Biographical information courtesy of the Austin Chronicle.
See below for Austin Chronicle BBQ Links.

Louie Muellers BBQ

photo by Gerald E. Mcleod

206 W. Second, Taylor, 512/352-6206

Mon-Thu, 9am-8pm; Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, 9am-'til they run outta food.

Sit down and roll up your sleeves, because this is one place where eating is a serious campaign whose end may require massive clean-up operations. No plates, no trays, just butcher paper and meat. In Taylor, the Mueller family has been serving barbecue practically unchanged for more than 50 years from the little storefront with the rickety screen door on Second Street. Here, the legendary brisket, chicken, beef, and pork ribs, tenderloin and two kinds of sausage (jalepeno and regular) attract customers from all over Texas. The sausage is like peppered butter, the ribs are divinely tender. But the real star at Louie Mueller's is the brisket, one bite of which smoothly persuades diners again and again that this just may be the best this dish gets in Texas. What makes Louie Mueller's brisket so delectably moist is the way it's cooked. Each brisket is coated with the Muellers' peppery spice rub, then wrapped in butcher paper, where the meat cooks for just a little-long-while. The butcher paper keeps in the fat drippings, making the meat practically self-basting. The result is lean yet moist, smoky yet tender. Unlike most cooks in Central Texas, the Muellers shy away from sugar in all their food; you won't find sweet barbecue sauces here. Instead, you'll get a savory meat jus with each plate, delicious for sopping up with meat and bread alike. The same distaste for sugar applies to their potato salad, which explodes with the flavor of mustard and dill pickles instead of the usual sweet pickles.

This year, the Muellers have added an additional seating area. Architect-designed, the tall, open-air, rustic-moderne space of the new hall playfully counterpoises the meaty, smoke-stained walls of the original. It's a tastefully prosperous addition to a well-established business. If you plan to go on a Saturday, arrive early because the Muellers close when they run out of meat, which often happens around one or two o'clock. --Rachel Feit