There’s just nothing like good ol’ Texas-style barbecue – the charred burnt ends of a brisket, the pop of the strained casing when biting into a link of sausage, tender ribs that easily come off the bone. And that’s not even touching on the myriad sides that traditionally accompany it.
I have fond memories of Daughter’s first experience eating ribs at Florida’s Kitchen, the unfussy Livingston mainstay that serves fried seafood platters, slow-smoked ribs with classic down-home sides and one of the largest chicken fried steaks you’ll ever see. About three years old at the time, she was completely entranced with what she dubbed “meat on a stick” and we have pictures of her happily enjoying her meat on a stick with barbecue sauce literally from ear to ear.
However, as she grew up and her culinary palate developed, she discovered other dishes and her love for barbecue waned. I completely understand. When we’re deciding where or what to eat, barbecue is never the first thing that comes to my mind either. And that’s too bad … because the two to three times a year that I eat barbecue, I enjoy it immensely and, without fail, think to myself, ‘Why don’t we have this more often?’ And it’s not for lack of suggestion by Hubby. He could probably eat barbecue at least once a week if he had his way.
So on a recent trip to Austin to visit Daughter, when she suggested Black’s Barbecue at 3110 Guadalupe for lunch one day, she didn’t have to say it twice. We were more than ready. I know just the mere mention had Hubby salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs upon the ringing of the bell, and truth be told, I was too.
Known as Texas’ oldest barbecue joint owned by the same family, The Original Black’s Barbecue opened its doors in 1932 in Lockhart, Texas as a meat market. It wasn’t until second generation pitmaster Edgar Black Jr. came along that it was turned into a full-fledged restaurant. Today, there are locations in Lockhart, Austin, New Braunfels and San Marcos, with five generations of Blacks serving guests from around the world. Third-generation pitmaster Kent Black still slow-smokes barbecue the way his grandfather did in 1932. They say a simple rub, locally-sourced post oak wood, and patience are the secret.
We opted for family style, ordering a pound of beef brisket and a pound of pork spare ribs to share. Each of us selected our own side. Hubby went with Norma Jean’s Beans, Daughter selected mac & cheese (no surprise there) and I opted for garlic butter green beans. It was all delicious and I’m already hankering to go back for more as soon as possible.
Before we left to return home, I suggested a trip to Amy’s Ice Creams for a little treat. A privately-owned chain of ice cream shops in Texas with headquarters in Austin, the Austin Chronicle describes Amy’s as a “quintessentially Austin institution” which “dominates the local ice cream scene.” Though it all began with Amy’s famous Mexican Vanilla ice cream, she now serves over 350 constantly-rotating flavors.
Though Amy’s was new to Hubby and Daughter, I had already had the pleasure many years ago with friends while in Austin for a Baylor-UT football game. I knew it was the real deal and that it is renowned and I couldn’t wait to enjoy it again.
Walking in, I was shocked to see that they offer a jalapeño popper ice cream. We three are known for our love of jalapeño poppers, but I couldn’t imagine it in ice cream form. Of course I had to have a sample. Though I didn’t know what to expect, it was basically a cheesecake ice cream mixed with roasted jalapenos, lime juice and house candied bacon. Surprisingly, I found it too hot – and that’s not like me. It was very intriguing, but I couldn’t imagine eating an entire big scoop of it. Hearing me comment on how hot it was, the kind young lady behind the counter quickly handed me a sample of strawberry to cool down my palate.
We each enjoyed several samples before making our selections. Daughter chose a scoop of strawberry topped with coconut, Hubby chose a scoop of dark chocolate topped with chopped pecans and I went with a scoop of dark chocolate with chopped almonds. Coffee ice cream is my usual go-to, but I’m a sucker for dark chocolate and had never had dark chocolate ice cream before so I had to try it. It was delicious.
If you have the opportunity to go to Amy’s Ice Creams, I highly recommend it. She has 14 locations in the Austin area, one in San Antonio and one in Houston. n
