Smoke Trail

Stubb's BBQ (2)

801 Red River, 480-8341

Tuesday-Thursday, 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday, 11am-11pm; Sunday, 11am-9pm

Stubb's BBQ is the legacy of C.B. Stubblefield, a Texan who grew up sharecropping in Navasota and Lubbock and went on to serve in the Korean War in the last all-black infantry unit. He served as both company cook and as a gunner, and when he returned to Lubbock, he opened a barbecue restaurant and nightclub. There, he won the hearts of local Lubbock musicians like Butch Hancock and Joe Ely (as well as many Austin legends, including Stevie Ray Vaughan) by allowing them to play music in exchange for dinner. The Lubbock location brought Stubblefield national fame but eventually closed. He owned and operated an Austin location for several years before he died in 1995; the Stubb's BBQ on Red River that honors his memory opened in 1996.

Stubb's on Red River has become one of Austin's premier live-music venues. So outstanding and popular a venue, in fact, that the restaurant has often been crowded out of the limelight. Housed in a stunning native-stone-and-brick building dating from 1850, the dining room is the Old West personified. Sturdy wooden tables and chairs, wooden ceilings and floors, and period fireplaces make you feel as though you just tied up your horse outside.

The pit-smoked meats include brisket; outstanding pork ribs; and tender and flavorful chicken, turkey, sausage, and pulled pork – $14.50 for three meats and $11.95 for two, with individual plates starting at $9.95. Side dishes include collard greens, mashed potatoes, mashed yams, fried okra, and specialty-of-the-house serrano pepper cheese spinach. All barbecue plates are served with a choice of two sides, pickles, onions, serrano peppers, and a big slice of Texas toast. The barbecue sauces that Stubblefield perfected are available for sale at the counter and make a great Austin souvenir.