Distant Relatives — Restaurant in Austin

Distant Relatives is a BBQ food truck that can be found at Meanwhile Brewing Company. With some intriguing flavors and prime location, you do not want to skip out on this BBQ.

Food: Because it is out of a food truck you will be limited on the meats and sides compared to a brick and mortar BBQ joint. However, don't let that deter you. This BBQ has been ranked by Texas Monthly as Top 50 BBQ restaurant in Texas, and they certainly live up to the accolade. As anytime I visit a BBQ place for the first time, I have to get the brisket and sausage. The beef brisket with mustard sauce was a unique combination, but definitely one you should try. The brisket had a thick bark with an eye popping smoke ring and mouth watering flavor. The sausage had some kick that left me needing some water and napkins to wipe the sweat. A half pound of the brisket will set you back about $18, which is a little higher than other big name BBQ places (Terry Blacks, Kreuz, etc). The sausage was $6 for one link. The sausage was good, but for $6 it was steep and not a fair price in my eyes. 2 slices of bread and a small Dixie cup of peanuts are included with your order.

Atmosphere: As mentioned above, Distant Relatives is on the Meanwhile Brewing Company property. There are plenty of picnic benches with trees to provide shade. There is a small, astroturf soccer field on property. Great place to hang out with friends and family.

Service: Staff was friendly. Didn't have too much of a conversation besides ordering and coming back to tell them the BBQ was great and get my virtual stamp for my...

This food truck, which is parked on the property of a brewery on the south side of Austin, is a new member of a very exclusive club-- Texas Monthly Magazine's 2021 catalog of The 50 Best BBQ Joints in the state. It was also my 372nd stop on a BBQ extravaganza now spanning 35 states (the 87th stop in Texas). The menu is limited, and the sides in particular subject to change with the turn of the seasons. Pricing is on the high side: $36 purchased a half pound of brisket (fatty end), a sausage, and sides of black-eyed peas/burnt ends and BBQ carrots. The burning question here is whether this is BBQ with an Afro-American/Caribbean flair, or Afro-American/Carib food on a limited BBQ platform. Given the heaviness of the spice in each dish that I tried, I would say the latter. At the bite, the black-eyed peas are very traditional, but at the back the flavor is overwhelmed by pepper. It is pepper that I tasted with the carrots, and with the sausage. The brisket had beautifully rendered fat, good bark, and a phenomenal pink ring, but once again a flavor profile that started as a fairly mild version of the classic central Texas rub was overwhelmed by pepper at the finish. I much prefer pepper to salt, so would happily dine here again when in the mood for heavily spiced dishes. Chicken, I suspect, would be my...

The reason for my three star rating is because the extremely poor quality or lack there of quality of the lady that liked to argue with me & my Son as guest to her business. We were just hungry and wanted some food & she just wanted to argue about a SMALL container of b.b.q. sauce. They slap you with a NICE size portion of pulled pork & a nice brisket sandwich and they give you a 1 to 2 oz porion cup of b.b.q. sauce for all of it. My Son went back to get another sauce. She gave him a hard time and was going to charge him $1.00 for more b.b.q. Then I walked up to get one because the pulled pork I ordered would not have been as good as it was if it did not have the b.b.q. on it. We paid like almost $40 for what all we ordered. It looks like a little extra b.b.q. sauce would be the least of her worries as we gave her good business and we weren't expecting hee to argue about something so small. Customers are the ones who keep your business growing & going. Because word of mouth is a POWERFUL thing. As we will not promote this business as good/Great or excellent because of that lady!!! Next time we are in Texas we will avoid this place. Brisket sandwich was a bit dry as to why it...