Happy 4th of July! So when I think of 4th of July I think of backyard grilling and barbecue. My favorite barbecue restaurant in the entire world (yes, the world) is The Salt Lick located in Driftwood, Texas, a little bit outside of Austin. The Salt Lick is a Texas tradition that opened in 1967 using family recipes from the 1800s. Now anyone who has lived in Texas for more than a day has a favorite BBQ spot. And each of these spots absolutely has something to contribute to the BBQ conversation. But what I love about The Salt Lick is not only is the food wonderful, but the whole place has such a fun, wonderful party vibe.
But let's start with the food. There is an a la carte menu at The Salt Lick, but you would be crazy to not order the all-you-can-eat platters, known there as family style. These platters include the famous beef brisket, pork ribs and smoked sausage. My favorite is the sausage and it is absolutely unbelievable. For sides, you can have potato salad that is seriously the best potato salad I have ever had. It is more like cold potatoes au gratin than the sad potato salad you usually think of. The family style also comes with baked beans, cole slaw, pickles, onion and bread.
But if you do want to order off the menu, you can order platters or sandwiches with the above meats or smoked turkey. They also have fantastic homemade Southern desserts, but honestly who has the room?
All of the meats at The Salt Lick is cooked on a huge pit, smoker contraption. It is pretty crazy. All of the meats also come with absolutely addictive sauce. There is no tomato in the sauce, but lots of sugar to make it both sweet and savory.
Now besides the fantastic food, The Salt Lick just has the best atmosphere. It is a huge wooden barn with many different rooms. You can eat inside or outside, but you are always eating on these huge wooden picnic tables. Very fun and casual.
But let's talk about the fact that The Salt Lick is BYOB. What this means is that folks go in huge parties and bring with them coolers and even kegs. It is beer central. The atmosphere is so party that even if you don't bring your own beer, I am sure you can find someone to hook you up.
Since The Salt Lick is so close to Austin, it is always packed with UT students, which definitely adds to the party atmosphere. I definitely spent many an afternoon there when I was in college.
TIP: The Salt Lick is cash only, so make sure to bring plenty of cash!
Whether or not you are a huge BBQ fan, I would highly recommend a trip to The Salt Lick. It will make for a fantastic day and I promise you will love the food.
The Salt Lick
18300 FM 1826
Driftwood, TX 78619
Driftwood, TX 78619
Restaurant: 512-858-4959
www.saltlickbbq.com
