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John Mueller has died


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13 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:
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Houston Chronicle critic Alison Cook remembers him similarly. 

"I've always liked John and rooted for him once I got over the shock of our first meeting," she said. "He was so talented, and so prickly."

She explains: "Back when he had his place on Manor Road in Austin, I went to check it out for a piece I was doing for Gourmet. It was closed, no one there, so I got out of my rental car and went up to peer in the window. Suddenly this big Jeep roars up, slams on the brakes, and I hear this loud, challenging voice: "Can I HELP you? It was John.

"He struck me as so rude and unpleasant that I was reluctant to return. But when I did, I was bowled over by his brisket. It had this unforgettable aroma. I became a fan, and later we laughed over our unfortunate first encounter."

 

damn, that one story really sums it up best !

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Excerpts from the Texas Monthly article.

 

Mueller’s final business venture was at the Granary in Jarrell, which is still operating under the watchful eye of longtime, on-again-off-again Mueller employee Jeff Ancira. Ancira took the reins after Mueller was hospitalized earlier this year. Mueller spent weeks in the hospital, and the family let me know that they were preparing for the end. Then he recovered. For one last time, John Mueller was back. Tracy and Tim Hutchins gave him a job at their Hutchins BBQ restaurant in Frisco, and Mueller was building fires once again. “He was in a happy spot,” Tim Hutchins says.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/john-mueller-barbecue-legend-dies-at-52/

Twitter from Texas Monthly article.  Active until 11 Dec.   https://twitter.com/JSM_meat

 

RIP,  John !

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Went to his spot on Manor with @hayden_horn and CampusLoopy from HornFans. I was a college freshman and raised on Sonny Bryans and Spring Creek. The first bites of beef rib and brisket rewired my brain to what barbecue could be. One of the best food memories of my life. That store and coaching tree raised the bar of Austin bbq more than anything.

 

RIP to a troubled, unique, Central Texas legend.

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Saw the news yesterday.  Like I said in the BBQ thread, amazing cook and flawed person. 
 

march 31st 2012. I wonder how many shaggy assholes are in this photo…

image.thumb.jpeg.44a8a9e3cb6dd3711874f7fe1f313ae9.jpeg
 

My best memory of John was when I walked up to the 6th and Pedernales location one day to find out the health department shut him down. Someone (I had always assumed his sister) had reported them to the health department for smokers not being screened in or some shit.  His employees turned me away and as I walked back to my truck I posted about it in Shaggy. He immediately sent me a DM telling me to go back and get some food, regardless of being closed. I don’t recall exactly, but they gave me a lot, more than I could eat, for cheap. 
 

For years, his joint was the place I took people from out of town/country to get a taste of real Texas BBQ. 

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23 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Saw the news yesterday.  Like I said in the BBQ thread, amazing cook and flawed person. 
 

march 31st 2012. I wonder how many shaggy assholes are in this photo…

image.thumb.jpeg.44a8a9e3cb6dd3711874f7fe1f313ae9.jpeg
 

My best memory of John was when I walked up to the 6th and Pedernales location one day to find out the health department shut him down. Someone (I had always assumed his sister) had reported them to the health department for smokers not being screened in or some shit.  His employees turned me away and as I walked back to my truck I posted about it in Shaggy. He immediately sent me a DM telling me to go back and get some food, regardless of being closed. I don’t recall exactly, but they gave me a lot, more than I could eat, for cheap. 
 

For years, his joint was the place I took people from out of town/country to get a taste of real Texas BBQ. 

Picture and that Bourdain video really bring back memories. Between Franklin in his blue trailer and John on S 1st Austin's BBQ scene from 2010 to 2012 was a very special time and place to be a part of. No explanation, no mix of words or memories can touch that sense of knowing you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. 

The kind of peak that never comes again. 

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46 minutes ago, Hermanator said:

Picture and that Bourdain video really bring back memories. Between Franklin in his blue trailer and John on S 1st Austin's BBQ scene from 2010 to 2012 was a very special time and place to be a part of. No explanation, no mix of words or memories can touch that sense of knowing you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. 

The kind of peak that never comes again. 

It was a rather magical time -- suddenly Austin had 'Q that could not only compete with but better that from Lockhart and Luling.  It seemed crazy, but it happened.

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6 minutes ago, Chopper said:

This just makes me so sad. I remember my first time eating at each of his 3 different Austin locations. Each time was a mind-exploding food experience. John ignited something that eventually meant you never have to leave Austin to get amazing barbecue.

 

and then it spread all over the state 

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17 hours ago, Mac8111 said:

Remember at the Alamo Bowl Tailgate where all those people were loading up all their little portable Webber’s with a full bag of charcoal and lighting on fire, causing a 4 ft flame and Shaggy had JM’s smoker on a trailer, cranking out world class Q.

 

14 hours ago, SA-KC_Horn said:

RIP John.

That Alamo bowl tailgate was epic, which was the only time I've ever met him. On that cold ass day, his q was on-fucking-point. 

 

4 hours ago, Judge Roybeanbag said:

I think he had some reserve he shared.  @blacklab was there that day but if I recall one of his youngsters was sick and puked. I may be confusing that with the time we cooked the steer.  

This was my first exposure to John, and god damn was it a glorious one. I wasn't even hungry, and he slapped down an enormous beef rib on my plate and I just kinda walked around, not really knowing what to do with it. But holy shit was it something else.

I made my way around to his 6th and Pedernales and Black Box spots. He's absolutely a BBQ legend, flaws and all. I've always said (and it seems like many here agree) that when he was on, he was the best in the business. He didn't have the consistency of some others in the area, but his highest was higher than theirs.

Clearly he was a troubled man, and I hope he is finally at peace. 

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9 hours ago, Hermanator said:

Picture and that Bourdain video really bring back memories. Between Franklin in his blue trailer and John on S 1st Austin's BBQ scene from 2010 to 2012 was a very special time and place to be a part of. No explanation, no mix of words or memories can touch that sense of knowing you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. 

The kind of peak that never comes again. 

That video just makes me sad and nostalgic for an Austin that is no longer there.

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On 12/17/2021 at 9:58 AM, MissingInAction said:

There were two things that would piss him off:

1. Get beer out of his cooler. He would always bring you one eventually

2. Walk behind his pits. And if you raised the lid to take a look you would get stabbed.

I'll never forget him chasing off this hipster douche in a fedora. The cunt went behind the pits, raised the lid and started poking brisket and licking his fingers. 

"Get the fuck out!!" Here comes John with a butcher knife.

Seems like a reasonable response to that kind of provocation.

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Damn, just heard the news this morning.  RIP to the best beef rib BBQer ever in my book.  I ate at John Mueller Meat Co with a client of mine from AR for lunch mid week.  It was pretty empty and cold weather so we went to some little bar next door (I don't live in Austin so not sure where we were) and we started eating.  I made a comment to my friend that the pork rib we had was a little dry and I did not realize John was standing behind me talking to some other dude.  He came over and I thought he was going to stab me.  I then told him the beef ribs we were eating were the best I had ever had and he thanked me and gave us some free beers.  My client from Arkansas still talks about how nice that pit master was that gave us free beer just for telling him how good his beef ribs were.  Kind of sad I will never get to taste them again.  

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13 hours ago, Armybrat said:

Yes - poured some Garrison Brothers shots for the Shaggsters, then placed the bottle with the last 3 or 4 ounces on the table in front of Bourdain.

My near empty bottle of Garrison Brothers on the table between Bourdain and the chick in purple.

 

4A4B19FA-4062-4A41-A3BD-A0F3179106F6.jpeg

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Also, back in his Manor road days, I was a regular. And he didn’t have the big beef rib on the menu. But he had it as a special one time. I ordered it.

After we ate, I went back up to the counter to tell him 1) it’s the best single piece of bbq I’d ever had, and 2) he should find a way to make it a regular menu item. And a few weeks later, he did. He may have called me an opinionated asshole at the time. I don’t recall.

Y’all are welcome.

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Also, & I've said this in the past (Shag, whatevers) but the 1st time I went to the Manor Road shop was when Roxette was born.  I was on the 2nd day after she was born & my wife said "Go, leave the hospital.  Get some food & bring me some."

So I drove East to the Manor store looking for something... didn't know specifically that his shop was there & I don't even recall what the signage was.

I ordered 2 sandwiches & 2 sides but when I got to the counter, realized I had left my wallet back in the Saint David's hospital room.
John (in a very "no big deal" voice) said "Don't worry about it - get back when you can."
I came back the next day.  & I'm 98% certain the other dude working the counter was Aaron.

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I never got to eat any of his Brisket, but I did get to follow along as others here did. I don't think it's blasphemy to say that he was at the forefront of the Texas BBQ renaissance. That renaissance inspired me to learn how to cook BBQ, as I have no doubt it inspired many others. He may have had his demons, but he inspired so many angels. A little bit of Texas died when he passed into the next life.

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8 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

I don't think it's blasphemy to say that he was at the forefront of the Texas BBQ renaissance.

I mean it’s safe to attribute it almost completely to Aaron Franklin and the success he had in the late aughts. And Franklin probably doesn’t do that without working for John. 

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On 12/17/2021 at 7:11 PM, Judge Roybeanbag said:

I may be confusing that with the time we cooked the steer.  

Whose idea was that anyway?  I recall the beef bones & smoked marrow... maybe have pics of that somewhere on my computer.  If they were on my original FB account & I didn't save them, then they got vaporized along with the rest of the account when FB did their stupid.

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4 hours ago, futureman said:

I mean it’s safe to attribute it almost completely to Aaron Franklin and the success he had in the late aughts. And Franklin probably doesn’t do that without working for John. 

Aaron definitely embraced the social media aspect of it because he's generally a friendly guy while John was initially hesitant if not aggressively more like "why are you interested in what I run my temps at or what hat I'm wearing today?  Just eat my food & shut up."

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John was always interested in how other people cooked, and wanted to know their techniques. I was hanging out with him in Taylor while his neighbor was smoking some Q. 

Don't know if it was the whiskey, but he said his neighbor was the best cook he has ever known. Who knows, that was a hazy night of incredible brisket and ribs.

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On 12/18/2021 at 12:20 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Hahaha, fuck, I am reading through the John Mueller Meat Co thread on TOS. Goddamnit, when derka went to La Bbq by accident thinking it was John’s place. Hilarity.

“Is derka really this fucking stupid.... I'm setting my navigation system on foot to go straight up his ass”

John Mueller Esq

Never met the guy but it's nice to know we have tangled with a common foe. RIP. 

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FB post from "Louie Mueller"; Wayne.

I'm obv. the furthest from family & Wayne can do whatever TF he wants with the operation, the name, whatever... but I'm not really sure what to make of him using the "Dark Prince" thing & also is that a bit of a parting shot / dig with "finally"?

In the end, Wayne is John's family, so sure - do what you want with it, I guess.

image.png.85d6543d074de6e49cfa99c3f6eff3e2.png





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It's nice that a controversial figure like him can be remembered fondly and his personality "quirks" seemingly forgiven.

The man suffered from a disease that in all likelihood killed him.  It also almost certainly accounted for his undesirable traits and actions.  He didn't choose to be an alcoholic and if given a choice, probably would have chosen to avoid that shit show.  He was, apparently, unwilling to seek or accept help until it was too late.

RIP

 

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FB post from "Louie Mueller"; Wayne.

I'm obv. the furthest from family & Wayne can do whatever TF he wants with the operation, the name, whatever... but I'm not really sure what to make of him using the "Dark Prince" thing & also is that a bit of a parting shot / dig with "finally"?

In the end, Wayne is John's family, so sure - do what you want with it, I guess.

image.png.85d6543d074de6e49cfa99c3f6eff3e2.png







I’m pretty sure the dark prince of BBQ moniker came from Texas Monthly or some other publication. John has even referred to himself as such on social media.
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