“Well, my dad was driving a cab one day. So he stopped here, and my cousin asked him if he wanted to get into it. I was driving a school bus at the time—next day I was in here. I was still driving a school bus and working up in here. We’d always cook at home but we’d always get some barbecue. So when we came in, my cousin taught us how to do barbecue, how to cut meat, everything. Takes teamwork and family. You have to put your love in barbecue. If there ain’t no love in there, no food’s right. Got to have that love in it. So I put the love in. People come back.”
—Waunda Mays, employee (From Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket, a UT/SFA oral history project. Read more»)
Sam’s Bar-B-Que
Austin, TX 78702
Hours: Open Sun–Thur 10–2, Fri & Sat 10–3.
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TEXAS MONTHLY SAYS: 2007: Night owls have flocked to this funky joint for years for their after-hours 'cue fix. Legions regularly queue up for a plastic plate loaded with meat (ribs, brisket, chicken, and sausage, along with outstanding German-style potato salad and routine beans). With a platter of barbecue smothered in tomatoey sauce, a slice of white bread, and an ice-cold cola, a seat on Sam's porch can feel like home. Maybe even better. BYOB.
BBQ SNOB SAYS: 2012: Sam’s, which stays open really late, has been famous in this neighborhood for decades, but it has spent time in the spotlight more recently for some serious seediness. A scandal of questionable meat acquisition was the subject of much media attention this past summer. When our group inquired of the couple working the counter how “things” were going, there was an immediate recognition about what was meant. Business was slowly picking back up they said, but at a few minutes before eleven, we were the only customers. I hoisted a large tray of meat as we made our way out to the screened-in patio to watch football highlights on a small muted television.
The meat cutter was most generous with the sliced brisket, which was both tough and dry. A faint smokiness came from the crust, but the meat lacked great flavor. Above-average pork ribs didn’t suffer from the same dryness issues, and the end cut proved pleasantly chewy. A respectable sausage, with good black pepper, smoke, and a chewy casing, was plenty juicy without being too fatty. Mutton ribs surprised us. I know mutton is an acquired taste, but this meat was downright tasty. The gaminess was tamed, most likely by trimming the thick fat that sometimes remains on the top layer of mutton ribs. I dare say I’d order them again. The brisket, not so much.
2008: This venerable joint in East Austin isn’t much to look at, but it has character, as do the folks who work here. With all the football posters on the walls, the last thing I would expect to see in this joint is a bunch of tennis fans, but one guy was hollering about getting Wimbledon up on the small TV. The woman behind the counter joked about the oppressive heat as she sliced my order of brisket and ribs. The positively huge ribs were flavorful and smoky as long as the bite contained some crust (there was little flavor in the center). The brisket had a decent smoky crust, but it had not been cooked long enough to render the fat well or permeate the meat with smoke. This joint might be just as famous for its service and atmosphere as for its meat, but on this day, the meat took a back seat.
