Salt lick

[Ozz]

Salt Lick
I like to think I know BBQ, never missed the American Royal BBQ festival and contest in Kansas City, and I was the repair man for Ollie Gates, of Gates and Son BBQ for seven years, one of his stores, the original, right down the street from Arthur Bryant’s BBQ.
I know one has to factor in the different styles of preparing and Pork versus Beef, rubs, sauces, and smoking woods. It doesn’t take an expert to eat a rib to know it should fall off the bone, instead of having to chew it like a piece of rawhide.
Beans; beans should be BBQ beans, a little of the burnt end meat and some molasses, brown sugar, and possibly a secret ingredient or two.
Sue and I had been driving around the Austin-Buda-Kyle areas looking at land, and getting ‘The lay of the land’. We drove over a creek and down the road, when we smelled the heavenly odor of smoked food, my head snapped around and saw a large building covered by vegetation, some other buildings flanking it and a sign we could not read in the rear view mirror. I turned at the first opportunity, back-tracking the ¼ mile or so, pointing the nose of our Super Duty truck into the narrow drive of what turned out to be ‘The Salt Lick Bar-B-Q’ in Driftwood, Texas. We were both ‘Jonesing’ for some smoked meat and good beans to go with it. Tart Kosher pickles, some good old fat, greasy fries and we would be in the front row of heaven.
We parked back by the vineyard in an immense parking area, looked around and saw a sign, ’assembly area’, we walked over to that open building, which turned out to be just seating, off to the right was the entrance to the BBQ pit and order area.
Couples and families were walking in carrying big coolers, I thought to myself, “well, it’s way out here, they are buying in bulk“…. When I asked for a beer, I found that you must bring your beer with you. Texas, I guess.
I walked around, taking pictures, Sue got a menu and we sat to study it.
Family style (Per person) heaping helpings of beef brisket, sausage, and pork ribs served with potato salad, cole slaw and beans, ($18.95) was at the top of the menu.
We opted to order ‘to-go’, decided on a pound of ribs and shared one Brisket dinner. I decided we would take home a quart of beans as well, but alas, not a French fry in the place. I inquired if the beans had meat in it, the cashier nodded yes. I asked her what kind of wood was used to smoke the meat, she said, “Mesquite” a waiter immediately corrected her with “Live Oak” .
We bought four shirts, with “Way the heck out yonder.…but worth every mile” on them, two white, two black, for Sue and I.
We got it home, half in a trance from the wonderful smoky aroma emanating from the back seat, plated it and began. I asked Sue, “Where are the BBQ beans?”, all I saw were brown plain beans…a quart of them, “that’s it“, Sue said. “Bummer,” I said. No meat in them either.
The Brisket was tender and ‘to die for’ The ribs couldn’t have been tougher, smoky, but tough and disappointing.
Sorry, Salt Lick; “All Hat, and no cattle“…. Well maybe a little baby goat, but “no cattle.”
Y’all come up to Kansas City, I’ll show you how we smoke meat, fat yummy fry’s, tender fall off the bone ribs and tender smoked brisket as well.
Oh, and meat in them beans………

[noneck]

Ok, you got my attention thinking I was gonna read about a block of salt normally left out for the cows then you were ruining my taste for Filet Mignon, until I made it to the, it was tough and not to Kansas "fall off the bone" standards. Me mouth is once more watering for my Filet off my grill after working on my shackle project today, watching this Old House on HD DirecTV...life is good once more.