Cooper's BBQ

(325) 247-5713

www.coopersbbq.com

It’s hard to miss. Out front, there are close to a dozen pit barbeques gushing smoke in at swirl of sensory overload. Slowly smoldering over mesquite wood, brisket, prime rib, sirloin, beef ribs, pork ribs, pork tenderloin, ham, sausage, jalapeno sausage, chicken, and the biggest pork chop you ever saw comprise a carnival for carnivores. The last pit is a holding pen for the meats cooked on all the other pits.

This place has a unique method of placing your order. Outside, once you finally make your place to the head of the line, you peer into the last pit, wait for the smoke to clear and pick out individual pieces. Order as much or as little as you want. They will cut any piece to match your appetite. The server forks your choices onto a plastic cafeteria tray lined with pink butcher paper. Want sauce? They plunge it into a simmering cauldron of tangy sauce and then slap it on the butcher paper. Only the half-chicken and hand -cut pork chops are served in fixed portions. Once you have finished making your selections, they wrap up the butcher paper, and hand you your tray. You proceed to the inside counter where they weigh each item (sold by the pound). Corn on the cob, three kinds of cobbler, potato salad, and coleslaw are extra.

Inside, there are large ranch-style tables with huge jars of jalapenos, loaves of white bread, and rolls of paper towels. There are side tables at either end of the room with drinks (including sweet tea), a bucket of soupy pinto beans, barbeque sauce, and thickly-sliced raw onions. Help yourself!

The meats are barbequed with rub only. All have a wonderful seared crust, blackened with coarse spices and lots of cracked black pepper. Everything is well salted, and needs no additional seasoning.

The brisket is by far the best of show. It just falls apart in shreds. Homemade sausage is medium grind, and not too spicy. Try white bread with a spoonful of beans, coleslaw, and barbeque sauce. The other items are too good to make into a sandwich.

Every weekend, there is a long line of hungry people all along the building. Folks are known to fly into Llano, rent a car, eat at Cooper’s, and fly home. Now that’s what I call going out for dinner!

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