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| Pig Pen BBQ - Dripping Springs (Photo: Brian Perry) |
Barbecue is made in many different ways and can be found in just about every town in Texas. That is the beauty of barbecue. There are so many different blends of spices, styles of cooking, and meats to choose from that there is something for everyone. All of these options make barbecue more than a pastime, it is a passion, and very often becomes a life's work.
While on a road trip for Eat. Drink. Texas., I discovered one of those lifers, Bill Warren, a 20 year veteran of barbecuing, with years spent catering weddings with "I Do Barbecue" and as an Austin police officer, co-founded Pig Pen BBQ in Dripping Springs, Texas just southwest of Austin off of Highway 290 in a food trailer court. We had gotten word that this was the spot for barbecue when visiting this once sleepy town, that is now growing faster than some locals would like to accept.
When faced with the platter of bbq pictured above, I decided to bite directly into the ribs. In sampling barbecue from all over Texas, there really have only been a handful of pitmasters that I have discovered so far that make a standout pork rib. After that first bite, I am going to go ahead and include Pig Pen BBQ on that short list.
Pig Pen BBQ has worked hard to establish a flavor profile that is different from the norm. They do not depend on salt or pepper, but more of a sugary flavor that blended with woods not named Post Oak, really shine through and make Pig Pen BBQ well worth the short trip from Austin or even a long trip from anywhere else.
As we progressed in our sampling we were also offered a unique item from the menu called Pig Tails. Don't be fooled, these tasty treats have nothing to do with those curly q's you find on the back of a pig. This is barbecue code for brown sugar soaked, uncured, smoked bacon, and it was the absolute highlight of the day. Everyone knows bacon is amazing in and of itself, but what Pig Pen BBQ does to it is something that just might be sinful.
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