Texas BBQ Enthusiast : Louie Mueller BBQ Taylor, TX

Louie Mueller BBQ opened in 1949 and as you walk into this place you are walking on hallowed Texas barbecue ground. The soot stained walls and the smell of wood and meat fills the air. This place has borne three generations of Muellers who have influenced and continue to influence barbecue in the Taylor and Austin area. Louie started the place and I discovered later after visiting the first time he was a cousin of Oscar Lindemann, my grandfather, and my two great uncles Charles and Marcus Lindemann. This explains my uncle Charles' sauce being so similar to Mueller's sauce (Louie must have shared his recipe).
Louie's son Bobby took it over and after Bobby's passing Wayne Mueller (grandson) currently is the owner and pitmaster. Bobby's other son John has run a number of places of his own and was featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. The Mueller family has influenced or created such barbecue joints like: JMueller BBQ (closed), La Barbecue, John Mueller Meat Co., and Stiles Switch BBQ. The last three places are on my "To Do List". I will include links at the bottom of this post to these three in particular and include some pictures of my visit to JMueller BBQ when it was opened on South First Street (I believe La Barbecue has taken over this place if not using his old BBQ trailer). Louie Mueller Barbecue is the second stop after Snow's in Lexington on the northern leg of the Texas barbecue trail followed by Southside Market in Elgin, Smitty's, Black's, Kreuz Market, and Chisholm Trail in Lockhart, City Market in Luling, and I like to also include Gonzales Meat Market in Gonzales.

The line

So onto my "opinion" of Louie Mueller Barbecue, I didn't even really know about this place until my boss told me about it so I had to try it. The place is a bit famous in it's own right but it has also been featured in Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Travel Channel. So my buddy Reu and I got there about 1 PM after already hitting Southside Market in Elgin about 30 minutes earlier. We were probably about 40 people back in line and thankfully it took about an hour and a half to get to the counter which allowed us and our stomachs to be ready after just eating at Southside Market. We finally got to the counter and before we could order the pitmaster placed a burnt end on each of our trays lined with butcher paper. I popped it in my mouth and it was nirvana, I has to pause before placing my order! I proceeded to order my ribs, brisket, and sausage so how was it you ask?

First visit

Second visit

The brisket was delicious, salt and pepper rub with perfect fat rendering, the sausage was tasty but had a course grind that fell out of the casing when cutting into it, but the ribs were amazing. Great "aldente' firm to the bite with the meat easily coming off the bone. I highly recommend this place and have already been back.

Guy Fieri likes it!

Louie Mueller Barbecue
206 W. 2nd St. Taylor, TX
512-352-6206
M-F 11 AM - 6 PM
Sat 10 AM - 6 PM
Sun Closed
Website:
http://www.louiemuellerbarbecue.com/

A footnote about John Mueller

John is kind of known as the "bad boy" of Austin barbecue. He knows his stuff and he and his places pop up and disappear here and there but when he gets his hands on a place the barbecue is gold. I've been to JMueller on South 1st St. that again I believe is now La Barbecue and have included some pictures of my visit below as well as some links to other Mueller family influenced BBQ joints.