The Best Brisket In Austin

Distant Relatives is a trailer parked at Meanwhile Brewing, and we can confidently say that it’s home to the best brisket in Austin. It’s incredibly consistent, with a dark, thick bark and a center that’s exactly as moist or lean as it should be. It’s nearly perfect on its own, but if you want to enjoy it as intended, make sure to try it with a generous amount of the mustard seed butter it’s served with, plus a few slices of housemade sourdough Pullman bread. 

Micklethwait is where we usually take out-of-town guests who want a fairly classic barbecue experience without a multi-hour line. The brisket is seasoned with a generous amount of salt and pepper coating each bite. On a good day, Micklethwait might take our top spot. But even on a lesser day, it’s never too far behind. Add a side of lemon poppy slaw and citrus beet salad to help balance out all that rich beef.

There was a time when getting the best brisket in Austin required braving the Texas elements in a four-hour line starting around 7am—something called “the Franklin Barbecue experience.” These days, we’re convinced you can get brisket that’s just as good (and, oftentimes, better) at other barbecue spots in town. But if you decide to brave the line (or just order online), you won’t be disappointed. Franklin’s brisket is well-seasoned and tender—the bark is thick, and the fatty pieces are incredibly moist. But we’ll let you decide for yourself if it’s worth waiting in line for. 

The first thing you’ll notice about La Barbecue’s brisket is that it’s very heavy on the pepper. But once you’re past that thick layer of peppercorns, you’ll find meat that’s practically begging to be pulled apart with a gentle tug of the fingers. La Barbecue cuts their brisket a little thicker than other spots in town, which makes each bite satisfying. Be sure to order a side of kimchi to go with it—the spice and acidity help cut through it all.

If you find yourself in Austin with a large group (or in search of barbecue in the evening when most spots are closed), Terry Black’s is your answer. It has all the charm of older, more rustic places out in the countryside, but it’s conveniently located on Barton Springs Road. It’s also home to solid brisket that might not change your life but will leave you more than satisfied. The best part is that even if there’s a line, it moves very fast, so you never have to wait too long to get it.

Stiles Switch offers a few things that other spots in town don’t: beer on tap, an indoor air-conditioned space (there’s also a patio), and most importantly, consistently solid Central Texas barbecue available at all hours of the day. The brisket can occasionally come out slightly dry, but it’s nothing a generous amount of barbecue sauce can’t help.

You should not go to KG BBQ and order the brisket on its own. It’s not what KG BBQ is about. The brisket here is perfectly fine but won’t win any awards. What will win awards (and our hearts) is KG’s brisket served over Mediterranean rice and topped with baladi salad, tahini, candied nuts, and pomegranate seeds. This is a place where brisket is simply a vehicle for excellent Egyptian flavors.

We’ve had some of the best brisket of our lives at Interstellar BBQ, but we’ve also had a few occasions where the flat side was overly dry and the moist had some chewy fat that wasn’t enjoyable. When it’s good, it’s great. Hedge your bets by also ordering the peach tea-glazed pork belly or some pulled lamb shoulder, both of which have proven to be more consistent in our experiences.

Most of the meats at JNL veer away from the traditional salt-and-pepper minimalism that’s popular at other Central Texas barbecue joints, but the brisket is one of the few exceptions. It’s about as classic as it gets, with a decent bark and surprisingly tender meat from the lean side. The main thing we don’t like is how much fat gets left untrimmed from the point side.

Moreno Barbecue in South Austin is great at a lot of things—most notably their excellent smoked cheeseburgers, barbacoa tacos, and pulled pork nachos. And while we’ve had some fantastic brisket here on a few occasions, we’ve also experienced meat that was too crumbly to properly enjoy. If you decide to take your chances at Moreno, go with the moist—it’s more consistent and less likely to make you sad.