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John Mueller's new joint in Granger (Williamson County)


Jim Thompson

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20 minutes ago, Deej said:

Staying one step ahead of the tax man.

Gee but it's great to be back home
Home is where I want to be.
I've been on the road so long my friend,
And if you came along
I know you couldn't disagree.

It's the same old story, yeah
Everywhere I go,
I get slandered, libeled,
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
Just trying to keep my customers satisfied,
Satisfied.

Deputy Sheriff said to me
Tell me what you come here for, boy.
You better get your bags and flee.
You're in trouble boy,
And you're heading into more.

It's the same old story,
Everywhere I go,
I get slandered, libeled,
I hear words I never heard in the Bible
And I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine
Two steps away from the county line
Just trying to keep my customers satisfied,
Satisfied

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3 hours ago, Junior Miller said:

So after he fucks this up where next? Jerrell? Lampasas?

I was hoping it was Jerrell this time. Every time he had to move it was a little closer to Bell County. Jerrell would have been perfect. It's growing incredibly fast, though mostly roadside giganto truck stops, and nobody's gonna complain about a little smoke, unless it's rising from the swath of an F5 tornado.

Edited by DougO
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This insane BBQ scene didn't explode until Franklin came along and became a celebrity. Good cue has been around a long long time but it was never thought profitable. It's a royal pain in the ass to make properly, takes forever, and is expensive to make. It has always been a trade you were usually kind of born into around Texas until recently. 

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In 2000 Austin had Sam's, Iron Works, County Line, Willie's, House Park, Lewis', and a few others that are escaping me.

Nobody, not one of them was doing barbecue in the Taylor/Lockhart-style.

When Mueller opened up in Robert Shaw's old Stop and Swat grocery store on Manor Road the lines began forming immediately.  By that point I had eaten a few hundred barbecue meals in Travis County and a "line" before then meant that there were two people in front of you at Sam's.

Who was working the counter at Mueller's? Aaron Franklin.

You can say whatever you want about Mueller's business practices but the simple fact is this: without Mueller the modern barbecue scene in Austin would look a lot different today.

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16 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

It was happening, with or without him 

Yep.

Love the dude's product, but what's happening around here with Q isn't and never was dependent on JM.

Not saying he didn't have a big influence, but it's a bit of a stretch to say that he was the center of the CENTEX BBQ explosion.

Remember, Q is life and...

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Edited by Cajun
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3 hours ago, Jim Thompson said:

In 2000 Austin had Sam's, Iron Works, County Line, Willie's, House Park, Lewis', and a few others that are escaping me.

Nobody, not one of them was doing barbecue in the Taylor/Lockhart-style.

When Mueller opened up in Robert Shaw's old Stop and Swat grocery store on Manor Road the lines began forming immediately.  By that point I had eaten a few hundred barbecue meals in Travis County and a "line" before then meant that there were two people in front of you at Sam's.

Who was working the counter at Mueller's? Aaron Franklin.

You can say whatever you want about Mueller's business practices but the simple fact is this: without Mueller the modern barbecue scene in Austin would look a lot different today.

I ate there a lot when I worked down the street in 2002. Some days it was really good and some days it was awful. Rudy’s on 183 had longer lines at lunch time. 

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I ate here on Saturday. Got a 5 beer flight for $5 which was a hell of a deal. Brisket stew was great. Pork steak with 2 sides for $12 also excellent and a hell of a deal. Did see some people ordering pizza at the brewery which also looked excellent. The ribs are baby backs rather than his standard. Very good, but preferred the standard. The brisket is the same good stuff as always.

One annoyance - you sit and someone eventually takes your order, then eventually brings it. A lot slower than the "standard" Q experience. Sit and enjoy your cheap flight.

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3 minutes ago, formermav43 said:

If you don’t think Via 313 is great, your opinion on pizza can be ignored.

Haven't had it.  Will try. My kids got one a while back and it looked good but they snarfed it down before I could try a slice.  They're kind of out of the way for us.

I was thinking of pizza joints that opened before the BBQ revolution (Home Slice, etc.).  Good, but not great.

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Just now, jimmyjazz said:

Haven't had it.  Will try. My kids got one a while back and it looked good but they snarfed it down before I could try a slice.  They're kind of out of the way for us.

I was thinking of pizza joints that opened before the BBQ revolution (Home Slice, etc.).  Good, but not great.

Gotcha 

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Half the new pizza joints in the last few years are superfluous and subpar.  But if you’re not consistently having exceptionally good pizza in Austin, it’s because you’re trying to stick to your little bubble of chains in the suburbs.  I could do without many of them but there is incredibly good pizza in this town nowadays.  

Edited by Lobo
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52 minutes ago, Lobo said:

There's a few separate groups of facts at play here, and I am guilty about conflating them.  Muller makes great BBQ.  Several others in Austin make great BBQ.  

A true statement that I am happy to agree with.

I'm guilty of being a JM apologist around here.  But I can freely admit that I wish his business acumen were high enough to allow him to produce consistently, at a consistent location.  Preferably a location that's closer to Austin than Temple, but I guess I'd take what I can get...

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