Wednesday is final day for Mann's BBQ

Just want to remind you that Mann's BBQ shuts its doors this week. They are open today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, from 11am-6:30pm. Best wishes, Mann family!

Mann's BBQ is closing.

I just learned via Twitter that Austin BBQ joint Mann's BBQ is closing. Their last day is  November 25. We hate to see BBQ joints close, and we wish the fine folks at Mann's nothing but the very best.

Denver friend dines at Mann's

One of my buddies is visiting Austin this weekend, from Denver. Yesterday, he had lunch at Mann's Smokehouse. He texted me this picture of his lunch of pulled pork, jalapeño-cheddar sausage, macaroni & cheese, and mashed potatoes.

Gameday Giveaway: TCU-Texas

This week's college Gameday Giveaway matchup is TCU at Texas (tomorrow, 6:30 PM Central). To be counted, your prediction must include winner, final score, & total yards (total yards is in case of a tie). Any prediction submitted after kickoff will not be accepted. This week's prize is a $25 gift card from Mann's Smokehouse! You can enter your prediction via comment below this post, via email, or you can tweet it to @ManUpTexasBBQ or submit via Facebook. 

Mann's Smokehouse at Gettin' Sauced!

So excited to announce Mann's Smokehouse will have a booth at this year's 5th annual Gettin' Sauced! festival! This is the first time Mann's has joined us! We are thrilled to have another Austin joint take part in our festival  Make plans to stop by their booth & have a good time with them. In the meantime, follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

Today's deal for Groupon (Austin): $5 for $15 at Mann's Smokehouse

Save $10 on your next meal at Mann's. (Hat tip to Todd Plunk) Deal good for today only.

The rest from Mann's

Behind the counter

At the counter at Mann's

Around the table

More from our orders

Saturday, September 12, 2009: Mann's Smokehouse (Austin, Texas)

Even after a year of BBQ outings, there are still plenty of BBQ joints in the Austin area we haven’t hit up yet. Mann’s Smokehouse, one of only two Austin restaurants to make Texas Monthly’s Top 50 list in June 2008, was one of them, until 10 of us manned up on it for a rainy Saturday lunch.

The brisket was pretty good, and the chicken wasn’t bad, but my sides of green beans and turnip greens were definitely not the ticket. The decor was kitschy, and the mood was subdued (perhaps because of the dreary weather). Housed in a former KFC and located underneath a major highway, the atmosphere isn’t a major selling point. Maybe my hopes were too high, but Mann’s wasn’t as solid as I thought it would be. Several better choices in Austin. But let’s hear from the others…

Dave was impressed: “In general the food was...delicious! The meat was tender and fairly moist along with a good amount of flavor, but not too much. The sauce definitely contained a good amount of vinegar, which combined well with the meat, in particular the saltier than usual pork ribs. Another fact that shown through was the decor, a lot of old school advertisements and memorabilia that is fun to give a look, although since I've recently started watching quite a bit of the show Madmen about an advertising firm in the 60's its easily possible that my interest in the decor had been set up a bit before arriving at Mann's.”

Mark writes: “Brisket: I had the middle cut - kinda moist but kinda lean. Not bad at all, but not great. Better without the sauce. Sauce: probably my least favorite sauce so far. Might go with Chinese food better than BBQ. Chicken: too dry and not very tender. But still better without the sauce. Slaw: not bad, but not good enough to finish all of it after eating all the brisket. Big Red: saved the day. Service: good cutlery and nice enough servers. A little stiff for a down-home BBQ joint, though. Atmosphere: great wall signs. Not the clientele you'd typically see at a Salt Lick or even Rudy's - very reserved and looked at us funny sometimes when we actually talked to each other. Overall: for me, this place will get lost in the mix of all the other mediocre BBQ joints I've been to. Serviceable enough BBQ, but nothing memorable, and probably not worth the drive from South Austin.”

Dana wraps up her thoughts succinctly: “What can I say, I'm a tough critic, but it is decent BBQ for inside the Austin city limits!”

Dave’s scores – Brisket: 8.5; Pork ribs: 8; Jalapeno sausage: 9; Fried okra: 8; Roll: 10; Sauce: 9; Atmosphere: 9.5; Overall experience: 9

Mark’s scores – Brisket: 8.85; Chicken: 7.2; Sauce: 4; Slaw: 7.5; Big Red: 10; Service: 8; Atmosphere: 9; Overall experience: 7.6

Dana’s scores – Brisket: 8.7; Chicken: 7; Sides: 7.5; Atmosphere: 9; Overall experience: 8.5

Drew’s scores – Brisket: 8.4; Chicken: 7.5; Sides: 5; Atmosphere: 5; Overall experience: 7

Brad’s scores – Brisket: 8.25; Sides: 4; Atmosphere: 6; Overall experience: 7.35

Overall Man-Up Score: 7.89