Page 32 - Barbecue News April 2020 Issue

Salt Lick BBQ (Driftwood), December 7, 2019
We had to come here to get a good historical BBQ perspective. The holding pits in the serving are very impressive, but the real smoking is done with more than 6 large Oyler pits.
The brisket was very tough and dry; not much flavor in the bark, but beefy flavor in the interior.
The ribs were much better, but with an average flavor, and a little too much pull and tough membrane to get the meat off of the bone.
The beans and cole slaw didn’t have much flavor, but the warm German potato salad was decent. Nice grounds to walk around and relax, and it’s a huge facility. They use choice Angus briskets. The Salt Lick was a benchmark in the old days, but the new cooks and techniques at other places have passed them with a 2.5 out of 5.
Not very friendly or interested in their jobs. It’s a production line with very high volume. No waiting in line at noon on Saturday. Got seated immediately.
Spicy and regular sauce. They are oil based sauces,and I like them, but Ross doesn’t.
Louie Mueller’s BBQ, December 7, 2019
A very nice place in Taylor, with old school BBQ vibe.
Brisket was outstanding! It was very moist, although the flat was noticeably dryer. Very close to Snow’s brisket, but the consistency and flavor a little better at Snow’s. Splitting hairs at this point. I’d rank the brisket as Snow’s, Meuller’s, Franklin’s. Although Franklin’s would be equal to Meuller’s if he would dial back the salt and pepper.
Their Standard sausage was excellent with a medium grind, good flavor and smoke. Not too salty, and a good casing. I especially appreciated their Hatch Chile Sausage. It was spicy without being too spicy, and I love Hatch Chile. This was the best sausage so far. Ribs had good smoke, pork flavor, moderate membrane, and ex- cellent tenderness and chew. The rub was a little bitter because of a little too much Red Chile Powder on the rib. I preferred Snow’s ribs.
Banana pudding was very good. It was creamy, with good banana flavor and vanilla wafers, but the sprinkled cinnamon on top, al- though not heavy, detracted a little from the dessert, rather than enhancing it. Just personal taste, but I didn’t care for it. The counter crew was nice
and friendly. The man-
ager was grumpy.
4.5 out of 5.
We Only had to wait in
line of some 30 people
for about 30 minutes to
order, at 3pm Saturday.
Moderately busy.
No sauce used or needed,
but did taste the red
sauce and it was a good
Texas sauce, although
unusual to have pro-
nounced cumin.
Micklethwait’s BBQ - Food Truck - 12/8/19 Opens at 11, or a little before. No need to get there before 10:30 on Sunday in Dec. Anytime will work. Line never
more than 15 people. Brisket cooked in Smithville, and every- thing else cooked at the Food Truck.
Brisket had excellent beef, smoke and bark flavor. Good balance. The point was a little over cooked and soft, al- though extremely juicy. It was called mushy by another BBQ owner from San Francisco at the next table. The flat also was a little overcooked and dry. It still was very good Brisket, but a little worse than Mueller and Franklin for correct cook.
Pork ribs were very well
cooked, with the best
bite mark and texture of
any rib I’ve had this
week. Flavor and smoke
was very good. I liked
the rub that was used.
Standard sausage was
excellent, with a thin, crisp casing and medium-fine grind. Good smoke and spice balance.
Cheese and Poblano Sausage had unappetizing looking cheese oozing out of each slice. Tasted ok.
Beef Rib - excellent flavor and texture. Very rich. I prefer Brisket to Beef Ribs, but this was well executed.
Sliced Pork Shoulder - It was a little dry and very tough.
Pulled Goat- It was dry and stringy
Pulled Lamb - It was dry and stringy.
Banana Pudding was a very large portion, but tasted like instant pudding mix, and was a little gritty. Strong banana flavor, but no pieces of bananas, just a couple of vanilla wafers. I thought it was
the worst of the banana puddings.
Red Sauce - Ross liked it. I thought it was good. It is a thin red sauce, with a tangy vinegar flavor. Coleslaw was very good with light creamy dress- ing and light orange fla- vor aftertaste. One of the best we’ve had this week.
No sauce needed.
I would rate Micklethwait about 4.5 out of 5. ———————————— Score summary from me. 5 Snow’s
4.5+ Louie Mueller’s
4.5 Franklin’s
4.5 Micklethwait
4.0 Terry Black’s
3.5 Stile’s
2.5 Salt Lick
BarbecueNews.com - 32
APRIL 2020