Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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clockwise from far left: Michael Black at Terry Black's BBQ; La Barbecue has been ranked among the best barbecue in town; pulled pork and brisket sand wiches and sausages with red onion slaw from La Barbecue. barbecue families, Sutter says, "Barbecue speaks to our animal natures—hands and teeth, fat and fire. Think of it as dogs around their favorite bowl. You don't want to get in the middle of that." LeAnn Mueller recruited pitmaster John Lewis (a Franklin veteran) to lead the charge at her La Barbecue trailer (902 E. Cesar Chavez, 512-605-9696; labarbecue.com). More than a year and a half later, the decision has paid off: Sutter, among other critics, recently ranked La Barbecue number one on his list, besting even Franklin. Brother John is still operating in the same zip code, albeit with a slightly lower profile, at John Mueller Meat Co. (2500 E. 6th St., 512-571-6509; john muellermeatco.com). His beef ribs and brisket can still be perfect on the right day. In other rivalry news, Lockhart legend Black's arrives in Austin in dueling factions. Twin brothers Michael and Mark Black recently opened Terry Black's BBQ in South Austin (1003 Barton Springs Road, 512-394-5899; terryblacksbbq.com) to strong acclaim. Both brothers are Black's veterans—Michael estimates he logged 15 years, including manning the pits after college graduation. When asked why they chose Austin, Michael explains, "If you're a country singer, you go to Nashville. If you're doing barbecue, now you want to be in Austin." The brothers' move was prompted by some changes in Lockhart: "My uncle started using rotisserie cookers, and we prefer doing it old-school. Our sides are home- made." In response, the Lockhart Black's, owned by their grandparents and uncle, opened a UT-area location (3110 Guadalupe St., 512-398-2712; blacksbbq.com) and a food truck. The campus location serves barbecue that is made in Lockhart and then is trucked to Austin daily; the tiny storefront does not do in-house smoking. Another legendary name, Cooper's (217 Congress Ave., 512-474-4227; coopersbbqaustin.com), will arrive downtown this fall, as owner Terry Wootan continues his successful expansion. The Austin Cooper's will cook on-site and serve three meals a day. While barbecue won't start until 11 am, kolaches and coffee will be available early. A second story will house a late-night sports and music bar. With so many barbecue options, Michael Black says: "The quality in Austin is now the best in the world. We painted a mural on our wall that says the new bbq capital of texas. This is the new mecca." AW Fr anklin BarBecue Takes cover, Goes To air Following a two-week closure, Franklin Barbecue returned in July after completing a planned upgrade. The addition enclosed kitchen facilities to reduce the staff 's need to cook outdoors and run flights of stairs. "It's not the ideal addition—we wanted restrooms and another serving area," says co-owner Stacy Franklin, "but we ran into parking and permitting issues." Franklin says a phase two is planned, which will add a second counter—a change that could shorten the restaurant's legendary line. Besides the new kitchen, Aaron Franklin's PBS series, BBQ with Franklin, which is being produced by KLRU, will head to the airwaves soon. Says Franklin: "It's been a lot of work, but this kitchen will be awesome for our staff, and we're excited to see the PBS show get going!" 900 E. 11th St., 512-653-1187; franklin barbecue.com "BARBECUE SPEAKS To oUR AnImAL nATURES—hAndS And TEETh, FAT And FIRE." —mike sutter Pulled pork sandwich at Franklin Barbecue. austinway.com 97