Anyone ever eat BBQ at "Iron Works" here in Austin? (Mesquite: rent, houses)

[inthecut]

My God, I have to check this place out..how have I not heard of it? I could take a bit out of the menu itself, it looks so good!

http://www.ironworksbbq.com/media/Iron-Works-Menu.pdf

They cook anything you bring yourself, if you'd like, as well....It's right off Ceasar Chevez, on south Red River......

Forget the caloric intake crap, and head over there!....

[migol84]

i was just there a few days ago.... i got so hungry that once i thought of Iron Works I didn't waste any time. I didn't even care that I went alone. I had the sampler..... it's so good. I'm taking my parents there for my dad's birthday.... he loves bbq!

[car957]

Their are much better places at much lower prices. But if you want to pay Convention Center prices for decent BBQ, go for it.

[migol84]

Originally Posted by car957

Their are much better places at much lower prices. But if you want to pay Convention Center prices for decent BBQ, go for it.

it is kinda pricy but it's still pretty good. ruby's is also good but I think it's even pricier. not too familiar with stubb's or rudy's to comment on.

[Melissa78703]

Ironworks is still my fave BBQ place. The ambiance is incredible. And I love their BBQ sauce, too--not too sweet, not too salty. I might have to head over there tomorrow for some ribs!

[centralaustinite]

A better question might be, "who hasn't?"

[TexasHorseLady]

Yes. Quite nice BBQ for where it is. Down in that general area, I'd rather go to House Park BBQ (other side of downtown, on 12th), but we do go there sometimes with out of town guests.

(She says, still licking her greasy lips because her husband headed out this morning to a tiny BBQ joint we know of in a small nearby town where you can only get BBQ on Saturday or Sunday and you have to go early before they're sold out, so he bought a couple of pounds of brisket and we shared one slice for breakfast before packing the rest away for lunch or the freezer. MAN, that was good!)

[inthecut]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Yes. Quite nice BBQ for where it is. Down in that general area, I'd rather go to House Park BBQ (other side of downtown, on 12th), but we do go there sometimes with out of town guests.

(She says, still licking her greasy lips because her husband headed out this morning to a tiny BBQ joint we know of in a small nearby town where you can only get BBQ on Saturday or Sunday and you have to go early before they're sold out, so he bought a couple of pounds of brisket and we shared one slice for breakfast before packing the rest away for lunch or the freezer. MAN, that was good!)

Very cool that you had BBQ slabs for breakfast, THL...only a true Texan can do that...My old home town had great ones as well..I grew up in a little suburb just south of Chicago right next to a black suburb named Harvey...back in the 70's, Harvey had two great rib houses, one was Georges', and we would get rib tips there quite often...just a wonderfully packed bag of them, so thick you would just ruin your dentalwork biting in.
George would heat up his mesquite pit about 3-4 hours before he started cooking, and you knew he was ready for business when you saw the smoke billowing out full-bore....really nice little character from Mississippi, learned the craft from his grandfather, and not a soul knew any secrets per preperation...in those days they didn't sell sauces as a sideline, so you had no idea what went into even THAT, let along any cooking secrets...all you could do is see that billowing smoke, smell it a block away, and chomp on it.....

Per Iron Works being expensive, I would say a good slab of ribs, even tips, isn't cheap anywhere if its good and established....it is a very long process to cook BBQ ribs, and the meat itself is not cheap, let alone the prep and sauces and such....I think you get what you pay for...the rent is prob a little higher in that convention area as well...I saw the menu prices and it wasn't THAT much higher than the little joints squirrel away all over town....sounds like a fun, rowdy-ish roadhouse atmosphere in there as well....

And what a great name!

Could it be because of the moniker Mesquite wood has in some parts of Texas?

Re a wikipedia entry:

Mesquite wood is hard, allowing it to be used for furniture and implements. Wood from Prosopis juliflora and Prosopis glandulosa is used for decorative woodworking and woodturning. It is highly desirable due to its dimensional stability after being fully cured. The hard, dense lumber is also sold as "Texas Ironwood" and is rather harsh on chain saws and other tools.

[TexasHorseLady]

Nice theory, but it's named that because the building it's in used to be an ornamental iron works shop. (I thought that was the case, had to go to their website to confirm my memory.)

[txgolfer130]

Ironworks used to be a died and gone to heaven experience. Now for me at least it's an, meh...if I get some ok, if not, well no biggie. I would rather head out to Driftwood for Saltlick vs. Ironworks.