Louie Mueller Barbecue

If you've got time to be leisurely, this place is well worth the 40-mile drive from Austin. Since 1946, Louie Mueller and his family have been smoking briskets, jalapeno sausages, ribs and other meats over a giant pit in the middle of the building, typically selling out before closing time. Like true barbecue joints, the place is a bit dingy from years of smoke, and standard dining accoutrements (like plates) are absent, but when you're sinking your teeth into a chunk of meat so elementally delicious, who cares? Ranked one of the top 25 barbecue places in the world.