Austin writer upset about state of Texas BBQ

Yesterday, I tweeted an article in the Austin American-Statesman about how the popularity of local BBQ joints is not sitting well with a local. The author, Statesman staff writer Mike Leggett, recounts his recent (June 1) trip to Louie Mueller Barbecue (where he waited in line behind the bus of people that Texas Monthly took there), a microcosm of what he sees happening to the Texas BBQ scene, generally. He ends his piece as such:

If I sound bitter, well, good.

It’s not that I mind that barbecue has been “discovered” here. I’ve always thought that Cooper’s and Kreuz’s and Mueller’s were the absolute pinnacle of the pit stuff.

But things have gotten out of hand when folks think it’s cool to stand in line for two hours to get a piece of brisket. That’s not cool. I don’t care how good the food is.

And we’ve begun to turn our barbecue stars like Aaron Franklin and Terry Woottan into super heroes. You see them now on dumb shows like BBQ Pitmasters and Mystery Diners. If only their super powers could deliver a good chunk of smoked pork at a decent price in under an hour.

All this media exposure is too much. I’m all for free enterprise and you can’t blame a restaurant owner for wanting to show off what he’s got and snap up some of that easy money.

But when the long-time customers start bailing on you — and I’m one of those — you need to pay attention to what’s happening. This high can’t last forever, guys.