Tour of the Texas BBQ Trail

Barbecue is serious business in Texas. In a state known for cattle ranching, it follows that Texas barbecue has a strong focus on beef. Fly to the heart of central Texas barbecue, the state capital of Austin.  Settle in to this dynamic, vibrant city as a base for the first five days of culinary touring. You’ll travel the Texas Barbecue Trail, sampling from the very best barbecue restaurants in the area. Food trucks are also big business in Austin, and you’ll sample the best bbq trucks in town. The trail leads to such towns of Taylor, Elgin, Luling and Lockhart, all within an hour’s drive of Austin. 

Settle into your hotel in the heart of Austin, and begin exploring the city, whose motto is “Keep Austin Weird,” emblematic of the city’s embrace of things quirky and unique. The State Capitol building dome and the University of Texas Main Tower punctuate the skyline. Sample the food truck culture by getting yourself out for an early dinner at La Barbecue. Their food trailer at 2027 E. Cesar Chavez is open until 6 p.m. each day except Mondays and Tuesdays. 

Summer evenings you can take in an unusual Austin spectacle. The Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the world’s largest urban bat colony, with between 750,000 and 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats residing under the bridge in summer and wintering in Mexico.  The bats emerge at dusk every night, flying across Lady Bird Lake to feed.

Take a tour of the Texas State Capitol this morning. This pink-granite landmark was built in 1888 and stands 14 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.  If you want to learn a bit of Texas history without having to pay an admission fee, visit the capitol building!

Your lunch stop is Franklin Barbecue.  Bon Appetit Magazine called their barbecue the best in the USA, and there can be long lines so get there soon after they open at 11 a.m.!  Chef Aaron Franklin won a James Beard award for best chef in the region, and he is the most famous barbecue cook in the country. Don’t miss the brisket!

After lunch, take in one of Austin’s great museums, including Bullock Texas State History Museum which explores the Lone Star State’s exciting past, the LBJ Presidential Library or the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus.

Tonight it’s dinner at the Austin Iron Works.  Located in an old tin building nestled that was operated as an iron works by a German immigrant family, it offers Texas Barbecue at its best, offering juicy ribs, fall-apart brisket, and special recipe sausage.

After breakfast and a morning stroll downtown, perhaps go see Allens Boots, a landmark store with hats, boots and all manner of cowboy gear. Then you’re ready to hit the Trail again.

Located less than an hour north of Austin is Taylor, a railroad town established in the late 1800s.  Your lunchtime goal is Louie Mueller Barbecue, which has been dishing out thick slabs of tender brisket since 1949.  The lines can be long, so try to make it here before the weekday opening time of 11:00. The award-winning restaurant is known as one of the best barbecue joints of Texas, and has appeared on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” 

If it’s a hot afternoon, cool off at Barton Springs Pool on the grounds of Zilker Park back in Austin.  The three-acre outdoor swimming pool is filled with water from nearby natural springs, and it maintains an average water temperature of 68 to 70 degrees.  

Head to Stiles Switch for another helping of barbecue tonight. The restaurant was named after a historic 1800s I. & G. N. railroad stop in Stiles Switch, Texas.  Set in the historic art deco 1950s Violet Crown Shopping Center on North Lamar, Stiles Switch combines exceptional Texas BBQ, great atmosphere, and Texas craft brews. Afterward, The Continental Club is a great choice for another evening of Austin music.  

Take a drive to a view this morning by heading to Mount Bonnell.  With one of the highest vantage points in Austin, rising 775 feet above Lake Austin, Mount Bonnell provides some of the best views of the city. From the hill’s crest, look east toward the city skyline downtown or west to take in the winding Colorado River. 

Now head east for about 40 minutes for lunch in the town of Elgin.  Called the Sausage Capital of Texas, Elgin offers a feel of small-town Texas life. Located on Highway 290, Southside Market is famous for serving their Original Hot Sausage for more than 125 years.  Although It’s not in the original building, this is the oldest barbecue joint in Texas still in operation. 

Head back to Austin for the evening, with dinner plans at Terry Black’s BBQ, run by the founder’s twin sons.  Brisket, sausage and beef ribs are the standouts to order. There is a hike and bike trail nearby if you feel in need of exercise after your latest meal! Or wear off the pounds with some line dancing at the Broken Spoke Bar and Dancehall.

Take a leisurely drive through the Texas Hill Country about 40 minutes west to Driftwood, home to the family-owned favorite The Salt Lick.  This landmark joint with its sprawling live oak trees is known for world-class barbecue cooked on an open flame. It also has its own winery, and you can round out this culinary visit by taking a side trip in the early afternoon along the Driftwood Wine Trail.

Now drive about 45 minutes southeast to a mecca for barbecue enthusiasts, the town of Lockhart.  Known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas as designated by the Texas legislature, Lockhart offers several tempting spots for dinner.  Take a stroll around the quaint courthouse square before heading to your choice of these competing greats. Black’s Barbecue uses certified Angus beef for their brisket. Kreuz Market has a huge rustic dining area, has been operating since 1900, smokes meats in its centuries-old brick pits and serves as both a grocery store and meat market.  Stay overnight in Lockhart.

You have earned a day of sleeping in late with your barbecue hangover!  Your lunchtime stop is only about 20 minutes south in the town of Luling. Your destination is the cash-only City Market.  There are three types of meat on the menu: brisket, pork spare ribs, and beef sausage, all served on butcher paper. Finish by getting a watermelon snack and savoring it on the banks of the river at Zedler Mill.

Drive an hour southwest to San Antonio.  Settle into your hotel in the late afternoon, then take an enjoyable stroll around the RiverWalk area, where the San Antonio river meanders, sunken below the street level.  Restaurants, bars and shops abound, and you can also take a boat cruise.  

Dinner tonight is at Texas Pride Barbecue in nearby Adkins, Just under 30 minutes east of downtown.  The one-of-a-kind restaurant also serves a slice of Texas, from country dances, cowboys on horseback, weddings and motorcycle rallies to memorabilia from filling stations, Texas beers and Texas musicians.

Spend your final morning experiencing history at San Antonio’s most famous site, the Alamo, renowned for the 1836 battle with Mexicans that led to the birth of the state of Texas.    

Then plan to arrive early and wait at 2M Smokehouse, with its succulent meats and chicharron-topped mac and cheese. The tortillas with brisket make a great combination, topped with pico de gallo or pickled nopales.   Then travel out to the San Antonio airport, fully stuffed with more barbecue than you could ever have imagined eating, and head home!