Smithville BBQ

Tried Smithville barbecue tonight, The service was absolutely amazing. Sid was the sweetest, and of course the rest of the coworkers. It was really good quality barbecue and amazing stuff. For me and another person to eat, with drinks was $20.

Order was brisket, pork butt, sausage, pork rib, green beans, and potato salad. Brisket was nicely cooked, not incredible. Pork butt was great, moist and tender. Sausage was the standout. Nice casing, course ground beef and pork mixture. Rib was dry and underwhelming. Green beans were pro, and potato salad was creamy. Great stop if you're coming through.

Smithville Pit BBQ recently opened in the building formerly occupied by one of our favorites, Zimmerhanzel's, which closed at the end of last year after more than 35 years in business. The new owner is their former neighbor, Cliff Burns, owner of Smithville Food Lockers. We were anxious to see what changes might have been made to the meat selections. We were also hopeful that the incredible sausage recipe carried over, since it was reported in a February Austin American-Statesman article that the former owners had use of Smithville Food Lockers to make sausage and process meats.

The all-beef sausage at Zimmerhanzel's had been one of our best all-around BBQ bites of 2015. Our first crack into the Smithville Pit BBQ version gave us pause. The clear-running juice and moisture content just wasn't there this time. The blend seemed to match the previous version in texture and spices, so there's hope for improvement if that moisture level can be brought back up to where it used to be. Pork ribs were good, and definitely had a different rub that what we experienced before. The brisket was well-seasoned but needed some more time on the pit and a rest.

The parking lot was full of cars at mid-day on a Saturday, and the new walk-up window had a brisk business. Cliff Burns said in his interview with the Statesman it wouldn't be the same, but they "hope to offer something just as good if not better." It was good, but they've only been open a couple of weeks. Maybe it's not better just yet, but it was good enough to keep Smithville Pit BBQ on our list for future visits to see how they develop.

The new kid in town! Beloved Zimmerhanzels, the BBQ standard shuttered its doors over Christmas. The next door neighbors at Smithville Meat lockers bought it and just re-opened. Couldn't wait to try it. Apparently a lot of people felt that was as they were packed on their first Saturday. We ordered at the new outdoor pick-up window instead of going in! I did peek in for a look...while it looks the same, except for bare walls, the one thing I hoped they would change, they did----New mini-blinds. Thank goodness. We ordered 1/2 lb lean brisket and a whole chicken. Both were Fantastic! Very different from Zimmerhanzels. They have nailed it. The brisket was incredibly tender and flavorful not overly smoked. Thick smoke line but you could really taste the beef. The chicken was excellent and moist. Their sauce is very good. I loved Z's but I feel confident saying I like this better. If they keep up this standard they have a customer for life!