Dining Guide

Cooper’s Original Pit Bar-B-Q (Mason)

When we compiled our last list, in 2003, the Cooper’s in Mason was in our top five. (The more famous Cooper’s, in Llano, is operated independently.) Sadly, it has now fallen out of our top fifty. Each piece of barbecue we sampled—from the brisket to the pork ribs to the cabrito—was very dry, and this was before the lunch rush. Slightly redeeming the overcooked meats was a deep, complex mesquite flavor.