I have not been out to Red Rock Casino to eat at Salt Lick in quite some time...so I can't give you an update. I can say that I now prefer Lucille's (http://www.lucillesbbq.com/) to Salt Lick. The Lucille's in Vegas is at Green Valley Ranch (The District) in Henderson. It's really easy to get to if you have a car...it is right off 215 and Green Valley Parkway. If you can't make it there in Vegas...there are Lucille's scattered all over Southern California.
Franchise, Texas BBQ is defined mainly as beef brisket and usually smoked with Oak wood. BBQ purists in Texas eat BBQ without sauce. Where are you staying in Vegas? I stayed at the Red Rock before. it was pretty nice.
I love Meuller's. The true treasure there is the chipotle beef sausage. it's incredible. Also the beef ribs. I actually like their sauce, it's more of an au jous. Also great for dipping the bread. Lockhart has 3 big bbq establishments and it's an easy drive from austin. you should go there and try it.
went to a rehersal dinner there 2 weekends ago... not my favorite bbq, but it us good and that place does kick royal ass
Sir, I bow to your expertise! I only go the the original Salt Lick (it's out in my part of Austin, so it isn't far) and am a sucker for their sides. I just wish they had better brisket. What do they do wrong?
I've been to blacks and it way overrated. If Kreuz's is anything like Blacks, its not worth the drive. I may stop by Kreuz's one of these days, if I ever go through Lockhart again
LOL it's not a BBQ restaurant. It's an entire "events grounds" They've got pavilions and cabins you can reserve and have catered. They're completely separate from the average joes section. Weddings and other special events are really popular there: http://www.saltlickbbq.com/weddings.html http://www.saltlickbbq.com/event_facilities.html
One more thing to add...I know this has nothing to do with bbq...avoid SUSHISAMBA at the Palazzo. Overrated, overpriced and the decor was very worn down. Went there a few weeks ago with my wife and we both wished we had gone to Tao.
Sam's BBQ on East 12th in Austin. Open until 4 am. My favorites are the Mt. Zion church of the holy smoke in Huntsville and Early's outside of Willis.
Heh, I'm no expert, just a hobby to kill free time. It doesn't seem like they use high-quality brisket, mine has been either incredibly fatty & rubbery or dried out & tough the past couple of times I've been there. They've also had to, as they've grown, utilize bigger & more pits to handle the higher volume. Any time you "industrialize" what should ideally be a smaller operation, you lose some of the hands-on attention to the little things. I will say that having a great meal at any quality bbq joint is almost wholly dependent on your timing. It's hard to have a consistent, high-quality spread of meat on the pits throughout the day; they gear up for the lunch rush, then there's a lull, then there's usually another batch geared to be ready for the after-work & dinner crowds. Even on weekends, if you show up at 3ish, you're most likely gonna get the stuff that was ready 2-3 hours earlier & has been sitting on the pit drying out; or you'll get the stuff that they had to rush to get ready because they ran out of something. My advice: go a little bit before noon, or around 6. Be flexible on what you order too, I usually just ask one of the pit guys (easier at places like Coopers/Blacks/Kreutz than a place like Salt Lick) "what's great right now". Don't let 'em tell you "everything" And hell yeah, their potato salad is excellent...can't stand mayo-slathered stuff.
No offense taken. Dr of Dunk is pretty much on point. I'm a seventh-generation Texan. BBQ is the closest I could get to any "religious" ceremony. (Meggo is also correct, of course. There's an events center/pavilion across the creek from the restaurant. Also, my mother is a school-age friend of the founder of the Salt Lick.)
Thanks, Buck. That explains a lot. I've been going to the original Salt Lick since moving to Austin in 1980 (actually before, but just a couple of times), and I would swear that their brisket used to be much better. Sounds like they've become too big and too "corporate." I used to be able to get a sliced beef sandwich plate for $4.95. Possibly even $3.95 (it's been a while!) at lunch, and that was a heck of a deal. No longer!
To have good quality brisket, you need good quality beef. As much volume as the Salt Lick does, its almost impossible to be very selective in the meat you get. I heard they go through hundreds of whole briskets on a normal Saturday.
i will probably get flamed for this, but i went to the original salt lick like 3 years ago and i was not impressed at all. the food was OKAY but nothing special, especially for all the praise that it gets. i didnt think it was worth the drive from downtown austin.
Well, I went the long way to the Red Rock Hotel and Casino in Vegas for Salt Lick. I got there to find that the Salt Lick is closed down there. They are putting in a Yard House instead. The lady at my hotel told me to take surface streets from the strip there. It was about a 30 minute drive. Then to find out the place was closed. I was pretty bummed. I should have just gone to Lucille's I guess. Oh well. The rest of the trip was fun.
