January 9, 2010: Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood, Texas)

Our first trip of 2010 to Opie’s was one for the record books. Well, at least for a week it was. We took a then-record party of 19, only to take 24 to Lockhart 7 days later. However, now that I think about it, 24 weren’t still standing after lunches at 3 of Lockhart’s BBQ joints, so our Opie’s party of 19 is our start-to-finish record. And I think more home states were represented than ever.

It was a typical visit to Opie’s: great food and great service. Todd and Kristin were gracious hosts, as always; and we had a good time hanging out with Todd at our tables. The sweet-and-spicy ribs are my favorite at Opie’s, but on this visit, the pulled pork was better. The first timers all seemed quite pleased. I wasn’t able to round up 18 reviews/scores, but here are a few:

Mark was the first to send his in, so he’s up first: “Brisket: Better than last time, but the discrepancy between the lean and the moist meat was still pretty large in terms of taste and texture. The moist was very tender and juicy and full of flavor, but the lean lacked all three (except for slight salt and peppery notes). Chicken: It didn't stand out as being one of the best I've had, but nonetheless very good. Could've just been my mood and the fact that my expectations were so high! Sauce: Great. Works well with all types of meat. Jalapeno corn side item thingy: Love this! Service: Incredible all around - from Todd, to his lovely wife, to the folks serving the food.”

John T.’s up next, rating his experience on his level of, umm, fan-ness: “Brisket: ‘Somewhat a Fan’ - Ordered the ‘ends.’ A bit dry and not as flavorful as I like, but hey it could have just been the cut I received and it was still good eating. Spicy Ribs: ‘Fan’ - Flavorful, moist and a plenty of meat. The hint of spiciness differentiates these ribs and are worth the drive to try them out. The meat doesn't fall off the ribs, but I don't like that in ribs, If I wanted meat to fall off the bone I'd order a roast. Overall Experience: 'Huge Fan' - Great hospitality and great atmosphere. The type of place where you feel at home. Incredible sides made from scratch and just like mom used to make. Pork Chops are great at this place, as I've had them in the past but not available on this trip. However, if you go, most certainly try the Pork Chop and Spicy Ribs.”

Todd is increasingly a fan of Opies: “It had been way too long since my last trip out to Opie's, so I was excited for the recent Man Up visit. This place is worth the drive. Sweet & Spicy Baby Back Ribs. So moist, they fell off the bone! Pulled Pork. Hard to find good Pulled Pork in Texas, you can find it here. Brisket. Good stuff. Sausage (ok, but I don't really care for sausage). Jalapeño Sausage (ok, but I don't really care for sausage). Peach Cobbler (ala mode). Extra points for having Vanilla Ice Cream! Chocolate Brownie (ala mode). This was the best dessert of the day! Sweet Tea. Dern' Good. BBQ Sauce. good, just not my favorite Service. Todd, the owner, is a gracious host. Overall. This place is moving up in my list!”

Dave writes that the “owners are really hospitable and friendly, the woodwork of the tables and chairs is well done, and their meat is really moist, which makes it good even without the sauce!

Siblings Russell and Dana beg to differ, however, regarding the brisket. Russell says it is “improving but still requires extra sauce,” and Dana says it’s “not juicy enough, not as good as I remembered.” (They both scored it above 9, though.)

Lacey writes that the brisket was “a little dry” but had “great flavor.” The pulled pork was “wonderful,” the spicy corn and tator-tot casserole were “delicious,” and the carrot cake was “fanstastic.”

Dana’s scores – Brisket: 9.24; Pulled pork: 9.9; Spicy corn: 10; Tator-tot casserole: 10; Atmosphere, Desserts, Homebrew, & Service: 10: Overall experience: 9.95

Russell’s scores – Brisket: 9.24; Sweet-and-spicy ribs: 9.98; Pulled pork: 9.94; Beans: 9.91; Spicy corn: 10; Tator-tot casserole: 10; Atmosphere, Desserts, Homebrew, & Service: 10: Overall experience: 9.97

Lacey’s scores – Brisket: 9.4; Pulled pork: 10; Sausage: 9.5; Cheese: 10; Spicy corn: 10; Tator-tot casserole: 10; Atmosphere, Desserts, Hospitality, Homebrew, & Service: 10 Overall experience: 9.82

Mark’s scores – Brisket: 9.5; Chicken: 9.55; Sauce: 9.7; Spicy corn: 9.92; Service: 10; Atmosphere: 9.8; Overall experience: 9.62

Drew’s scores – Sweet-and-spicy ribs: 9.3; Pulled pork: 9.55; Service: 10; Overall experience: 9.8

John T’s scores – Brisket: 7; Sweet-and-spicy ribs: 8.5; Overall score: 10

Todd’s scores – Brisket: 9.4; Pulled pork: 9.5; Sweet-and-spicy ribs: 9.65; Sausage: 8.8; Jalapeno sausage: 8.7; Sauce: 8.3; Sweet tea: 9.85; Brownie a la mode: 9.4; Peach cobbler a la mode: 9.4; Service: 10; Overall experience: 9.55

Dave’s scores – Brisket 9; Pulled pork: 10; Sauce: 8.5; Owners: 10; Woodwork/Atmosphere: 10; Overall experience: 9.5

Overall Man-Up Score: 9.776