I have been searching for a flavor that would compare to theirs. I HAVE FOUND IT!!! Austins may not have the fancy table cloths but when I want the real thing, Austin's is where I will go! I spoke with the owners when I was there and they have been so excited about the positive feedback to there place. They seem like great down to earth people with an awesome product. And for those of you that don't know Kansas City or Texas BBQ...It is served on soft white bread, which is the way they serve it at Austins. Also, if you have been to a GREAT BBQ establishment, You should smell it from outside and definately smell it on you when you leave. That's the true Wood Pit Heaven scent!

FoodieJL wrote:I have lived in Texas and Kansas City. Moving here to the Chicago area I have been somewhat disappointed in the BBQ restaurants that I have been to, UNTIL....I went to Austin's BBQ in Wheaton! It may be laid back as far as atmosphere goes but when good BBQ is what you are looking for they are SPOT ON! The Flavor is everything! WOW!!! Living in Kansas our Favorite BBQ was Jack Stack Fiorelli's and I have been searching for a flavor that would compare to theirs. I HAVE FOUND IT!!! Austins may not have the fancy table cloths but when I want the real thing, Austin's is where I will go! I spoke with the owners when I was there and they have been so excited about the positive feedback to there place. They seem like great down to earth people with an awesome product. And for those of you that don't know Kansas City or Texas BBQ...It is served on soft white bread, which is the way they serve it at Austins. Also, if you have been to a GREAT BBQ establishment, You should smell it from outside and definately smell it on you when you leave. That's the true Wood Pit Heaven scent!

First post? Check

Glowing review? Check

Lots of caps? Check

Count me as suspicious

saluki9 wrote:

FoodieJL wrote:I have lived in Texas and Kansas City. Moving here to the Chicago area I have been somewhat disappointed in the BBQ restaurants that I have been to, UNTIL....I went to Austin's BBQ in Wheaton! It may be laid back as far as atmosphere goes but when good BBQ is what you are looking for they are SPOT ON! The Flavor is everything! WOW!!! Living in Kansas our Favorite BBQ was Jack Stack Fiorelli's and I have been searching for a flavor that would compare to theirs. I HAVE FOUND IT!!! Austins may not have the fancy table cloths but when I want the real thing, Austin's is where I will go! I spoke with the owners when I was there and they have been so excited about the positive feedback to there place. They seem like great down to earth people with an awesome product. And for those of you that don't know Kansas City or Texas BBQ...It is served on soft white bread, which is the way they serve it at Austins. Also, if you have been to a GREAT BBQ establishment, You should smell it from outside and definately smell it on you when you leave. That's the true Wood Pit Heaven scent!

First post? Check

Glowing review? Check

Lots of caps? Check

Count me as suspicious

Yeah, we're looking into it. In the interim, the post will stand and discussion should continue to focus on Austin BBQ.

Thanks,

=R=
for the moderators

Maybe this is sacreligious but next time I go I am going to ask the owners to get some buns for the meat. I don't like white bread, I'd rather have a soft bun with sesame seeds on like a Mary Ann hamburger bun. I don't know anything about Texas bbq....I'm from Chicago by way of Wheaton.........their stuff tastes good to me but I'd order the sandwiches more readily if they offered buns.

toria wrote:Maybe this is sacreligious but next time I go I am going to ask the owners to get some buns for the meat. I don't like white bread, I'd rather have a soft bun with sesame seeds on like a Mary Ann hamburger bun. I don't know anything about Texas bbq....I'm from Chicago by way of Wheaton.........their stuff tastes good to me but I'd order the sandwiches more readily if they offered buns.

Hi,

I wouldn't be surprised if you needed to bring your own bun.

Regards,

I've thought of that Cathy. Most often I order ribs because I like them so much. I'd like to order the meat but I don't like bread only buns for this kind of thing.
Being from here, it seemed as if you get gyped when you get bread because all I can remember is when you went somewhere and ordered a burger and they were out of buns you got bread. That happened at home too. Maybe they do things different in Texas.

I have spent plenty of time in Kansas City and actually was just there over the Holidays wen I ate at Danny Edwards Boulevard BBQ and got my pulled pork on a bun. Gates is famous for Beef on Bun which is how to order a brisket sandwich at that stop and at Oklahoma Joes I get the Z-Man sandwich that comes on a Kaiser roll. Arthur Bryant's you will get white bread. To say Kansas City BBQ is served on white bread is not true at all spots. FoodieJL, Jackstack your favorite actually serves sandwiches on a sesame seed bun or french roll so just saying...

Ouch....I think your out to shoot me down. I know that there are BBQ places that serve sandwiches on buns, I won't disagree with you there. And I never said that Jack Stack Fiorelli's served theirs on white bread either. I simply stated that they are one of my favorite places to go and was thrilled to find a place that matches up in flavor.

not trying to shoot you down just saying that Kansas City BBQ is not always served on squishy white bread. I am looking forward to trying Austin's as I am always looking for a good joint around here serving decent BBQ. Thanks and welcome to LTH forum!