Live Oak Barbecue & Beer

I am so happy to see Live Oak Barbecue permanently CLOSED and wish they closed down just a week earlier before I visited!
We were in Austin for my birthday and our group of six was looking for some of Austin’s well-​renowned awesome barbecue that they’re known for. It was Saturday at noon and Live Oak Barbecue popped up on our Unilocal radar so decided to give it a try since it was still open and we were tired of driving around. We ordered all the meats they had, got the barbecue sauce and drinks, and sat down to eat.
BIGGEST BIRTHDAY MEAL LET DOWN IN THE HISTORY OF BIRTHDAYS. The barbecue was so mediocre. The brisket was moist but flavorless. the ribs were dry. the barbecue sauce was smokey and sour… the pulled pork was meh. the sausage was the «best» thing there and that was probably just because of the amount of fat that was oozing out of it.
Farewell, Live Oak Barbecue. you will NOT be missed by me and my crew.

This place is a little off the beaten path so I never knew about it until I looked on Unilocal.
The interior is country and a little divey. It’s homey and I mean this all in a good way. The exterior is very plain Jane but there’s nothing wrong with that.
We had brisket, sausage, slaw and cucumber salad. The brisket was very tasty but had a LOT of fat on it. The sausage was not good. It was very soft and had the texture of boudin. The slaw was mediocre. The cucumber salad was good and had a refreshing taste to it.
Overall I would only go to this place if it was really close to me and i didn’t want to sit outside of John Mueller’s food truck due to weather.

Never go for BBQ after 2:00 pm.
Tried 3 spots and when they were all bust, we ended up here.
Getting There — It’s 2^nd and Pleasant Valley. Easy peasy to get there
Parking — their own lots is maybe 7 – 10 spaces, but there’s street parking
Décor — They had a mounted Jackalope and a Texas Flag. My kinda place
Service — The two guys running the show were real cool. Some OSU guys came in afterwards and the proprietors were telling them were to party that night.(White Horse and Liberty if you’re wondering where to catch BBQ masters)
But let’s talk turkey, well Brisket.
Brisket — Primarily the moist end, had bark and the smoke ring.
Sausage — all beef, very tender, not a lot of bite in the casing.
Quality product.

I’m keeping this one short and to the point:
The half chicken and collard greens are fantastic, but the one-​of-​a-​kind coffee based barbeque sauce is fucking phenomenal… can I say ‘liquid crack?’ Don’t be ashamed if you find yourself drinking it. They serve Fire Eagle, too. That’s all…

I made a Unilocal account just to comment on this restaurant. We were going to try Franklin’s BBQ but due to the long line we decided to check out Live Oak due to the proximity and the good reviews we saw on Unilocal.
Everyone who has given this place more than 2 stars is mentally unstable.
There was no rub of any sort on the brisket, tasted of liquid smoke through out, and leaves a bad aftertaste in your mouth.
The sausage was the better part of the meal, but was loosely packed. Flavor was actually not bad but here is the gem– Its not made at Live Oak, they source it from another local venue.
I would have given it zero stars, but they served Shiner Bock, so one star is my vote.

Got the beef brisket here, it was good. Place was quirky. Service was not pleasant. Should have got the potato salad instead of the cucumber salad (tried my friend’s potato salad and it was delish). Friends got ribs and said they were good but not great.

3.5 /​5 for me, but just wasn’t quite 4 stars. With all the quality bbq around, it’s one thing I’m a bit pickier about and while this is still an acceptable spot for some good bbq, it just didn’t leave me yearning to head back there over the plethora of other options.
I had the brisket, Ribs, Greens and slaw.
Didnt get offered a choice on lean or fattier brisket, and when given the option I will 100% of the time get the moister meat from the point of the brisket because typically the flat yields drier, leaner and less flavorful meat, which is what happened here. Not terrible, and while the rub and flavorful was simple but satisfactory, the meat was leaning drier than I’d like and didn’t wow me.
The Ribs were nicely smoked, appropriately tender but not falling apart, but were lacking a touch in seasoning. Not unseasoned, but I prefer a bit of a saltier, spicier rub and while it was good, it wasn’t amazing compared to some other spots.
The Greens had an usual vinegary tang to them not common in collard greens that I’ve had before, but I enjoyed them quite a bit. Different and tasty.
The slaw was light, and on the blander side.
Sauce was average but unimpressive as well.
Overall Everything was good, and nothing to complain about, but I definitely have a preference for a handful of other bbq joints in town.

I had no clue that this place even existed! But, on my never ending search to try every single barbecue joint in town, I had to check this place out.
I went in on a rainy Saturday evening around 6 and the place was absolutely dead. ABSOLUTELY. DEAD. This was amazing. I don’t have to wait three hours for my brisket? Incredible.
As soon as I walked through the door into the freezing and absurdly dark little hole-​in-​the-​wall, I thought that it was going to be awesome. Tom Waits was even playing over the speakers.
Brisket? Gone. Ribs? Gone. No problem, I came in the evening, I understand. I got a two meat plate with chicken and sausage with borracho beans and cucumber salad.
The chicken was okay, nothing to write home about. The sausage had this unusual texture that I can’t put my finger on. Now, the sides, which are usually overlooked in BBQ, were INCREDIBLE. The cucumber salad was light, and tart and the borracho beans were practically more meat then beans.
Next time there is a cold and rainy day, I’ll be stopping in to this place. But I’ll dress warmly, bring a few friends, and come for the beans.

So today I stopped by for lunch to grab something to go…
It was just after noon time and I had good parking and no wait at the counter. The staff person behind the counter was courteous and explained to me everything on the menu. Inside the restaurant it has a Smokey smell which I like and the ambiance of Mos Eisley Cantina, minus the scum and villainy. Haha!
So since I needed to go and take my lunch with me, I decided on the brisket sandwich. The meat was good! It had a Smokey flavor to it and it was tender and tasty. I wasn’t a big fan of the sauce that came with it. The sauce is thin and oily and has a unusual taste to it. Being from Austin, I am not a big fan of the «keep Austin Weird» campaign. If anything, Keep Austin Texas! With that being said, give us a traditional BBQ sauce we can love. So when I arrived back to my office, I unwrapped the foil and grabbed my sandwich. When I did that the middle part of the bread stuck to the butcher paper (deal killer). For BBQ sandwiches I would expect a hamburger bun and not two slices of thin white bread. Also, I would expect a little more meat as well. Pok E Jos does a good BBQ sandwich and for me, that is the standard.
Overall, Live Oak BBQ has a good product but the presentation needs work.

I’d been up since 4:30 am and all I’d had to eat was some bullshit from the Macaroni Grill at O’Hare. I’d spent the whole flight smelling some shitty breakfast burrito and listening to children scream. The only thing on my mind was brisket and cold beer.
Dear Diary,
Jackpot.
I ordered the 2 meat 2 side plate with brisket, sausage, cucumber salad and borracho beans. Everything was so damn good. That sausage is going to live in my culinary spank bank for the rest of my life. All that good stuff along with a couple Fire Eagles got the afternoon started off right and served as an awesome introduction to Austin.

I have a feeling that Live Oak is one of those hit or miss type bbq joints. I’m gonna go back and give them another chance. The place is very east Austin. I enjoyed the fact that the place was filled with the smoke of the pit but I could see how some people wouldn’t want to go to a place where they leave smelling of bbq.
Sides were awesome. The ribs were not very meaty. Sausage is moist and the brisket has a very nice smoke flavor, but a little dry. For some reason I think they had an off day. I’m gonna try again. I really liked the vibe.

This shack on a dark street had the feel of a country outpost in the boondocks. Inside, the ample raw empty space was rich with old energy and a careful smell of BBQ.
The john belushi character, but uglier and nicer, with a large white apron covering his round belly, manned the whole restaurant, cutting the meats, and making kitchen preparations. The silence would have fit well in a Cohen brothers film.
They were out of brisket so I took his suggestion and got the half chicken plate for $ 9. I chose vinegar cole slaw, my favorite, and this one done perfect with beautiful large firm pieces of cabbage lightly sauced in vinegar with poppyseeds. I gambled on ordering borracho beans, my second choice was cheddar cheese slices, but the bean gamble paid off. Sweet and smoky flavorful
with a nice gravy, chunks of ham — it was a major score.
The chicken was perfectly done, just simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked perfectly over a flavorful wood.
It was all served on butcher paper. The meal was perfect, so was the ambiance.
Oh yeah and beer. Patio.
They run out of things so be open to exploring the menu if you come late.

About two years ago, some friends and I wanted some Franklin Barbecue for lunch. It was around 10 am, but the line was pretty long already. The one of the employees said we would probably not get any brisket. It was time for plan B. Another one of our friends had tried a new place called Live Oak Barbecue close by. He thought it was borderline terrible. I remember when I tried it the first time, I thought it was good. It was time for me to jog my memory. I was able to get there from work and back within 45 minutes so it was ideal for me to go there today.
The prices were very affordable. I ordered a two meat plate with moist brisket and ribs and potato salad and beans as the sides. I also added a link of sausage. The brisket itself was tender. What ruined it was the bark. It had a bitter terrible taste to it. Possibly due to too much smoke? The pork ribs were good. They were tender and smoky. They had a good flavor to them. The sausage was the highlight of the meal. It had a great casing with snap, and the flavor was great. The fat content and grit was ideal. It was rich and meaty.
This place can be good. It is hard for me to come back when I know there are better options within a mile of Live Oak. They have Saturday specials where they smoke other cuts of meat sometimes even exotic.

Holy smoker Batman, it’s a BBQ joint without a line!
I hit up this east side establishment to grab lunch for the whole office so I got to try a little bit of everything. The sausage and the pork steak were really great but the brisket was just ok, it was tender but a bit underseasoned/​muted.
Honestly, I’m more into sides than anything (I guess it reminds me of Thanksgiving) and theirs are homemade and creative. I tried everything and it was all fab but my faves have to be the cucumber salad, the borracho beans, and the potato salad with the big chunks of egg.
We were sitting there watching them carve away and my friend looks at me and says «I’ve never seen them move fast», so get ready for some slow-​mo BBQ goodness.

I went to back to Live Oak today when a colleague and I wanted BBQ and realized that one of our other reliable Austin BBQ purveyors is closed on Mondays. Plus, I honestly wanted to give these guys another shot. When we arrived a little after 11, the parking lot was virtually empty and they had a full selection of BBQ today.
So from a service and selection standpoint, Live Oak was on it’s A game. I really didn’t feel that I could say the same of the BBQ though. The brisket was cut oddly, leaving virtually all of the bark off. In their cutting process, it was hard to tell if there was a smoke ring, either from a lack of smoking or from how the brisket was cut. The pork steak was cut much better, showing a loving ring of pink.
So, now that the appearance of the meat has been reviewed, on to the taste. The brisket was tender, but lacked much flavor. The pork steak was slightly better. And my pork rib was tough. For a restaurant that smells like a literal smokehouse, I’d have expected much more of a smoke flavor to all of the meat. Neither my colleague nor I left as raving fans of their very thin, au jus style BBQ sauce. She described it as having a balsamic vinegar taste while I tasted soy sauce.
So, in short — decent selection of BBQ today (come early), friendly staff, and serviceable BBQ. A decent backup alternative BBQ source in the hipster-​fied section of gentrifying East Austin.

I recently attended Like Oak’s second-​year anniversary party which also happened to fall on Cinco.
Though I love barbecue — especially brisket — what beckoned me to Live Oak for my first visit was the lure of lamb tacos. I’ve had quite a bit of lamb in my life (my Croatian parents will barbecue one for any special occasion or for Sunday dinner… ha!), but we usually prepare it very simply: whole-​roasted with salt and garlic, and then served with bread and green onions.
Simple but still, I salivate.
Anyway — Live Oak’s anniversary web flier definitely caught my eye. ‘We’ll be cooking two whole I O Ranch lambs barbacoa style; rubbed with chile paste, layered with avocado and banana leaves in our new custom-​made roasting boxes, smoked overnight and served with dark red Morita salsa and diced Escabeche-​style fresh pickled garden vegetables.‘
DAMN.
I tried two while my buddy plowed through three — we both agreed that the tender lamb stood best on its own; no salsa necessary… just a sprinkling of cilantro and a healthy dousing of coarsely-​chopped white onion. ‘Twas perfection — everything from the beautiful back porch area to our Austin Beerworks Pearl Snap.
Of course, we had to give that brisket a try on our way out — the flavor was sufficiently smoky and the meat didn’t require a lick of sauce. Just the way I like it! Can’t wait to return for a continuation of Sunday shenanigans.

Only sausage, turkey and a surly server? Shamesies Live Oak! I wanted to share my love of BBQ (specifically this BBQ) with friends from out of town. The sausage was decent, the turkey was dry, the sauce helped and the atmosphere… so sad and lonely. I felt like I was on a patio at the end of the world.
It’s SXSW. Get a guitarist going, prepare for increased consumption and please don’t hurry me along so that the guy with the freakish gap tooth who is clearly in a band can get his meat.

So if you are one of those people that thinks Salt Lick or Rudy’s is the best BBQ around… No need to read further.
If you appreciate real barbecue with artisan quality flavor… Live Oak is the place for you.
I had to set up a lunch for some customers who do not have the cycles to stand in line at the usual downtown spots. My VP wanted a place that was uniquely Austin with great BBQ.
I went on Unilocal,called around and up comes Live Oak. Just in business for about a year, I had not ventured there yet. The photos showed a great outdoor patio as well as ample indoor seating, in the event there was rain.
Our meeting is in a few weeks, but I wanted to make sure that the food lived up to expectations. The proprietor is a former Pit Boss and BBQ judge and cook off competitor.
From the outside, there are some great touches, like a line painting of a Cow sectioned into the cuts of meat, a Sandwich board sign closer to the street with «LIVE OAK BBQ –AND– BEER» painted on it, and a East Austinesque art on metal that says «EAT MEAT» in graffiti lettering fastened to the side of the chain link fence by the front lot. It definitely had a uniquely Austin groovy feel.
The inside was without pretense or gimmicks with booths and picnic tables with the same line art paintings of animals that might be served up in some form of BBQ. A smoky wood aroma filled the space.
I ordered a small sampling of brisket, ribs, and sausage to go. The sausage was the big surprise. It was not that grocery store prepackaged stuff. it was made and smoked on site with a perfect blend of spices and smokiness. The brisket was moist and tender and the rib meat fell off the bone. it was a BBQ trifecta. While nothing I had needed sauce, they also make their own sauce. Unlike some of those cliché places, it was not so spicy that it needed something to put out the fire. it was more subtle with a touch of vinegar and meant to enhance the meat, not cover it up.
They offer other items like chicken and pork steak from the pit and a range of sides they make on site. Sides include cucumber salad, potato salad, vinegar slaw, collard greens, borracho beans. you can order the combo ²⁄₂ plate (2 meats and 2 sides); sandwiches, and by anything à la carte by the ounce.
On Saturday afternoons, they offer up a special item at 2 pm. The weekend I was there it was porchetta.
Bottom line, if you want Great BBQ with an Austin vibe, Live Oak is a not to miss destination.
I cannot wait to go back and actually dine on their great outdoor patio which is also dog friendly.

Sadly, I’m not a fan.
I’ll first say that I’m a bbq snob, and next I’ll say this is probably the least flavorful bbq I’ve ever tasted. I only tried the brisket and sausage… but those are two pretty important meats.
The brisket just lacked flavor but didn’t lack fat, which is actually hard to do.
The sausage had no flavor to me. Sausage always has flavor!
The sauce was good, and unique, but it couldn’t save the meat.

My recent ROTD naturally led to an ROTDC at my beloved Live Oak BBQ. In attendance were some great Unilocalers!
Gary, Leslie, Ashley, Daniel, Missy, Errol, Lee, Grant (Lee’s son/​budding Unilocaler), Michael, Jack, Amber, and Colin… Thank you all for coming out and sharing this afternoon with me!
Sadly, we missed the Saturday special. The staff told us they sold out in a record 25 minutes! Damn! Luckily, they still had some of the Hatch chile sauce on hand and were generous enough to dispense some for me. Forgive my language, but this was some great shit!
I wouldn’t have thought it possible to improve on the food at Live Oak, but they seem to be getting better and better with each visit. From the brisket to the pork steak, everything was prepared to perfection!
I guess giving them two five stars reviews equals ten stars… right? Well, it should!