First visit: May 2023 (Llano)
After the show our gameplan was to head out NW and knock out a few hours so that the next day's drive wouldn't be so bad. It's truly amazing how much Austin has grown. Just one big suburbia/exurbia that extends for miles. Places like Bee Cave that weren't even on the map when I was in college, are nothing more than extensions of Austin today. Finally the countryside opens up and we enter the Hill Country. This is the Texas I remember traveling around with Dad on his business trips in the 70s and early 80s. Still thousands of acres of untouched pristine land. Hopefully it will stay like that - there's plenty of room in the existing metro area.
Dinner time was set to be around 7. Most places on a Sunday night are closed, and if they are open, they close at 6. Cooper's was the exception going till 8, and we had yet to have barbecue on this trip though it was always in the discussion. The decision was easy. I thought I recognized the name, and sure enough there was a big splash when they opened in the Fort Worth Stockyards in 2010. Mrs. RJG and I never did go there. That was our mistake.
The setup is a bit confusing at first for traditional dining, but it makes sense once you get going. When you first walk into the outside gated area, you will be greeted by a pitmaster. They will ask you what kind of meats you'd like. And there's lots to choose from on the super large grill. So JL and I chose a few - we were wise not to go crazy. From there they hand all the meat to one of the waitresses, and she will proceed to wrap each one and then price it - like a butcher or deli would. Be sure to have a lot of cash or a working credit card, because it isn't going to be cheap - and you won't know the price until after you've chosen your meats. Then you walk into the building and choose your sides. You don't have to choose anything if you don't want and we decided to go Atkins on this visit. You will learn at the cash register that there are free beans - so we tried those too. For seating they offer long picnic tables, so you likely will be eating with locals or other tourists driving through. At this late hour on a Sunday night in early May, it was strictly local which was to our preference. So we begin to unwrap the meats and chow down.
Wow! This is some incredible tasting meat. We tried their steak, brisket, ribs, turkey, and cheese sausage. Every one of them moist and flavorful. JL was quick to proclaim "this is the best BBQ I've ever had!". I have to agree - it was absolutely delicious. They provide a sauce, and it's average at best. And that's because good barbecue doesn't need sauce and that's certainly the case here. The beans were also mediocre. You're coming to Coopers for the awesome meats. Not a place for vegetarians to graze.
Llano is Cooper's flagship location and they've been around since 1962. This is real Hill Country barbeque. Given their popularity within the state, they operate 4 more locations in much larger metro areas. Those include Austin, New Braunfels, College Station, and the aforementioned Fort Worth.
5/11/23 (new entry)
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