It’s been about a week away from posting, which has bothered me, but it was a busy week between the holiday weekend and a buddy’s bachelor party. Although I wasn’t writing during that time, I did do a few things that were Westbound Soul worthy like finally getting to try Sevens Out BBQ in Briarcliff, TX.
Discovering a New Favorite
I found out about Sevens Out through an online community for University of Texas football fans about a month ago. In response to my request for recommendations in the Spicewood area, someone pointed me to the “recently opened” Sevens Out so I decided to look them up. Their website was modern, responsive, and full of pictures of the mouthwatering morsels made possible by hard work, smoke, and blackened steel. Upon further inspection, I found an instagram full of similar photos with about the same followers/following numbers as mine so I know they must be fairly undiscovered.
Not long after following the Sevens Out instagram, I saw a pic of some cool hats they had made in a style similar to some that I’m looking to get made for Westbound Soul. I posted a comment about some details on the hats and soon had a response from the owner. His helpfulness made me want to commit to checking out their joint when in Spicewood in the following weeks (I had been on the fence about it). So I let him know that I’d be coming by with a hungry group of guys and he told me their hours and said bring it on.
Just goes to show how a little interaction or engagement can make a lot of difference.
The Visit
The truck pulled up to Sevens Out about 5 minutes after they opened on Friday afternoon. There were 5 of us that made the (literally half mile) drive from where we were staying to the BBQ joint. We hustled from the truck to the door so we could get out of the heat in a hurry. When that door swung open we were hit with the smokey sweet smell of BBQ that had been hours in the making. Our mouths were watering. The owner and his wife greeted us with a smile and explained that smoked turkey wouldn’t be ready for a couple of hours still. No one cared. We were there for brisket, sausage, and ribs.
A couple of the guys ordered their plates of brisket, jalapeno sausage, beans, and potato salad before it was time to make my choice. I ordered a 2 meat plate of brisket, ribs, potato salad, and beans and asked if I could purchase one of the branded hats they had for sale. One of the guys asked if we could bring in our own beer and we got a solid 10-4, since the liquor license hadn’t arrived in the mail yet. Only after he swiped my card to pay for the meal and cap, did I introduce myself to the owner, Kyle, as “the Westbound Soul” guy. We did introductions, chatted a bit, and exchanged pleasantries all the while the smell was making my mouth water even more.
The Food
Food was brought out steaming hot on butcher-paper lined red cafeteria trays. Meats arranged neatly on the right side – ribs at the top, brisket at the bottom, while the beans and potato salad had their own bowl/boat (respectively) on the left. Sauce (as if you’d actually need it), pickles, onions, and bread were self-serve style on a table near the kitchen, so I helped myself to a couple slices of bread and some sauce for trial/dipping in the middle of my tray.
…every bit as good as the last time I went to Cooper’s in Llano, but without the wait!
Just look a the bark and nice pink color on those ribs. The bark and fat render in the brisket were so good that I didn’t need anything other than my plastic fork. Now I’m not a food critic or food writer, so you’ll have to forgive my ignorance on how to write about this stuff. But the whole experience was DAMN GOOD. The brisket had excellent flavor and was done just right so it didn’t have that chewy overdone texture to it, nor did it have the squishy still needs an hour or two mouth feel. My favorite part of the brisket, the bark, was crisp but not tough and full of salt-and-pepper brisket rub flavor. I hate to use cliches but, hell I’ve done it before, the ribs were literally falling off the bone. They were so tender and full of flavor that I found myself picking them clean trying to get the most out of every bone. They also had a phenomenal crispy bark that gave the ribs the perfect texture when combined with the tender smokey meat underneath.
The potato salad was made with mustard, as it should be and had a healthy dosage of pepper so I can’t complain. While the beans were piping hot, tender, and had a hint of chili powder in them to give a little extra kick. Pair all of this smoked awesomeness with a cold Lone Star Beer, wrap it up, and call it Christmas. Seriously cannot beat it. Our experience at Sevens Out was every bit as good as the last time I went to Cooper’s in Llano, but without the wait!
The Plug
Go to Sevens Out BBQ. If you’re in Austin, Bee Cave, Spicewood, Marble Falls, or just Texas in general, this place is worth checking out. Kyle and his wife, Kimberly, will take care of you. The food is excellent, the space is cool and laid back, and the surrounding area has needed a BBQ joint like this to come along. The other spots in the area can’t hold a candle to Sevens Out. It was so good that one of my friends, who’s really not a BBQ guy, was begging us to go back the next day for a late lunch. I’m telling you this, the location might not be in the middle of a BBQ hotbed like downtown Austin, but it’s close enough that the BBQ-Joneses there better watch out.
Most importantly, on behalf of my friends and myself, I want to thank Kyle and Kimberly for their hospitality and for sharing their talent of BBQ with us. I can’t emphasize enough how much we enjoyed it and will be telling everyone we know about y’all’s spot.
