Bare Bull BBQ — Restaurant in Texas

I'm on Texas BBQ pilgrimage part II staying at Canyon Lake and going north or south. Bare Bull wasn't on my list, but I didn't feel like driving from Canyon Lake to Austin and decided to eat around the Lake. Great decision!

I brought my girl dog on this trip with me and the crew was very welcoming about that. It was near the end of the day and the owner was kind enough to bring her some brisket/ribs scraps.

The brisket was some of the best I've had, with the perfect salt and peppery bark. It was cooked to perfection and the flavor was spot on. The ribs were also excellent, with or without sauce. I also had potato salad with just a hint of mustard, lots of mayo, and no eggs. Perfect. The cole slaw was good but a bit "juicy" in my mind.

But the best part was the company. Bear, the owner, is a huge personality with many good stories. He was VERY helpful with information about cooking styles, business tips, and how to manage growth.

The "front porch" of the restaurant I believe was reclaimed wood from the Grand Ole Opry or something along those lines. There were a lot of people talking at once and my dog was begging for more food, so I may have missed something in translation.

Garland the Cajun was also quite colorful. It was a good time, even without having a single cold one myself.

I left a good size tip in the jar on the counter where the owner's daughter was working. So nice and didn't even charge any furniture or clothing on the card I left in the machine! They brought the food out to the porch when they had it assembled and it was perfect temp.

I'm a credentialed BBQ judge, so don't take it lightly when I say the brisket scores a 98. I may just skip Austin altogether tomorrow and try some of their chicken.

BIG UPDATE:

I took yesterday off and had tacos in Boerne, TX. After having some of the Top 50 BBQ places, I decided that I would not drive to Austin when I could eat Bare Bull BBQ brisket again. The brisket was, of course, outstanding (again). This time I had the pea salad and peach cobbler. Both were the best ever.

The owner and his family have their recipes DIALED IN. Super nice folks, too. ...

Some good BBQ. liked the brisket and chipped beef, also pork ribs were fall off the bone good.

The broccoli salad and potato salad were good. Kiddo loved mac and cheese, green beans were also eaten with gusto.

I went there to get food for 10 people and ordered a lot, they gave us a bunch of bread for the meat, and I got a bunch of sides and it went ok. Was a bit expensive, and I think we ended up spending 14 to 16$ a person which we had lots of left overs. Next time will have to get less... which leads to...

I thought i ordered a pound of chicken, it was a whole chicken. Normally this wouldn't be an issue and either I misread the menu or it didn't have on the sign in the store it was a whole chicken. All the other meats if you ordered in bulk by the lb. Again this could have been me misreading the menu there as I see now on the site the menu says whole or half chicken. Sadly the whole chicken didn't get eaten because we lacked the utensils at the party to eat it as we only had plastic forks and spoons. So again probably my bad

Last of all, what bbq place doesn't offer lemonade or tea by the gallon, I ended up getting two large cups and that helped but buying a gallon of sweet tea and/ or lemonade would have hit the spot on a warm day.

This was my second trip here, the time before we arrived about 1hr before closing and they were sold out, so make sure you arrive early or have a...

Bare Bull BBQ, Startzville, 3*

Character: 3*, It’s an old old building remodel into tradition BBQ decor, you know, red paint, tin, blackboards, etc.

Service: 4** Counter service but they brought it out to me.

Food/Quality: 2* for the brisket, overall 3. Got a 2 meat plate, brisket, jalapeno sausage, green beans, pinto beans, and a Coke to drink, no Big Red here, just Red Flash. Okay, the brisket, not great, 2 freshly carved slices about a quarter inch thick, juicy, and fall apart tender. The bark and ring were light except at one end, joined by a light smoke flavor. The dark end showed promise but the meat was mealy after a second in the mouth. Really I can only give this 2. The sauce, although I didn’t use much of it, is sweet and thin, there if you want it but doesn’t add to anything 2.5. The jalapeno sausage was tasty, snappy, fine grind, 4. Green beans, don’t go there, 5 crisp sprouts, in a water tomato mixture, 1*. Pinto beans, average but with a hunk of bell pepper, 3. Everything else was the usual white bread, pickle & onions.

Value: 3*, $13 something for the plate & drink.

Pit: 3*, They’ve got an outdoor pit house, but I didn’t take a look.

Overall, the brisket could definitely be better, which is what matters. So the search for Q within 10 miles of the...