Dallas Food - BBQ in Marble Falls and Spicewood

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BBQ in Marble Falls and Spicewood
Posted on Monday, December 06 @ 17:13:59 PST
Topic: Barbecue

My wife approached me last Thursday to ask if it would be okay if we went down to Austin for the weekend. “Okay, honey.” No arm pulling necessary. Within minutes, I had the road atlas out, plotting possible itineraries. Llano and Mason? Gonzales? Or should I just explore some of the big barbecue names in Austin? In the end, I decided to take 71 west towards Llano. But just as I was heading out, I was told I had to be back in Austin for lunch, leaving me only four hours. Plan B. Going through my research, I saw that two barbecue spots in Marble Falls--Peete Mesquite and Inman’s Ranch House--opened relatively early. I’d hit them first. Then, on the way back to Austin, I’d stop in Spicewood for Opie’s BBQ and R.O.’s Outpost. None of these places topped my list of places to try, so I wasn’t expecting much. I was in for a surprise. On to the food...

A short detour off of 71 takes you into Marble Falls.

The small city lies along Lake Marble Falls in a beautiful piece of the hill country. And, in the left foreground of the picture above, you see the fuel that drives barbecue in these parts. Prosopis glandulosa, or the humble, scraggly, thorny mesquite.

I first stopped at Inman’s Ranch House in Marble Falls.

Exactly forty years ago, Francis Inman (brother of Lester Inman, of Inman’s Kitchen in Llano) opened Inman’s Ranch House. The Inmans’ claim to fame was a lean turkey sausage, adapted from a family recipe. Walking through the front door of the house, into what should be a living room, reveals the lovely pit.

Through the haze of the pit room, you turn into the kitchen, where you place your order. By “kitchen,” I mean kitchen. A huge pot of beans sits atop an antiquated range within arm’s reach of the register. They keep the menu simple here. You can have (a) turkey sausage, (b) brisket, or (c) turkey sausage and brisket. The woman minding the register/beans asked if I’d ever had their turkey sausage, to which I replied, “Nope. That’s why I’m here.” She carved off a bite and handed it to me, saying, “Some people like it. Some people hate it. A guy came in here this morning, wanted six pounds of it to take back with him to the east coast. But this is the way we make it. The same recipe we’ve used since the beginning.” I appreciated the candor and the free sample.

I ordered both sausage and brisket, requesting a cut from the fatty end. She called to the pitmaster, who ambled into the “living room,” pulled out the meats, and carved them on a small cutting board nearby.

They chatted with me while they prepared my order. Very friendly people. The meats looked and smelled terrific, though, so I had a hard time focusing on conversation. Bag in hand, I headed out to the car so I could eat on my way to the next destination.

The sausage had a nice snap to the casing, a pleasantly coarse texture, and subtle peppery bite. Since it was made entirely with turkey meat, it was definitely on the lean side, which isn’t for all palates. But I found it delightful--one of the better, more memorable sausages I’ve had. I had expected the sausage to be good. (You don’t stay in business for forty years in Marble Falls, Texas, and develop that kind of reputation on the back of a bad product.) I wasn’t expecting the brisket to be great. But it was outstanding. Sweet, smoky, with a perfect crust. Grade A “eating brisket,” finer than anything sampled in the recent Elgin/Taylor trip and rivaling the best in Lockhart. Brisket this good transcends genre. Serve it unadorned on a degustation menu at the finest restaurants in the country and, for sheer flavor, it would be one of the most memorable courses of the night. But you cannot and could not get it there. God bless Texas.

Friendly people, tasty turkey sausage, and some top-shelf brisket make Inman’s Ranch House a winner. I’ll be back.

Further up the main drag in Marble Falls is Peete Mesquite BBQ

I don’t know anything about the history of Peete Mesquite BBQ. All I knew was that it was a favorite stopover for hunters in the area and that the locals have voted it the “best in county” for several years running. I pulled into the parking lot, polishing off the last bites of Inman’s brisket, and walked around to the pits in back.

The rusty metal pit was rotisserie-rigged, carrying the meats through the mesquite smoke on wide wire trays like a carnivorous fantasy Ferris wheel. The menu featured pies, cobblers, and traditional sides, in addition to the meats (e.g., brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken, turkey breast, pork steak). When I asked what they did best, the pitmaster and waitress responded without hesitation and in unison, “Ribs.” So I ordered ribs, brisket, and sausage.

When I asked for a half pound of ribs, they must not have heard me, because I ended up with more than a pound. I might have said something; but, when the ribs were presented, they looked so good that I hesitated, then paid. As I walked back into a corner (where my picture-taking wouldn’t be as obtrusive), buyer’s remorse started creeping in. After all, it’s not as though I hadn’t eaten already. And I still had two joints left to try. The first bite into one of those meaty ribs put all such thoughts out of mind. These were some of the best spare ribs I’ve had in some time. Great pork flavor, good smokiness, tender (yet still clinging to the bone), and a good, crisp bark on the exterior. (Some might complain about the membrane being left on the backs of the ribs. I’m not particular on that point.) Fine ribs.

They said their sausage was a beef and pork blend. If so, it was disproportionately pork. While it had pretty good smokiness, the smooth texture and flavor profile didn’t appeal to me. Better than supermarket-grade, but not by leaps and bounds. The brisket was a mixed bag. As you can tell in the photo, the upper slices are leaner, while the lower slices are more marbled and moist. The leaner portions of the brisket had very good smoke flavor and a particularly nice crust. But the dryness brought it down to sandwich-grade. The fattier portions, on the other hand, were solid “eating brisket,” moist, smoky, and delicious.

With great ribs and very good brisket, Peete Mesquite outperformed my expectations. I can see why they’re popular with the locals. I’d love to have someplace this good in Dallas.

On the way back to Austin, I stopped at Opie’s BBQ in Spicewood.

Spicewood, known for its Willie Nelson connections, is the home of Opie’s BBQ. In format, Opie’s is very similar to Cooper’s in Llano.

A row of pits lies under a metal awning in front of the restaurant.

Most of the pits are used for cooking the meats, while the one closest to the storefront is used to hold the finished meats (laid out on butcher paper covered trays), as pictured at the top of this article.

You order directly at the pit, where your choices of meat are removed, carved, and placed on a tray to be carried inside for weighing. Meats available on this day were brisket, spare ribs, pork chops, pork loin, chicken, regular sausage, and jalapeno sausage.

Wanting to get as wide a sampling as possible, I ordered brisket, ribs, jalapeno sausage, and pork loin. I started out with the ribs. The ones I got weren’t as pretty as those at Peete Mesquite’s. But the flavor was as good, if not better--tender, meaty, sweet, and smoky, as a spare rib should be.

The pork loin looked great in the pit and came highly recommended by the pitmaster. It didn’t disappoint. Pork these days is too often overcooked and/or flat tasting. These cuts were moist, fork tender, and full of flavor, without excessive saltiness. This was one of many meats from this trip that I could happily make a meal of.

The brisket was eating-grade--moist, smoky, and beefy. It didn’t have quite the crust of Peete Mesquite’s and Inman’s, but was still a fine piece of brisket. The jalapeno sausage had a nice balance of seasoning. But the pork flavor and smooth texture made it less appealing to me, falling short of the standard set by the top spots to the east of Austin. Not a bad sausage, but it was the weakest of the meats sampled at Opie’s.

I stopped by Opie’s on the way out to Marble Falls, on the off chance they might be open early. They weren’t. But the pitmaster was outside--almost four hours before opening time--tending the fires and moving the meats. It was beautiful to watch. I hadn’t heard much about Opie’s, apart from one or two vitriolic accusations of it being a clone of Cooper’s. I don’t know the history of the place, so I can’t comment on that. But, if they are a knock-off, I wish more barbecue joints would quit producing mediocre barbecue (which is hardly original) and begin an earnest attempt to imitate the greats. Opie’s delivered one of the better barbecue experiences I’ve had in my recent explorations. I’ll be back. (Now if we can just get them to copy Elgin sausage.)

On the other side of Spicewood, I stopped at R.O.’s Outpost.

As you approach the restaurant, you see banners proclaiming R.O.’s the winner in a number of Austin Chronicle poll categories. I had read more about this place than any of the others and went in with high hopes. The dining area is tiny, seating about twenty customers. Autographed photos of local (and some national) celebrities line the walls, commending them for having the best barbecue, best pies, etc., in Texas. The proprietors are very front and center, warmly greeting guests, checking up on them, ensuring that no one falls between the cracks. In talking with one of the owner’s, I learned that R.O.’s gets their sausage from Rudolph's, in Dallas. Since I was already familiar with that sausage, I decided to pass on it here. So I ordered ribs, brisket, and, on the recommendation of the owner, smoked turkey breast. I was told that they use pecan wood in their pits. (As with Opie's, I dropped by R.O.'s on my way out to Marble Falls. However, walking around to the back of the building, I saw no smoke emerging from the pits.)

R.O.’s brisket trailed the other joints’ offerings by a wide margin. While it was tender and well-marbled, it had almost no smokiness, and the fat in the meat hadn’t rendered out. The presence of the fat coupled with the lack of smokiness gave it a bland roast beef flavor, rather than the intensity you get from great brisket. Okay for a sandwich, but not “eating brisket.”

R.O.’s ribs also brought up the rear. The ribs weren’t as tender or meaty as one would like. But their biggest liability was the blackened outer layer, which had the off-putting flavor of burnt (not caramelized) sugar. With more meat on the bones, the burnt taste might not have been too distracting. But, as they stood, these were below average ribs.

The turkey was definitely the best of the meats at R.O.’s. While it was only mildly smoky, it was tender and juicy, with good flavor.

Since many of the reviews and recommendations of R.O.’s (including one by the Dixie Chicks!) had mentioned their pies, I ordered a slice of chocolate pie. The bottom of the crust was soggy in places. But, apart from that, it was a very good pie. Nice (and not cloying) chocolate flavor and a clean, feather-light meringue. The pie was the best part of the meal.

I hate to make negative comments about a place. And when the owners are as genuinely friendly as they are at R.O.’s, that makes it even more difficult. In addition to the usual caveats (i.e., particular cut of meat, particular day, etc.), keep in mind that, on this day, all of these meals were taken alone. I’m only reporting my opinions, rather than those of the usual small group. And one guy can be wrong. Take it for what it’s worth.

Summary of Results
All the standard caveats apply. These impressions are of particular cuts of meat on a particular day. Had we gone on a different day or at a different time, who knows how it might have come out? Barbecue is finicky. Judgments have to be formed over time. A one-meal data set won't do it. But, with that said, here's what I thought...

Best Overall. Opie’s BBQ comes in first place, with a wide range of great tasting meats (the sausage being the exception). Inman’s Ranch House comes in second, with a limited menu, but great quality in brisket and turkey sausage. Peete Mesquite comes in a close third, with very good ribs and some good brisket. R.O.’s Outpost lags far behind the others, with no outstanding meats sampled on this day.

Best Atmosphere. First Place: Inman’s Ranch House, a classic-looking dive. Second Place: Peete Mesquite, with a cluttered, sign-covered interior. Third Place: Opie’s BBQ, which has a classic form, but without the history. Fourth Place: R.O.’s Outpost, with a cute interior my wife would love.

Best Brisket. First Place: Inman’s Ranch House. Second Place: Opie’s BBQ. Third Place: Peete Mesquite.

Best Ribs. First Place: Peete Mesquite. Second Place: Opie’s BBQ.

Best Sausage. First Place: Inman’s Ranch House.

Best Cut of Meat in Any Category. First Place: Inman’s brisket. Second Place: Opie’s pork loin. Third Place: Peete Mesquite’s ribs. Fourth Place: Inman’s turkey sausage. Fifth Place: Opie’s brisket. Note that choosing "best in any category" was extremely difficult in this tasting, since (apart from R.O.’s) the competition was as strong as it’s been since Lockhart.