Project Smoke is one man’s attempt to explore the world of barbecue by eating it every day for a week. Find all of the entries here, and please pray for his soul.
I would forgive anyone who, upon hearing the name La Barbecue, rolled their eyes and proclaimed, “There’s no way that’s one of the best BBQ joints in town.” But it is. It most emphatically is. There are plenty of people who would drive straight past Franklin and come straight to this bright yellow food truck. This is truly the good stuff.
On my Thursday visit, the line was already substantial at ten minutes till opening. (Side note: I was #blessed to stand in front of a bachelor party full of bros from Ohio, now known as Bro-hio, because Cool Dudes® like these love to come to Austin and eat and drink.) The line moved decently fast, and before you know it I had my food. Now hold on to your butts.
This picture tells you everything you need to know about brisket done right. The smoke ring is prime, there’s pepper to spare, and oh lord look at that fat layer. It’s just rendering into some sort of otherworldly meat jelly that will make you slap every grandma you can get your hands on! That’s the moist slice on top, but the lean one underneath is perfection, too. You just can’t go wrong with brisket from La Barbecue.
This was the day I finally gave up on sausage, and the replacement pulled pork was absolutely the right call. This would make a helluva sandwich. The pork rib was fantastic as well. One was definitely enough.
The current La Barbecue set up is nice. Plenty of long tables in a pleasant little food truck courtyard. Whether it’s locals or frat boys from the upper midwest, every meat eater in America will love it here. Just make sure to keep your grandma far, far away.