Opie's Barbecue

My wife and her friend were going on a bachelorette trip which meant I was on my own for the weekend. Yes! This would be a good opportunity for me to hit up a few BBQ joints over the weekend. I had a list of places that I could visit for the first time. The first stop for the weekend was Opie's Barbecue. I have tried their meats at a few barbecue festivals, and my reactions have always been positive. They are located west of Austin in Spicewood which is about 30 miles away. They are also on the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Good enough for me to visit.

The first thing you see when you walk through the front door is a huge meat case. All the smoked meats are presented in front of you. I went with moist brisket, pork spareribs, baby back ribs, and regular sausage. The brisket was like butter. It melted in your mouth. It was tender and smoky. They used an electric knife to cut it, but a butter knife would have been the better utensil to use. It had a great bark that came from mesquite wood and was one of the better briskets I have had. I was not expecting to eat a brisket of that quality. The sausage was heavy on pepper and had a good snap. Their house blend was tasty, but the grit was on the fine side. The pork spareribs were solid. They were tender and juicy with a good amount of smoke. The baby back ribs were the winner here. They had a sweet saucy glaze and were delicious. I could have eaten a whole rack if I did not have another stop to go. You have to order by half rack, but you have to get it. Opie's even gives you free pinto beans as a side. They were good but nothing special.

Opie's Barbecue is really not that far from Austin and worth the visit. The anticipation grows during the drive, but once you take your first bite, you knew you made the right choice. Everything was good if not great. I will try the pork chop, pulled pork, and jalapeño sausage when I am there again. On the way out, I heard someone complaining about there being a line. There were about eight people in line. Spoiled. My next stop for the day was Cooper's Old Time Bar-B-Que. Grade: A

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 9504 Texas 71, Spicewood, TX 78669
Phone: (830) 693-8660
Website: http://www.opiesbarbecue.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Opies-Barbecue
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OpiesBarbecue