Killen's Barbecue Pop-up (Austin)

When Killen's Barbecue announced they were doing a pop-up, I was excited. I did not have to drive to Pearland to get their phenomenal 'cue. You can check out my original review of them here. There has been a BBQ feud on Twitter between Killen's and John Mueller Meat Co. Ronnie Killen has decided to show up on John's home turf and show who's boss. I think the situation is funny, but the general public will benefit from it. They will have an opportunity to sample Ronnie's work without driving as far.

Free Beer!

Louie Mueller Pit

The event was held at Foreign & Domestic. FND is a locally owned restaurant that serves seasonal American-European fare. Ronnie and his crew were up all night smoking the 1500 pound of meat they brought in. It was a cold night and was below freezing. Props to them because I am sure they are not used to these kinds of temperatures. They did not bring their huge Klose smoker because they had trouble getting it to Austin. Instead they brought the smaller Lang, and Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue was nice to lend them his huge Klose. I arrived at Foreign & Domestic just before 10 AM, and there were only a few people waiting around. There was free beer provided by Saint Arnold. I was on my lunch break so I had to pass. The line was about 50 people or so deep when the food was starting to be served.

I got excited last time I went to Killen's and probably ordered too much. I was a little overwhelmed with the seven different types of meat in front of me. This time they had brisket, beef ribs, pork ribs, and jalapeño sausage to choose from. I went with the usual moist brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. The brisket was great again. It had a crunchy bark from the pepper and smoke. It was tender and moist. The pork ribs were soft and juicy. The meat was coming off the bone and had a nice sweet finish from the rub. I liked the jalapeño sausage more than the original sausage. It had a little bit more heat and flavor. The coarse grit and fat were on point. The casing could barely hold the meat in.

It was another great showing by Killen's Barbecue in spite of the weather. It makes me want to drive back to Pearland. What we need to think about is will Ronnie move into the Austin barbecue scene? I actually talked to my wife about this before he announced the pop-up. He has done a few festivals here already. Austin has not yet reached a BBQ saturation especially of good BBQ. There are still long lines at Franklin Barbecue and La Barbecue. I like what he did with the Pearland location. I wish the land in Austin was more affordable to pull it off. The suburbs might be his best bet. Kyle, Buda, Pflugerville, or Round Rock? Anything along Interstate 35 would be a big hit.

Until next time, happy smoking...

Address: 3613 E Broadway St, Pearland, TX 77581
Phone: (281) 485-2272
Website: http://killensbarbecue.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KillensBbq
Twitter: https://twitter.com/killensbbq