“We got a little pot there—put black pepper in, put a little bit salt in, put some more black pepper in, just mix it up real good, and that’s all we use. Just rub it in the meat. Depending on the size of the brisket, it’s four to six hours on the average because I try to get that deal where they’re still not overcooked, still good and juicy, but yet they’re not tough. And, sometimes it works good, and sometimes you have a problem. Sometime you send something out that’s not as tender as the person would like it, but I think most of the time that we hit it pretty good.”
—Bobby Mueller, owner (July 16, 1939–September 6, 2008) (From Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket, a UT/SFA oral history project. Read more»)
Louie Mueller Barbecue
Taylor, TX 76574
Hours: Open Mon–Sat 10–7:30, or until they sell out. Closed Sun.
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Texas Monthly rating: 5.00
TEXAS MONTHLY SAYS: 2008: Louie Mueller Barbecue rubbed, smoked, and sliced its way to one of the top-five spots in our ranking of the fifty best BBQ joints in Texas (see TM, June 2008), and deservedly so. Five decades of dishing out gut-busting portions of brisket, homemade sausage, and all the rest have aged this Central Texas staple to perfection. Order the beef rib—just make sure it doesn’t fall off the bone before it reaches your chops. You will definitely have to unbutton your pants on the drive home.
More than fifty years of post oak coals in the pit have smoke-cured the building, which previously housed a ladies’ basketball court and a grocery market. You enter through the creaky screen door and time slows: You stand in a long line to get your meat . . . you reach the counter . . . you order the fatty brisket by the pound . . . you sit down . . . you eat a perfect slice of smoke, fat, and meat, which barely even needs chewing . . . and you are happy.
Louie moved in with his barbecue business in 1959; his son, Bobby, took over more than three decades ago, but not a thing has suffered from the change of hands or the progression of time. Rather, the soot-covered green paint, high ceilings, and aging business cards on the wall have elevated the place to iconic status.
When I went at noon on a Saturday, the fatty brisket measured up to the highest standards. The fat melted, and the slices could be cut easily with a fork edge. (The same couldn’t be said for the lean brisket, which had reached its eat-by date before we sat down.) Still, the beef rib was the best choice. The thing was as big as my forearm, and the server sliced it four times so my guests could sample the chunks that fell right off the bone onto the butcher paper. Bobby makes the 100 percent–beef sausage himself. The jalapeño variety was my favorite: A lasting kick and a skin that crackled took it over the top. The traditional, homemade sides and spicy, vinegar-based sauce were as great as always.
Now, I’ll admit I winced a little when I saw the line of out-of-towners stretching from the counter to the front door. But newcomers are a good reminder that this is no average ’cue joint; without them, I might easily forget how transcendental and relaxing this place really is, how it can leave me feeling light-headed and blissed-out no matter how much meat I just put away.
BBQ SNOB SAYS: 2010: Wayne Mueller took our order up front, and we loaded up on turkey, beef ribs, brisket, and a pork steak. When we unwrapped our package at a friend’s house, it was a beautiful sight. All of the meats get a hefty salt-and-black-pepper rub. The pork steak is not a common offering, but it should be—the meat was perfectly tender with plenty of smoke and excellent flavor. The brisket slices, from both the lean and fatty portions, were nearly perfect; the meat was moist (but could have been a bit more tender) and a layer of rendered fat was left on the lean slices. The beef ribs were the best I’ve ever eaten. This tough and fatty cut was rendered down to a silky smooth and tender piece of smoky beefiness.
2008: I stopped by to pay my respects to the recently departed Bobby Mueller. At 3:30 they were out of everything but brisket and chicken. The smoky-flavored brisket was sliced thick with the signature black pepper rub, but the slices needed more time on the smoker to get to that pull-apart tenderness. The chicken, however, was more tender than I thought possible. The smoke married with the spice beautifully to create an excellent flavor. The ribs were incredibly thick and meaty and imparted a robust flavor. I might even go so far as to say they were nearly perfect. Another solid showing by Louie Mueller’s.
