Maples Barbecue

[Roger S]

I've wanted to see something tried here like what John Meuller did a few blocks from Franklin's in Austin. Which is why I have had my eye on the Farmer's Market but I can see it possibly being done in Midtown because it's similar to Bleu Garten.

He billed it as "The worlds largest backyard party." and it was basically a fenced off corner lot with a tent and a bunch of wooden picnic tables, his pits, and a trailer they served out of.

Don't know how many people are familiar with John Meuller, because he's led a train wreck of a personal life, but the man can cook some great BBQ and comes from a great BBQ family. The same family where Aaron Franklin learned his craft as a pitmaster.

I've eaten at both Meuller's and Franklin's and the day I was there I thought Meuller's was the slightly better of the two.

Meuller and Franklin both cook on wood fired tank style pits and I've seen the tanks Maple's is fabricating theirs from. So the pits will be similar to what some of the great Texas pitmasters are cooking on.

So my main concern knowing the type of pits they intend to use is still the smoke irritating the neighbors. Pete since you seem to be in the know on this project. Is it going to be located in an area where there might be complaints of this type? Knowing that for this concept to work these guys are going to have to be out there firing up their pits around midnight to 2 AM to cook the meat they plan to start selling around 11 AM.

[Pete]

Yes, they said they would be starting cooking about 11PM the night before.

Also mentioned Franklin's as a reference point.

[soonerguru]

I've wanted to see something tried here like what John Meuller did a few blocks from Franklin's in Austin. Which is why I have had my eye on the Farmer's Market but I can see it possibly being done in Midtown because it's similar to Bleu Garten.

He billed it as "The worlds largest backyard party." and it was basically a fenced off corner lot with a tent and a bunch of wooden picnic tables, his pits, and a trailer they served out of.

Don't know how many people are familiar with John Meuller, because he's led a train wreck of a personal life, but the man can cook some great BBQ and comes from a great BBQ family. The same family where Aaron Franklin learned his craft as a pitmaster.

I've eaten at both Meuller's and Franklin's and the day I was there I thought Meuller's was the slightly better of the two.

Meuller and Franklin both cook on wood fired tank style pits and I've seen the tanks Maple's is fabricating theirs from. So the pits will be similar to what some of the great Texas pitmasters are cooking on.

So my main concern knowing the type of pits they intend to use is still the smoke irritating the neighbors. Pete since you seem to be in the know on this project. Is it going to be located in an area where there might be complaints of this type? Knowing that for this concept to work these guys are going to have to be out there firing up their pits around midnight to 2 AM to cook the meat they plan to start selling around 11 AM.

I've been to Mueller's. That is insanely good barbecue. The brisket is the best I've ever eaten, regardless of BBQ style. Loved the vibe of the place. Went there on a Texas game day and they had a bluegrass / hipster country band playing and give you a free Shiner Bock when you get in line.

[Roger S]

I've been to Mueller's. That is insanely good barbecue. The brisket is the best I've ever eaten, regardless of BBQ style. Loved the vibe of the place. Went there on a Texas game day and they had a bluegrass / hipster country band playing and give you a free Shiner Bock when you get in line.

Yes... The vibe was great and I compare it to the vibe at Bleu Garten.

The only brisket I've had that I personally thought was better than what I had at John Meuller's was at Snow's in Lexington, TX. I've never eaten a better breakfast than the brisket and hot gut I ate at 8:15 AM at Snow's. How many people have eaten something so good they can still remember the exact time they ate it?

If these guys can even come close to what I've eaten down there. They will kill it here. It's absolutely some of the best meat I have ever eaten and I would choose it over what I've had at any KCBS cook-off any day of the week.

[Pete]

This is all sounding very promising.

Hope it's awesome and it spurs others to do more of the same. Still a huge BBQ void in OKC.

[Roger S]

This is all sounding very promising.

Hope it's awesome and it spurs others to do more of the same. Still a huge BBQ void in OKC.

Agreed.... I'm going to keep my expectations in check though until I see the final product.... I got burned by another restaurant group a few years back that did all their research at some of the best places Texas has to offer but didn't deliver on the product..... Not that they make terrible Q but it's not what I was expecting it to be.

[HangryHippo]

Agreed.... I'm going to keep my expectations in check though until I see the final product.... I got burned by another restaurant group a few years back that did all their research at some of the best places Texas has to offer but didn't deliver on the product..... Not that they make terrible Q but it's not what I was expecting it to be.

You seem nearly impossible to please when it comes to BBQ if it's not from Texas or Kansas City. Do you like any BBQ places in Oklahoma?

[sooner88]

There are several empty lots within a block or two of Waffle Champion. I'm curious to hear where they end up, this is exciting.

[stile99]

Mueller wins in my opinion as well. Not only did he teach Aaron everything he (Aaron) knows, Aaron bought one of John's smokers when things went pear-shaped. It's an interesting story, that continues to twist. When John got in a fight with his sister and left, she hired someone from Franklin to replace him. The student becomes the teacher, the teacher becomes the student, the student becomes the teacher again, and so on.

I hope they do well, and I hope there are few if any issues with the neighbors. Someone has GOT to teach the Swadley family how to do it right.

[Roger S]

You seem nearly impossible to please when it comes to BBQ if it's not from Texas or Kansas City. Do you like any BBQ places in Oklahoma?

BurnCo, Mud Creek BBQ, Smokin Joe's, Butcher BBQ Stand, William's Old Style, Trail's End, George's Happy Hog, The Flying Pig, Leo's, Ray's Smokehouse, Jack's.... and there were quite a few that are no longer in business.

[adaniel]

You seem nearly impossible to please when it comes to BBQ if it's not from Texas or Kansas City. Do you like any BBQ places in Oklahoma?

Just my 0.02 but BBQ is one of those things that is just highly subjective from person to person. I live in TX now and honestly Iron Starr remains my favorite BBQ restaurant to this day. I can also agree that, given Oklahoma's rich BBQ heritage, OKC is still lacking that one "it" place.

And to be frank, I wonder how many people who swoon over Central Texas-style BBQ have ever had Memphis style (full disclosure: my dad's family is from Memphis and Northern MS so that is what I grew up on). Standing in line with pretentious hipsters eating overly smokey brisket sounds like a nightmare to me. Go to Central BBQ in Memphis and get some dry rub ribs while listening to some Otis Redding or Issac Hayes over the radio. Trust me its much better LOL.

If someone can pull off a Memphis style place in OKC I would be much more impressed, but again its all subjective.

[OkieHornet]

going to austin soon and am going to do the franklin bbq wait. oh my...

[Roger S]

If someone can pull off a Memphis style place in OKC I would be much more impressed, but again its all subjective.

Most subjective cuisine of them all in my opinion.

I would love to see more BBQ diversity here.... There was a hole in the wall place in a little strip center near 80th and Western for a few months that was cranking out some killer Eastern Carolina style pork. Then the owner got a job offer in Vermont and they were gone.

Biggest problem I have with OKC BBQ in general is the inconsistency.... One day I can go somewhere and be served some phenomenal BBQ and then on the next trip I get served something that probably never should have left the kitchen unless it was chopped up and hidden in a batch of beans. And after three years of doing the OKC Broken Rib Tour it has made this even more apparent because some of the places that have consistently been in the Top 5 of our favorite slabs of ribs have also served me meals that made me not want to go back.

If Maple's can overcome this consistency problem that plagues OKC. Then they will thrive. If not they will be just another BBQ place.

[Roger S]

going to austin soon and am going to do the franklin bbq wait. oh my...

It's worth experiencing once.... So much good BBQ in Austin that I wouldn't do it a second time.... Hit up LA Barbecue (Lee Ann Meuller's place and John Meuller's sister) or Micklethwait's while you are there. I'd say hit John Meuller's, right around the corner from Franklin's, but right now the tax commission has him shut down.

[stile99]

Standing in line with pretentious hipsters eating overly smokey brisket sounds like a nightmare to me.

Oh no! you triggered The Rant!

It sounds like a nightmare because it IS a nightmare. Well, the hipsters part. Overly smokey is when it starts getting good. I love Aaron Franklin, I respect both the man and the food. But the simple fact is you pass DOZENS of equally great BBQ places in Austin to get to his. Is his brisket a small slice of heaven? Yes. Is waiting three hours for it a small slice of hell? Yes, and the people who proclaim it to be part of the experience are just simply crazy. Because in the time spent in line, I could get an equally transcendent mouthful from any number of other places. I feel I may have ranted on here about this before, but I've even seen one travel show talk about the beautiful birds that sing to you while you eat at Franklin's. Those are not beautiful birds. They are demons from the deepest bowels of hell known as 'grackles'. Grackles are assholes.

[turnpup]

^^^^^

Too funny, Stile 99! You almost made me spit out the mouthful of water I was drinking as I read your rant.

[soonerguru]

going to austin soon and am going to do the franklin bbq wait. oh my...

As mentioned above, drive like two blocks east of Franklin's and eat at Mueller's. It's probably just as good (some say even better).

[Roger S]

As mentioned above, drive like two blocks east of Franklin's and eat at Mueller's. It's probably just as good (some say even better).

I have to recommend against that because as also said above.... Mueller's is currently closed for business until he pays some back taxes..... John has said he'll be back but knowing his history..... This may be the final nail.

[soonerguru]

Sad to hear that.

[adaniel]

LOL @ stile99. Sorry I did not mean to trigger you haha. But seriously, I just cannot bring myself to wait 2+ hours to wait for anything. Especially considering that, as most people have pointed out, there are plenty of very good options for much less hassle (I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Salt Lick) And people...Austin is HOT from May to October. Is heat stroke worth a few pieces of brisket?

Biggest problem I have with OKC BBQ in general is the inconsistency.... One day I can go somewhere and be served some phenomenal BBQ and then on the next trip I get served something that probably never should have left the kitchen unless it was chopped up and hidden in a batch of beans.

Agree 100% and it often comes from established restaurateurs in OKC who should really know better.

[pickles]

Agreed.... I'm going to keep my expectations in check though until I see the final product.... I got burned by another restaurant group a few years back that did all their research at some of the best places Texas has to offer but didn't deliver on the product..... Not that they make terrible Q but it's not what I was expecting it to be.

They make terrible "Q". It's okay to admit it.

[pickles]

You seem nearly impossible to please when it comes to BBQ if it's not from Texas or Kansas City. Do you like any BBQ places in Oklahoma?

Not directed toward me, but...

There are good places in Oklahoma, but virtually none in Oklahoma City. In Texas, Tennessee, etc., there is no point in going into this business unless you're willing to put in the time and effort to make a superior product. In Oklahoma, there is very little frame of reference for what that superior product is like and the amount of time, effort and experience required to produce it. This is because people are willing to eat junk here - it is why we have among the highest per capita percentages of fast food restaurants in North America.

In Oklahoma, people are selling day old ribs slathered in sugar sauce with texture that would enable them to be eaten by people who just took their dentures out. Oklahoma City bbq places generally cook fast and lazy, and would scoff at the idea that they should have enough pride not to serve old meat, which is exactly what you're getting at most places. I have never in my life had good brisket in Oklahoma that didn't come from a backyard smoker or a smoker at a bbq festival/cook off. Tulsa has a few good places. OKC bbq is pretty much a disgrace.

[Roger S]

(I'm surprised nobody mentioned the Salt Lick).

No one from Texas ever mentions the Salt Lick either... It's Central Texas's BBQ's version of our Cattlemen's Steakhouse...... Everyone knows about it but how many of us actually go there? ..... Ok, I go there for breakfast..... Oh and I love Salt Lick's BBQ sauce but sauce isn't why I go to a Q-raunt.

[Roger S]

They make terrible "Q". It's okay to admit it.

I've had way worse.... When they get it right their Q is good. Problem is they seem to only be able to get it right when I order ribs by the slab.

[Roger S]

OKC bbq is pretty much a disgrace.

You haven't looked hard enough. I'd put The Flying Pigs ribs up against anyone and their brisket and pork is nothing to turn your nose up at..... just wish they would open up a brick and mortar location.