At this point, hearing about a new barbecue trailer doing good work in Austin is no longer a surprise. La Barbecue and John Mueller were my forays into this genre, but after being blown away by Micklethwait and his Craft Meats, I’m willing to try a new one any time. Kerlin BBQ was next on my list.
Barbecue is an interesting cuisine because the foremost ingredient is a pit boss willing to do the hard work, day after day after day. Cook a quality piece of meat at a low temperature over good wood for a long time. It’s not that simple, but it is.
I’ve learned to respect these guys, because although my little charcoal smoker makes what I think is a pretty good brisket, I just make one at a time, babying it, and then I’m done for several weeks or months. A barbecue (wo)man willing to put in the hard work every day for quality and consistency is a treasure.
It’s my understanding that Bill Kerlin came from the competition BBQ world, a far cry from the volume business that even a trailer requires. Overall takeaway: He’s doing just fine.
I’m going to start in a weird place: the sides. I had heard about a blue cheese coleslaw, so I made sure to order some. It was just what I hoped for. Plenty of blue cheese flavor and slaw that wasn’t just a pile of soggy mush.
Usually, I’d make sure to try the potato salad–Louie Mueller’s version is my gold standard, so I’m always looking to compare–but another side called out to me: creamed corn with bacon. Not everything is better with bacon, but this was. The pork flavor was not overwhelming, but rather enhanced this rich version. It was less creamy but more buttery than say Rudy’s version, and balanced out the meat.
The pickles were homemade and served in thick slices. A very nice addition. And the sauce has both heat and vinegar but not too much of either.
The pork ribs were tasty and tender, and just about as good as I’ve ever had. This one will go on repeat.
The only shortcoming was the brisket. This is something I’ll be back to try again, because I feel pretty sure I didn’t get the best Kerlin has to offer. The moist slices were overly salty, and the lean was just a tad too tough. The gratis burnt ends (a tradition surely passed down from Louis Mueller) was amazing, and I want to give the rest another chance to match it.
As far as the overall experience, it was great. They have just added a covered area for their seating, which will go a long way come summer spring. I tried ordering a couple of slices of this and that, but they wanted it in 1/4 lb. increments. For better or worse, I think that means I ended up with more than that weight. No complaints. I was the first customer of the day, but since it’s just a two-person operation, the speed was on the slow side. Could be an issue if there was a line.
Next time: moist brisket and pork ribs again, then try the sausage and potato salad. If they add a dessert without bananas, I’ll try that, too.