Opie's Barbecue
Reviewed by Wes Marshall, Fri., Feb. 25, 2000
Opie's Barbeque
In Spicewood, next to the post office, 830/693-8660(Go northwest on Highway 71, about 20 miles past Highway 620, turn right at the gas station)
Mon-Sat, 11am-8pm; Sun, 11am-4pm
People from all over Central Texas flock to Llano for barbeque at Cooper's. Go on a Saturday afternoon during some pretty weather and the wait just to place your order can be more than an hour. I still love Llano, but I won't be traveling to Cooper's any more. Herbie Lynn recently quit cooking at Cooper's and moved to Spicewood to open Opie's Barbeque. It's at least as good, sometimes better, and 47 miles closer.
Opie's is a carnivore's dream. A 12-foot-long smoke pit holds pork chops ($7.50/lb.), pork ribs ($7.50/lb.), sausage ($7.00/lb. for regular or jalapeño), chicken ($4.95 per half-chicken), and brisket ($7.50/lb.). Pick out whatever appeals to you. They dip it in their delicious, vinegar-based sauce and put the meat on a cafeteria tray. Inside, they weigh the meat, wrap it up, and put it back on the tray. Your "plate" is a square of butcher paper and the seating is family-style. You get your own utensils and drinks. Onions, pickles, and warm sauce are on the sideboards. A loaf of Wonder Bread and a squeeze bottle of liquid margarine are waiting at the table.
Good barbeque is an art. To succeed, the cook must catch the perfect balance of moistness, smoke, and tenderness. Herbie has had years of experience getting this part just right. I especially love his pork chops. Big, meaty slabs of pork with quarter-inch bands of rich smoke flavoring. A single chop weighs over a pound, sometimes over two. They are juicy and melt-in-your-mouth tender. State of the art. The ribs are big and lean enough to make them palatable without losing richness. The brisket is very juicy, if occasionally a little too fatty. The sauce is not the thick tomato- and sugar-based concoction usually found in barbeque places. Opie's sauce is tart, vinegary, and light. Both types can be magnificent. Opie's is super.
My favorite feature at Opie's is the big vat of pinto beans they offer as a free side dish. The beans are seasoned perfectly and flavored with onions and bacon. Herbie's tip is to get a pickled jalapeño from the big jar on the counter, cut off the tip, and squeeze the juice in the beans. Yummy! My dining partner is loco over the blackberry cobbler ($1.75). Crisp, sugary topping with deep blackberry flavor and a nice tartness to balance the sweetness. Herbie also makes peach and cherry cobbler.
Opie's is housed in a metal building with several pit cookers and a couple of pit servers out front. As soon as you drive up, someone is there to help you. The ambience is friendly and focused on food. The service is down-home chummy. Picnic tables are lined up inside and two TVs show continuous sporting events. There is a no-smoking area. When lake season opens, they will add some outdoor tables and stay open later on Sundays. From the center of Austin, it takes about one hour to get to Opie's. The drive is worth it, even if all you get is a pork chop and some beans. We'll be going back.
