When we first came across the Salt Lick a half-century ago, it had neither four walls nor a restroom. It was just a smoke pit and makeshift tables on Thurman and Hisako Roberts’ 600 acre ranch. My, how it’s grown! Located in the Hill Country west of Austin, it has become an immense restaurant, banquet facility, and outdoor pavilion with seats for 2000. It is a veritable theme park of barbecue, its limestone buildings surrounded by rough-hewn log fences, the air smelling of slow-smoked meats. Compared to the region’s back-of-the-butcher-shop barbecue parlors, it’s a fairly civil place with ambience I would call Rustic Deluxe. There is a printed menu; you are served at your table by waiters; food comes on plates rather than on butcher paper; utensils are supplied; and the kitchen’s repertoire includes all sorts of side dishes and dessert as well as barbecued meats. Fancy it is not, but neither is the Salt Lick primitive.
One other element that separates the Salt Lick from the primal parlors: sauce. Unless you ask to have your meat dry, it comes already painted with sauce. Not that the meat needs it, but it does happen to be really tasty sauce, a tangy-sweet glaze with perhaps a hint of mustard. In fact the sauce is good enough to use as a between-meat dip for the slices of white bread that come alongside the meal. The sausage is smoky and rich, like kielbasa, made from equal amounts of pork and beef. Brisket, slow-smoked for sixteen hours, is lean and polite (unless you request fattier slices); and if it lacks a certain succulence, Salt Lick sauce is an instant fix. Pork ribs drip juice from the tender meat at the bone and deliver a stupendously concentrated smoke-pit flavor in the chewy burnt ends.
Among the worthy side dishes are an intriguing cabbage slaw flecked with sesame seeds and cool, German-style potato salad. And of course, pickles and sliced raw onions are available with every meal.
Sunday | 11am - 9pm |
Monday | 11am - 9pm |
Tuesday | 11am - 9pm |
Wednesday | 11am - 9pm |
Thursday | 11am - 9pm |
Friday | 11am - 10pm |
Saturday | 11am - 10pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
-
Matt’s El Rancho
Austin, TexasA bustling south Austin Tex-Mex landmark, Matt’s El Rancho is the place to come for chilies rellenos, huevos rancheros and legendary Bob Armstrong Queso.
-
Opie’s BBQ
Spicewood, TexasA family BBQ in the small town of Spicewood, Opie’s is a perfect example of the no-frills Texas attitude for which people drive miles away from the metropolis.
-
Billy’s on Burnet
Austin, TexasBilly’s is an Austin favorite restaurant where wings are superb and the Uptown Burger, topped with bacon marmalade, avocado and blue cheese, is unforgettable.
-
Texas Pie Company
Kyle, TexasThe Texas Pie Company bakes individual as well as full-size pies. Lemon chess is a standout, as is strawberry cake crowned with fruit-flavored frosting.
-
Dean’s One Trick Pony
Austin, TexasDelicious modern burgers and popular frozen cocktails make Dean’s One Trick Pony a unique dining experience in Austin, Texas.
-
Counter Cafe
Austin, TexasWith two locations in Austin, Counter Cafe embraces a modern, authentic spin on traditional American diner breakfast, brunch & dinner.