Best of 2008 Posters

I had the pleasure of sitting down for about an hour last week with Wayne Mueller at Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. While I was there, I presented him with LMB's Best of 2008 awards. (LMB took home 4 of our 8 awards, including Best Overall.)

One of the many great things about having a talented graphic designer in your group is that, instead of my creating Best of 2008 certificates that look like this...

Man Up Texas BBQ

Best of 2008

Best Overall

Louie Mueller Barbecue

...you get ones that look like this:

Best of 2008: Best Overall

Rounding out our Best of 2008 is our award for Best Overall. Voters considered anything and everything they wished (food, service, atmosphere, etc.) in order to arrive at their picks. For 2008, here are our favorites of the 17 places we visited:

1. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 18 points (four 1st-place votes; three 2nd-place votes)

2. Smitty's (Lockhart, Texas): 12 points (two 1st-place votes; three 2nd-place votes)

3. Snow's BBQ (Lexington, Texas): 5 points (two 2nd-place votes; one 3rd-place vote)

Best of 2008: Best Brisket

When you think Texas BBQ, you probably think beef. Most likely, you think beef brisket. It's pure Texas, arguably Texas BBQ's signature item. Thus, it's our last Best of 2008 individual-item award. We tasted some outstanding slices of slow-smoked brisket in 2008. Of the 17 places where at least two people tried the brisket, here are the Top 5:

1. Snow's BBQ (Lexington, Texas): 9.612

2. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 9.43625

3. City Market (Luling, Texas): 8.76

4. Smitty's (Lockhart, Texas): 8.751

5. Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q (Austin, Texas): 8.6

Best of 2008: Best Turkey

As with all individual menu items, scores were averaged for all items for which more than one person scored the item. For everyone who tried the smoked turkey at Louie Mueller Barbecue, it comes as no surprise that it was not a close contest. Here are the Top 3:

1. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 9.5744

2. Black's Barbecue (Lockhart, Texas): 9.0167

3. Iron Works BBQ (Austin, Texas): 9

Best of 2008: Best Pork Ribs

Texas is the place for beef ribs, but who takes home our Best of 2008 award for Best Pork Ribs? Here are the Top 5:

1. Opie's Barbecue (Spicewood, Texas): 9.54167

2. Smitty's Market (Lockhart, Texas): 9.38583

3. Rudy's "Country Store" and Bar-B-Q (Austin, Texas): 9.28

4. Kreuz Market (Lockhart, Texas): 9.267

5. Snow's BBQ (Lexington, Texas): 8.875

Best of 2008: Best Atmosphere

When it comes to Texas BBQ, it's not just about the food. Often, atmosphere is what sets apart one place from another, particularly when it's next to impossible to decide whose food is better. With so much top-notch BBQ in Central Texas, how can you decide which to choose? Well, if it's a unique Texas BBQ atmosphere you seek, we've got the skinny. Here are our Best of 2008 awards for Best Atmosphere...

1. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 20 points (six 1st-place votes; one 2nd-place vote)

2. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, Texas): 12 points (one 1st-place vote; three 2nd-place votes; three 3rd-place votes)

3 (tie).

Snow's BBQ (Lexington, Texas): 7 points (one 1st-place vote; two 2nd-place votes)

Smitty's Market (Lockhart, Texas): 7 points (one 1st-place vote; one 2nd-place vote; two 3rd-place votes)

Best of 2008: Best Sausage

By a convincing margin, the Best of 2008 award for Best Sausage goes to The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. Of the 12 places in the running, here are the Top 5, with average scores:

1. The Salt Lick (Driftwood, Texas): 9.5167

2. Kreuz Market (Lockhart, Texas): 9

3. Black's Barbecue (Lockhart, Texas): 8.788

4. Smitty's (Lockhart, Texas): 8.608

5. City Market (Luling, Texas): 8.6

Best of 2008: Best Beef Ribs

There were just 3 places where our group ordered beef ribs, but we have a decisive winner: Louie Mueller Barbeuce in Taylor, Texas. Here are the final rankings (with average beef-rib scores):

1. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 9.7275

2. Iron Works BBQ (Austin, Texas): 8.09

3. The County Line (Austin, Texas): 7.345

Best of 2008: Best Service

The first category of Man Up's Best of 2008 is Best Service. As will be the case for the awards for Best Atmosphere and Best Overall, the award for Best Service was decided by tallying the scores for the top 3 choices from each of the 9 people who attended at least 3 Man-Up outings. 3 points for 1st-place votes; 2 points for 2nd-place votes; and 1 point for 3rd-place votes.

Without further ado, the award for Best Service in 2008 goes to Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas. We had great service during many of our visits, but the personal tour from Kent Black made our trip to Black's stand out above the rest. The top 3 vote getters are as follows:

1. Black's Barbecue (Lockhart, Texas): 20 points (six 1st-place votes; one 2nd-place vote)

2. Louie Mueller Barbecue (Taylor, Texas): 9 points (one 1st-place vote; two 2nd-place votes; two 3rd-place votes)

3. Snow's BBQ (Lexington, Texas): 8 points (four 2nd-place votes)