After my almost surreal breakfast experience at Snow’s (see my previous post, Day 1, Stop 1), I hit the road and made the drive to Taylor. The drive took 30 or 40 minutes and was quite a nice drive through the countryside. This is the Texas hill country, so lots of rolling hills and farms. The area had been hit by some storms and tornadoes recently, and I saw some evidence of this with debris in the fields. The region must also be susceptible to flash flooding, because the low spots on the road had signs or poles alongside to show the depth of the water.
When I rolled into Taylor, I wasn’t quite ready for lunch, so I hit the local Walmart for a few things and mostly just to wander around and walk off breakfast! After putting in as much time as I could at Walmart, I stopped to gas up my rental before making my way over to Louie Mueller. There was a line up almost to the door when I walked in. It felt good to be back there and I took the time in the line up to reacquaint myself with the interior decor and also chatted with the folks in front of me. They were visiting from the Dallas area for a ball tournament. They must have snuck away early from the tournament to get in line, because before long the place was packed! Once again, my timing was near perfect. While in line, pitmaster/owner Wayne Mueller passed by and stopped to say hello once again, remembering me from our meeting earlier that morning. I was feeling like a bit of a celebrity!!
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| Saturday line-up at Louis Mueller |
I kept it minimal at the counter, remembering the beef rib incident from last time! Moist brisket, a jalapeño sausage, a side of beans and of course, banana pudding! Some bread, pickles and sauce on the side and I was good to go.
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| Heaven on a tray! |
The brisket was excellent as usual. One of the main things that separates the great bbq spots from the rest is the ability to consistently produce excellent quality meats. Louie Mueller is able to do this with their brisket, and it is a thing of true beauty! I found the jalapeño sausage to be spicier than on my two earlier visits, but perhaps I was just a little heat sensitive that day, because I also found the beans quite spicy. They were tasty, but I think I’ll just stick with the potato salad next time around. I took my time eating, enjoying the surroundings and the hustle and bustle of the place. It was a busy day and the people just kept coming. I finished off my meal with that delicious banana pudding, an awesome end to a great meal.
I hoped to get the chance to talk to Wayne Mueller again and ask about the possibility of going back to see the pits, but he was busy visiting with some other folks. Next time maybe!
I got back in the car and pointed it towards Austin for the next stop in my little adventure.
