My quest for the 50 Best Rides to the 50 Best BBQ Joints in Texas took me to Easy Pickens Bar-B-Que in Harper, TX (Google map) this last Saturday.

The Ride

Harper is a small town (pop. 1006) in far western Gillespie County, about 102 miles from my house in Austin. The ride to Harper is pretty straightforward — due west on Hwy 290.

It’s an easy ride, and if you’re looking for something to do along the way, you’ll pass right through Johnson City and then Fredericksburg.

LBJ Home

Just west of Johnson City, take Ranch Rd. 1 (so named for President Lyndon Johnson) — this short detour runs along the Perdernales River and is bit more twisty and scenic than Hwy 290.

One of the states largest and most scenic Rest Areas is in Stonewall. Stop and visit the historic Trinity Cemetery at the Rest Area.

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Compared to the Guadalupe Cemetery I wrote about on my way to Luling, this old German cemetery is remarkably maintained and cared for.

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Ernest Knoll

The Town

There’s not a whole lot to Harper, TX — at least not much to see as you pass through on Hwy 290, undoubtedly on your way to somewhere else. The Bode Feed Store and Supply looked like the largest place in town.

From the Village Voice (written in 2003):

Population 1,000, Harper is not in the part of the Texas Hill Country known for its music festivals, million-dollar estates, and Teutonic tourist traps. Situated in sparsely populated Gillespie County, where ranching is still the principal means of existence, its claim to fame is a monthly exotic-animals auction, where forward-looking ranchers stock their spreads with audad, eland, oryx, gazelle, Sicilian donkeys, zebras, black swans, pot-bellied pigs, and so-called fainting goats.

These hapless creatures suffer from a genetic defect that causes them to collapse in fear when a predator approaches. A single goat is attached to a flock of sheep, and when a coyote attacks, the goat gets eaten as the sheep make their getaway.

I didn’t see any fainting goats, but I did encounter some wild turkeys in the City Park:

Wild Texas Turkeys

As with most small towns in this area, the local historical marker involved Indian attacks:

Indian Massacre marker

The Joint

Next to the Methodist Church right of Hwy 290, Easy Pickens is easy to find. Be careful to note their very limited hours if you’re planning on going: Friday–Saturday–Sunday from 11:00 to 2:00.

That’s it.

Easy Pickens BBQ

Like most good authentic Texas BBQ joints, you first stop by the pits outside (or in a pit room) to pick out your meat:

Easy Picken's Pits

Most BBQ joints in Texas seem to be staffed by crusty old geezers at the pits and their lovely wives at the registers.

At Easy Pickens, the pit boss was a bit younger and much cuter than most other pit bosses:

The cutest pit boss in all of Texas

Once inside, I found that the rest of the joint was run by a family of young ladies — three pretty little blonde girls who must have been sisters. These young ladies sliced your meat from the pit, served your side orders, and rang up your order.

Mom/Grandma was cleaning the tables with her infant grandchild in her arms.

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The service was as down-home friendly as you’d expect in a town of 1000 people…and the staff greeted nearly every customer by name while I was there.

The Meat

Easy Pickens serves all of the staples: brisket, pork ribs, hot links, half chickens, and giant pork chops. I almost always go for brisket and ribs, but the chops looked so good that I grabbed one instead of the ribs.

I had the pit boss dip it in the pot of drippings simmering on the pit. The giant chop was about $9, and the 1/2 lb of brisket was about $4.

Inside, I ordered an iced tea and then grabbed a bowl of sliced white onion and a bowl of soupy pinto beans (gratis and serve yourself and all you-can-eat) .

Easy Pickens offers three house sauces. I tried all three:

• A thin vinegar sauce that was not vinegary enough, and would have been improved with a whole lot more cayenne pepper.
• A sweet red sauce — I only had a bite or two of this subtle sauce, but didn’t like it much.
• Grandma’s Sauce — a really good tomato-based red sauce with a very nice smoked chipotle pepper flavor.

The brisket was a little disappointing. It did not have an identifiable vein of fat, and no pink — it was a bit overcooked and under-flavored. The rub tasted like the standard pepper and salt, but there was not enough of either.

Don’t get me wrong — the brisket wasn’t bad. It’s just not brisket I would drive 100 miles for (again).

My pork chop on the other hand was outstanding. Not quite as good as the Big Chop at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Llano, but really good nonetheless. Especially dipped in Grandma’s sauce.

Overall Impression

Easy Pickens is trying to do Texas BBQ the right way. But they come up a bit short. Perhaps the limited days and hours of operation haven’t permitted them to get it “just right”.

If you’re driving between Junction and Austin, it’s probably the best pit BBQ you’ll find on Hwy 290 (though I haven’t tried Ronnie’s Pit BBQ in Johnson City, yet) and would is absolutely worth stopping for if you’re passing through Harper.

I just don’t know that it’s a destination in-and-of-itself like some other great Texas BBQ joints.

Rating: 5 out of 10 rib-bones

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OTHER DAY TRIPS:

• Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-b-que in Llano
• City Market in Luling