B. Cooper Barbecue — Restaurant in Austin

In the land of Brisket, Mr. Cooper has shown that everyone can be outdone. This place is in an empty lot behind the shops on 7th Street, basically an alley. Chain-link fences with barbed wire around the top, a toilet in the street next to a trashcan, and an old trailer and some storage containers, not focusing on the look or location, clearly.

The list of meats and sides give away that this is truly something different, without a scent nor taste. I arrived a few minutes early and during an active flash food and had time to take a look around and enjoy the piano music and smokey oak smell in the air around me. That's when I truly appreciated what Mr. Cooper had going on and his homestyle backyard atmosphere. When you are there you are in his yard, the smoker and firewood to one side, the BBQ trailer, his van and trailers. You are at his home, and you are treated like family. In my case, I got my food to go because of the storm but that drive home was excruciating. I put the bag too far from my reach and just had to torture myself with that charred smell the 30 minutes drive back to the house. Okay, so I have spent more words on this review than probably any that I have written an I haven't even began to mention the taste yet. This was intentional, because you deserve the same buildup I had.

When I opened the bags, I got past the same old white bread, pickles and onions to take a look at the meats. First off, Texas is not known for Pulled Pork BBQ, you got to go to Arkansas or Memphis for some decent pork typically but the pork here was some of the most flavorful. His method of cooking is definitely his own, the pork is pulled in longer strands than typical and the tenderness in the pork coupled with the flavor makes this stand out on its own.

The lamb, as every other reviewer has pointed out, is incredible and a great addition to the same old standard fare that every other pitmaster tackles. But above all of this, what should be talked about the most is his brisket.

Mr. B Cooper has managed to somehow take it to a whole other level. The brisket meat was so incredibly tender and juicy that I had stop and look before tasting. The fat has all been liquified without the meat falling apart. There is a tenderness that goes beyond the question of lean or moist, this is just meat with all the flavor but not a single piece of solid fat left behind. It literally melts in your mouth.

I forgot the sauces until I was full because the meat has so much natural flavor I just didn't need them. When I did try them, I was not immediately impressed with either of the spicy ones, which is usually my favorites. But the regular sweet sauce was again better than the rest on the market even if its not needed. It wasn't all ketchupy/corn syrupy but would stick to the meat without dripping through the bread to quickly. No complaints.

I did not try the sides this time but I intend to check out the greens, beans and slaw on my next visit. I won't be going anywhere else for brisket, so I know I will get a chance very soon.

Thank you Mr. Cooper for a wonderful lunch...

If I were to write a locals' guide to Austin and came to make a recommendation on authentic central Texas barbecue, B Cooper would likely be my selection.

The setting is characteristic of backyard barbecue: A trailer to serve from, some covered chairs and tables to eat at, and, most importantly, the pit which was actively producing wafts of post oak smoke!

We ordered a sampler plate. The brisket was perfectly done and evident that it was recently smoked--not made days prior and put on ice. I asked for and was served particularly lean cuts which is personal preference. The bark and rendering were found to my delight and I appreciated the thick cuts, but still had the tenderness and flexibility to pull apart with ease. The Turkey was tender with a savory seasoning. Spare Ribs were moist and the bark, fat, meat held together to eat at once versus falling apart after a first bite.

Beyond the meats, we loved that the coleslaw had a slight spice and vinegar tart, along with crispness of fresh ingredients (as opposed to the creamy/soaked slaw that is massed produced at scale). Three sauces were given to us: spicy, sweet, and vinegar. Our favorite was the sweet. Another delight was that the pickles were actually pickled cucumbers, harkening back to summertime barbecue and a nice change-up from those coming from the vlasic jar.

Blaine is the Pitmaster and I had the pleasure of speaking with him after my meal. He has a long background in barbecue and shared the history of the smoker that he made himself from a fuel tank and wood stove from his family's ranch. The trailer dates back to the 1940s!

If you are looking for small-batch barbecue with fresh, carefully chosen ingredients, look no further. Thank you Blaine, we will be back!

5/5,...

B Cooper offers no frills, but delicious barbecue. I live in the neighborhood and was walking by one day and smelled the barbecue off the street, so I thought I'd stop by and check it out. IT did not disappoint. I got the brisket and sausage and both delivered. Very glad I stopped in. I know it's sometimes a debate whether or not you need sauce on good barbecue. B Cooper offers three types of sauces with your order: sweet, spicy and vinegar. But honestly, it's the kind of place where the meat is so good, you don't really need the sauce. This has become my go-to spot when I want some barbecue from my neighborhood. There's a nice little picnic area to sit in if you want to eat it there. It's also no frills. Just a couple of tables and chairs with some shade over it. But he also gives you a bag if you want to take it to-go and eat it at home. I think the spot is literally run by one dude, so sometimes if it gets packed at lunch time, he can run out of stuff. But he's always trying to catch up and usually makes up for it. The other day, he'd ran out of the sides I liked, so I passed on that. He said he'd just add some more meat to the order. Just the kind of service you'd expect from a great...