#18 TERRY BLACK'S BARBECUE - I'll Be Back

Something strange happens when you cross into the Austin City Limits.  The music gets better.  The people get younger.  The politics get liberalier.  And BBQ joints, like Terry Black's Barbecue, serve brisket that is out of this world. It's also one of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints and the 18th stop in my quest.

How can one city, which was once more famous for the Salt Lick and County Line BBQ, contain more than its share of the greatest BBQ restaurants in the world?  Smarter people than me (aka almost everyone who breathes) will tell you that Central Texas is where real Texas barbecue got its start. German immigrants settled in Hill Country towns and brought along their recipes and cooking styles. People in Memphis or Kansas City will tell you they've got the best "barbecue," but they're talking about something completely different than Texas BBQ.  In the words of Paul McCartney, "Who cares what the idiots say?"

Last fall, I went to the Austin City Limits Festival to see McCartney for the first time.  From A Hard Day's Night to The End, McCartney drew from every phase of his long career and it was glorious. One of my favorite Beatles songs is I'll Be Back, which is on the soundtrack for A Hard Day's Night.  I'll Be Back is prime '60s Beatles...major and minor keys, wistful lyrics and beautiful harmonies.  It's not one of their most famous songs, but it was highly influential because it pointed to future directions for the band.  (Cool fact...John Lennon wrote I'll Be Back, using the chords to Runaway by Del Shannon.)

I don't know if Sir Paul went to Terry Black's when he performed at this year's Austin City Limits festival, but Michelle Obama has visited. If he didn't, he missed out on a quintessential Austin barbecue experience. 

Terry Black's isn't within walking distance of Zilker Park, but a brief ride in a pedicab got us right to the front door. By BBQ standards, the line was long but brisk, giving us some time to take in the decor.  Wood walls, wood tables, a tall tin ceiling, stacks of wood, beer signs and meat. Basically, the decorating hallmarks of a great BBQ joint.

This is MEAT!!!

After passing a huge tank stuffed with iced local brews and soft drinks, we stepped up to a self-serve counter to load up on sides -- pinto beans, street corn and macaroni and cheese.  Then we shuffled up to the butcher counter to place our meat order.  At the sight of the Flintstones-sized beef ribs, my brain locked...order disorder had sent in.  Look at its fantastic beefyness!

I stared at the guy behind the counter.  He stared back.  I looked at the beef rib.  It looked back.  I tilted my empty head to the side in a manner that suggested I had been thinking.  I had not. The ribs had boggled my mind.

"1/4 lb brisket, 1/4 lb turkey and 1/4 lb jalapeno sausage please," I suddenly blurted out.  

"Coming right up," said the befuddled beef boy.

So how was Terry Black's BBQ?  It was heaven on parchment paper.  The brisket was moist with a crusty bark that had me screaming "Help!"  The turkey made me twist and shout.  The jalapeno sausage was like a revolution in my mouth.  And I could eat the street corn and mac and cheese eight days a week.

I'm gonna carry that weight for a long time, but believe me, Terry Black's BBQ is worth it.  I'll be back...soon!