Hill Country Blog
There are as many experiences as there are people living here. This is our story, about our special places, activities and taking life day by day. See more stories to the right in our Blog Listing.
BBQ'n Texas Style
My first experience BBQ’n was cooking hamburgers when I was twelve years old. I figure over the years my sense of grill timing came from starting young. I’ve moved on since those early years to BBQ’n steaks, ribs, poultry, fish, veggies and more.
Being a barbeque meister outside of Texas, where the weather does not always cooperate, can be a lonely endeavor. The company arrives and so does the foul weather. You find yourself under an umbrella cooking alone.
Sure I would have “visitors” for short moments at the pit, only to be abandoned for the warmth of the indoors. I would also take brief breaks to visit the cave dwellers inside, but the draw of the BBQ would always bring me back to standing outside alone...a cold one in my fist, drinking.
Then we moved to the Texas Hill Country and that all changed. I had to start buying a lot more beer. I had friends and family packed around me. The smell of the BBQ, the balmy days and nights and the cold brew all beckoned our guest out of doors.
The grilling experience prepares the taste buds in anticipation of the meal, not a quick 20 minute meal that is polished off as we move onto dessert and coffee. No, a BBQ goes on for hours, leading up to the culmination of removing the meat from the white hot embers and laying a slab on the bar. The BBQ is the main event.
BBQ’n in Texas, is Texas. There are BBQ restaurants, cafes or stands in most any direction you can think of going. I’ve seen trailers along side the rode with a BBQ pit in front, open for business. The first thing that will hit your senses is the smell and then you will see the smoke. Restaurants that serve nothing but authentic BBQ are large gathering halls with picnic tables for seating. And nowadays when I BBQ, I'm never alone, so I keep the cooler stocked with beer.
Drive Times
Getting from one place to another takes time in the Hill Country. Texas is a big state and there's a lot of land to traverse. I've put together a drive time grid of how long it takes to get from one place to another.
Monthly Calendar
Interested in what's going on up to the minute...check out our monthly calendar for events by town.
