The Iron Works Barbecue – Austin, TX – Thursday, April 6, 2006
Posted April 12, 2006 at 2:13 am
Our father was due to land any minute. And he expected barbecue. Thankfully, the well-regarded Iron Works Barbecue was just blocks from our hotel. My brother and I were dispatched to secure several pounds of meat before they closed. We didn’t want to begin our four-day barbecue binge by missing out on a single plate of smoked meat.
Fittingly, Iron Works Barbecue is housed in the former F. Weigl Iron Works, situated above a creek that runs through Austin. According to the Texas Historical Commission plaque outside: “Ironsmith Fortunate Weigl (1884-1973) migrated to Austin in 1913 from Germany with his wife Anna and sons F. Lee and Herbert… In 1922, Weigl established his own ornamental iron works, which he moved to this site in 1935 (the year of a massive flood, its water level marked inside by chalk line higher than my head). The iron works closed in 1977 and was transformed into a barbecue joint the following year, accentuating the location’s history. Outside, plenty of Weigl-manufactured brands burned into exterior boards.
Inside, there are several examples of Weigl’s ornamental, hand-wrought iron, including a particularly amusing sign near the ordering window:
“W.S. SHARPE, M.D. – 1103-B – GENERAL AND RECTAL SURGERY.” Thankfully, proctology wasn’t on the menu.
The menu centers on myriad meats, available by the plate, sandwich, and pound. Iron Works smokes more cuts than typical BBQ establishments. Of course they had brisket, pork ribs and links, all of which we ordered ($12.95 for a pound of brisket; $6.95 for a half-pound of links; and $8.50 for a half-slab of pork ribs). They also sold pork loin, chicken, turkey, ham, beef ribs, and chopped beef. We ordered the pork loin ($5.40 for a half-pound). We also ordered half-pints of potato salad and beans ($2.15 apiece). They sold sodas and beers out of ice-filled coolers.
It was a warm, humid night, and we sat on the patio, overlooking the creek. We ate the ‘cue off butcher paper, where the prices were written in marker.
There were squeeze bottles of regular and spicy barbecue sauces. The red bottle’s spicy, the clear bottle: the house standard. The spicy had a little too much kick; the regular was pretty good, not overly sweet. Not that the meat needed any help.
The sliced pork loin was pepper-crusted and juicy. The brisket was fairly juicy, with a thin outer char. The sausage wasn’t overly greasy, with a smooth texture. The pork ribs were really flavorful, with a bronzed skin.
Pinto beans and potato salad are de rigeur in central Texas barbecue establishments. Unfortunately, neither Iron Works rendition hit the mark. The beans were too soupy, and the potato salad was overloaded with mayo and egg.
Considering my brother and I pre-partied with a full soul food dinner, we skipped dessert. Iron Works had gooey looking peach and blackberry cobblers by the register, but Dad wasn’t tempted either.
I left without a clear understanding of Iron Works’ motto, “Real Texas Barbecue in the Country Atmosphere,” since the restaurant is located in downtown Austin, but the barbecue was several notches above average and a real nice start to our cow and hog fueled family weekend.
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