I had a relatively poor first visit to Austin, then a pretty reasonable one, and finally just about everything lined up right on our most recent order. Pit beans and brisket chili were not oversweet, spicy fried pickles and french fries were crisp and savory, and most importantly, both the brisket and pulled pork were fully smoke-penetrated and barky. We even got some ribs at 4:30, fresh off the smoker, and while still slightly underdone near the bone were forgivable for their deliciousness. The only miss was the Kreuz market sausage, too soft and crumbly; other places still have better execution with this import (not a Texas pun).

Who else in Chicagoland is serving Kreuz sausage?

Smoque and, I believe, Barn and Company. Maybe Lillie's too? edit: no, Lillie's is made in house.

scottsol wrote:Who else in Chicagoland is serving Kreuz sausage?

gleam wrote:Smoque and, I believe, Barn and Company.

Don't both Smoque and Barn & Co use Mikeska sausage (also imported from Texas)?

Rene G wrote:

scottsol wrote:Who else in Chicagoland is serving Kreuz sausage?

gleam wrote:Smoque and, I believe, Barn and Company.

Don't both Smoque and Barn & Co use Mikeska sausage (also imported from Texas)?

Oh, yeah, probably. My bad. I'm not aware of anyone using Kreuz.

What they need to do is get some of Smitty's in Lockharts sausage, blew Kreuz's out of the water during a head to head tasting while down there this past spring. We all agreed that Smitty's was juicier and more deftly seasoned (Kreuz seemed ridiculously peppery).

gleam wrote:

Rene G wrote:

scottsol wrote:Who else in Chicagoland is serving Kreuz sausage?

gleam wrote:Smoque and, I believe, Barn and Company.

Don't both Smoque and Barn & Co use Mikeska sausage (also imported from Texas)?

Oh, yeah, probably. My bad. I'm not aware of anyone using Kreuz.

My bad first. I meant Texas sausage in general, thinking of Smoque and Barn. I was just in San Antonio and environs in October (trip report yet unposted), and had much juicier Kreuz Market examples than what was in our recent order at Ausin, but to reiterate, this last full meal was overall a damn good one.

Fairly or not, I am less enamored with Austin after 4 visits than I was after my first. Meats have been inconsistent, the bane of a BBQ joint. Almost always good smoke ring, rub and flavor, but other flaws and inconsistencies crop up, so I am never quite sure if I will get something really good, or something just okay.

The best order, most reliable, for me has been the tri-tip, sides of sausage (nice touch that you can get that as a side with a dinner), and blue cheese potato salad. Also sort of a unique offering at Austin.

When they opened, I thought this would be a place that would reliably give my home smoker a run for its money, but that has not panned out. Still good, and nice people trying to do it right, just variable. I suspect a lot of that maps to variations in volume and the overall small volume they do to start, but that is just a guess.

I have not been to Austin for quite some time. Reason one was that several times they were out of what I wanted to order and that did not sit well with me. Don't like the lack of buns ....and they were not going to change as of my last visit. I don' t really give a rat's you know what about what they like in TX. I like buns and not white bread. Finally I don' t think they give you enough meat...kind of skimpy there. I will go back but not as frequently as I would if they would clear up some of the issues.

I was finally back to Austin bbq. I noticed that the business is not at the level it was the first year they were open which is fine by me because I do not like to wait in lines. Had the ribs and they were very barky and almost crunchy in places...I kind of like that smoky crunchy flavor in ribs. My companion had the brisket and got nice slices...still no buns (rats!) but he likes it well enough on the saltine crackers texas style. Oddly he said he likes the brisket that is kind of in small crumbly pieces rather than the slices. I think their pit beans are good. I would take a pass on the mac and cheese as its not good quality. Corn muffins are okay kind of a throw away although I ate mine.

I still think this place has service problems. The style is completely self service no waitress or any thing. There was a sign on the door in a handwritten scrawl that said "Your mother does not work here, clean up your dishes" which I did not think was funny and was disrespectful to customers. After all dinner for two was probably about forty dollars or so and that is not cheap. Yes, we see we need to clean up our dishes but even at Panera they have a similar system and occasionally someone will come and take plates away and wipe your table. I think this is a sign the owner does not have proper control over the help who are immature. Anyway this is my latest update. Still good bbq but some issues that need to be addressed.

toria wrote:I still think this place has service problems. The style is completely self service no waitress or any thing. There was a sign on the door in a handwritten scrawl that said "Your mother does not work here, clean up your dishes" which I did not think was funny and was disrespectful to customers. After all dinner for two was probably about forty dollars or so and that is not cheap. Yes, we see we need to clean up our dishes but even at Panera they have a similar system and occasionally someone will come and take plates away and wipe your table. I think this is a sign the owner does not have proper control over the help who are immature. Anyway this is my latest update. Still good bbq but some issues that need to be addressed.

Or, it could simply be that the owner is going for a vibe that you personally don't appreciate. I think you make a lot of unfair assumptions and draw some dubious conclusions about why things are the way they are Austin BBQ. BBQ ain't Panera, nor should it ever be. The fact that you continue to harp on the bun issue shows that you may not entirely understand the culture of Texas BBQ, which is precisely what inspired -- and now drives -- this place. From talking to Doug, the owner, I know that initially he didn't even want to serve sauce because it wasn't really in keeping with his vision. He relented on that but I'm glad that he is still mostly sticking to his guns. That sort of decision-making is exactly what individuates places, which is a very good thing. Not every place can be everything to everyone . . . and we should be hella' grateful for that.

=R=

I do not think anything I said was unfair and I am entitled to my opinion. I was not comparing Austin bbq to Panera overall but was just mentioning their table busing as a reference point so do not think I was comparing the two with the exception of how they deal with table clearing. Two completely different animals and I am not wishing for Austin to be like Panera or like a chain. I still think that the sign was uncalled for. And I still like buns...I have talked to others who also wish they served buns. I do not doubt the owners heart is in the right place and he is a nice guy. I will continue to go to Austin bbq despite what I have posted. I thought the whole point of this forum is to provide a place for diverse views and I was providing an update of a recent dining experience. In fact others posting on this thread have been far less charitable in their reviews of Austin BBQ than I have.

toria wrote:I do not think anything I said was unfair and I am entitled to my opinion. I was not comparing Austin bbq to Panera overall but was just mentioning their table busing as a reference point so do not think I was comparing the two with the exception of how they deal with table clearing. Two completely different animals and I am not wishing for Austin to be like Panera or like a chain. I still think that the sign was uncalled for. And I still like buns...I have talked to others who also wish they served buns. I do not doubt the owners heart is in the right place and he is a nice guy. I will continue to go to Austin bbq despite what I have posted. I thought the whole point of this forum is to provide a place for diverse views and I was providing an update of a recent dining experience. In fact others posting on this thread have been far less charitable in their reviews of Austin BBQ than I have.

I think referring to the help as "immature" is wildly speculative and unfair unless you know them personally (and even then, it's not very nice).

I don't believe that a posting a sign that says "Your mother does not work here, clean up your dishes" is disrepectful. Nor do I believe that posting such a sign indicates that the person who posted it "...does not have proper control over the help..."

I think repeatedly complaining about the lack of buns at an Austin-inspired BBQ joint is just plain silly and reflects a lack of knowledge about the genre that more or less invalidates the complaint, which is what I was trying to convey. It's like expecting to be served lox and bagels at Bob Evans.

Yes, you are entitled to your opinions and you should feel free to express them. I just happen to disagree with them. It's nothing personal.

=R=

I agree with the fact that I don't appreciate cleaning my table after dropping 60 dollars for 2 adults and a kid and the sign is a little bit "forward". My kid really wanted a bun for his food. We don't use sauce if the bbq is good and we didn't need it here. I think by maturity maybe poster was referring to age as in high school employees.
I don't know why the Ronnie is so disrespectful to your post. Not very nice for someone who represents this board.

TooHot wrote:I agree with the fact that I don't appreciate cleaning my table after dropping 60 dollars for 2 adults and a kid and the sign is a little bit "forward". My kid really wanted a bun for his food. We don't use sauce if the bbq is good and we didn't need it here. I think by maturity maybe poster was referring to age as in high school employees.
I don't know why the Ronnie is so disrespectful to your post. Not very nice for someone who represents this board.

Not being disrespectful at all. Just disagreeing. Yes, I moderate this board but I also have opinions of my own, which I do share from time to time. We're not all going to agree on everything. Such is life.

=R=

TooHot wrote:I don't know why the Ronnie is so disrespectful to your post. Not very nice for someone who represents this board.

Anyone that posts represents this board (sometimes even outside of the cyber). It's unrealistic to expect all to wear white gloves and discount opinions in the quest to be pc- a particular vile form of civilty if you ask me. It's a chat site, we discuss.

We used to have have a sign in our kitchen that says Mangia E Statti Zitto or shut up and eat. I thought it was funny.

I took the sign at Austin as sassy Southern fun. No big whoop.

I went to Austin BBQ last night for dinner. I usually prefer pork, but since it was a "Texas BBQ" place I tried the Brisket. I'm no expert on Texas BBQ, but I found the brisket tender and smoky. I got the beans and the blue cheese slaw. I loved the beans, and probably should have gotten the regular slaw. Not that the blue cheese was so bad, but just not the thing to order on a cold night. I'd agree with the above poster that it's not the cheapest place and that the "charm" may be a little forced. That being said, it's a family run joint that cares about it's food. That in itself is worth my business.

jacketpotato wrote:I went to Austin BBQ last night for dinner. I usually prefer pork, but since it was a "Texas BBQ" place I tried the Brisket. I'm no expert on Texas BBQ, but I found the brisket tender and smoky. I got the beans and the blue cheese slaw. I loved the beans, and probably should have gotten the regular slaw. Not that the blue cheese was so bad, but just not the thing to order on a cold night. I'd agree with the above poster that it's not the cheapest place and that the "charm" may be a little forced. That being said, it's a family run joint that cares about it's food. That in itself is worth my business.

i have not been to austin in a bit, but this is the reason i would go back.
nice post @jacketpotato

went last week for the 2 year anniverisary.
brisket was tops, fried okra for side.
i would go back

Went to Austin BBQ a few weeks ago for my girlfriend's birthday dinner. Brisket was the best it's ever been.

And then today I learned that Austin BBQ is now closed:
http://wheaton.patch.com/articles/austi ... wn-wheaton

Its sad its closed, they really did try. I think there were some problems there with consistency. I know people do not want me to harp about the bun thing but restaurants that do not please their customers close.

Best wishes to Doug and his family if they read this...Doug was one of the only other 100% hardwood smokers in town...he really has a passion for BBQ and he makes some really killer stuff-especially his brisket.

He was also a really nice guy.

A sad day in the world of Chicago BBQ...he was one of the best


Sent from my iPh

rubbbqco wrote:Best wishes to Doug and his family if they read this...Doug was one of the only other 100% hardwood smokers in town...he really has a passion for BBQ and he makes some really killer stuff-especially his brisket.

He was also a really nice guy.

A sad day in the world of Chicago BBQ...he was one of the best


Sent from my iPh

Same here. Some of the best brisket I've had.

Location, location, location. He would have done much better on Roosevelt rd or North ave.

TooHot wrote:Location, location, location. He would have done much better on Roosevelt rd or North ave.

The location was terrible but that's easy for me, a Lake County resident, to say. Austin BBQ was 80 miles round-trip from my house, which made it a very tough destination to hit.

Doug's brisket and clod were both outstanding and I'll miss them very much.

=R=

My family is very sad to hear this. We would get Austin BBQ when friends/relatives were in town. Besides the brisket and clod, we will really miss those beans! Best beans ever. Wish we had the recipe.

Its sad. There website is still up...I went on yelp...just to check. I read some of the reviews....frankly I was shocked at what I read there. I do not think it was location...I think there were some issues there. Apparently some of the customers had the same reaction to what I had.

toria wrote:Its sad. There website is still up...I went on yelp...just to check. I read some of the reviews....frankly I was shocked at what I read there. I do not think it was location...I think there were some issues there. Apparently some of the customers had the same reaction to what I had.

Yeah, I'm sure lack of buns is what did them in. No doubt about it.

=R=

Yes Ronnie, its official. That was the last straw that did them in.