My father attended grad school at the University of Texas in the late ‘60s. Every spring, my father, brother and I converge on Austin to gorge on barbecue, driving through nearby Hill Country to eat at many of the same restaurants that were available to my father 40 years ago. This is the travelogue from our latest 36-hour bender, which lasted from May 16-18.

Friday, May 16, 2008

The best Texas barbecue places typically limit their decor to mounted animal heads, and some spots don’t even bother with utensils, so the prospect of consuming Lamberts “fancy barbecue” was a little daunting. However, Louis Lambert and chef-partner Larry McGuire did print a pig-butchering chart on the menu, so it was worth giving them a chance. Crispy Wild Boar Ribs were a lot like Buffalo chicken wings, but there wasn’t nearly enough meat on the tiny bones. The brown sugar and coffee rubbed Natural Beef Brisket featured thick, juicy, oak-smoked slices, with a pretty respectable smoke ring. Oak-grilled meats sounded especially delicious, and were. Mustard and Brown Sugar Crusted Niman Ranch Ribeye was terrific, crusty on the outside, juicy within, sweet and spicy. Buttery Natural Hanger Steak was slathered with spicy Cholula butter.

A blackboard special – Country Side Farms suckling pig porchetta – featured two wide slices of sausage made from a de-boned baby pig. Lamberts plated the tender, crisp-edged hog meat with rosemary & fennel jam, organic arugula and grilled toast.

We shared four Lamberts Family Style Sides, highlighted by Baked Mac and 3 Cheeses, made with creamy cheddar made exclusively for Lamberts, goat cheese and spicy Mexican cheese, baked until crusty. For dessert, Chocolate Brioche Bread pudding was hot and buttery, not too sweet, crowned with vanilla bean ice cream and chunks of walnut brittle. The thick slice of Banana Cream Pie featured a thick layer of whipped cream, plenty of banana chunks, a flaky crust and candied macadamia nuts. Fried Blackberry Pie was a letdown, way too tart, especially when paired with tart lemon ice cream.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

We drove north out of Austin at 10:30 to begin our only full day of eating. In Texas Monthly’s 2003 round-up of the state’s Top 50 barbecue spots, Schoepf’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que scored a 4.5 rating out of 5, making it our first stop. Schoepf’s definitely lacks the history of Texas’ better-known barbecue establishments. According to the counterman, Ronnie Schoepf, Sr. opened the restaurant just fifteen years ago. Now Ronnie, Jr. and wife Staci run the show.

The three of us purchased almost 4.5 pounds of meat for $46.49 at Schoepf’s, an absurd amount considering we had three more lunches planned.

The brisket had zero smoke ring and was both dry and bland. Highly disappointing, especially considering any Texas barbecue spot is judged on its brisket. Thankfully, we found more success with other meats. The half chicken was cooked for 2 hours and had a peppery crust. Pork ribs and the pork chop were similarly peppery, with nice lacquered skins. Sausages were available mild, medium or hot. We chose medium. The sausage was smoked for a paltry 30 minutes, and it showed. The meat was a little watery and the skin had no snap. Brick-sized slabs of plain and jalapeño cornbread were semi-sweet and moist. It was only the first of the day’s four barbecue stops, and though we would find better down the road, the Schoepfs do a respectable job with pork and have a deft touch with chicken.

Burnet County Barbecue had a disconnected phone number, so we flipped through two barbecue books and that 2003 issue of Texas Monthly to find an alternative. Richard K. Troxell rated Lucye’s an 8.75 out of 10 in “Barbecuing around Texas,” and it was nearby in Salado. Lucye’s had been replaced by a steakhouse, so we drove west toward Llano.

On our windy drive down two-lane blacktop, we passed through a small town about every fifteen minutes. One of them was bound to have decent barbecue, right? In Bertram, my father spotted a tan brick building that read “Bertram Smoke Haus.” He said, “Why don’t we at least take a look.” “Take a look” can only mean one thing in my family: Let’s eat.

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