Ironworks, Austin, TX

So I finally made it to Ironworks. They decided not to close during dinner time for some private party this time around.

For some reason, and I don't know why, I was expecting a fancy type of restaurant with a name like Ironworks. It was actually a corner dive. Not that that is a bad thing but I just wasn't expecting an 'order at the counter' type of place. Of course that ended up working out for me considering I just got my big bag of food to go instead of eating there.

What did I eat? Pretty much a little bit of everything. At least most of the main courses. And it was pretty tasty. This was good bar b q they way I like it. I even had beef ribs which not many places serve. They have good sauce. It is the traditional tangy sauce everyone thinks about.

But to the meats...they were cooked very well. The backs of the ribs didn't have that thin membrane that I hate so much (see Ruby's review). Both the pork baby back ribs and the beef ribs were extremely tender and moist. The beef ribs should be since they are pretty fatty in general. Good smokey flavor that isn't too overpowering. The sauce complemented both very well but next time I will probably order them dry to see what they taste like sans sauce. I wasn't aware that when you order with sauce; it is slathered all over and not put "on the side."

Then came the sausage. It was pretty good. Better than most but still have to put Rudy's (with a D) up in the #1 hole. Then of course, smoked turkey and brisket. Here is where I was disappointed. Both were pretty dry. I even lucked out and got a "burnt end" piece of brisket which I love because it is usually covered in spices. But alas, both were pretty dry and unimpressive. The sauce helped but I would have hoped for more some better quality. I think next time, I'll stick with ribs and try the 1/2 chicken.

Of course that means that I will be going back. The ribs were really good. And I also go back to how I found out about the place to begin with. When I asked the front desk guy, he mentioned that Ironworks is known for the ribs. So chalk this one up for a good recommendation instead of getting hosed by a crappy rec.