Coopers Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que

Reviews

• ★★★★½ Pork Loin Brisket Mac & Cheese Beans Blackberry Cobbler Visited Dec 6, 2019

  Decent BBQ, With A Few Differences

  I’ve eaten at another Cooper’s location in Llano before, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect when I stopped here.
  
  When you order, you work your way through a buffet-style serving line where the meats are prepared and portioned right in front of you. Depending on how much meat you order, it may be wrapped in butcher paper or served in a metal baking pan. The dining room has rows of large wooden picnic-style tables, but these aren’t your typical picnic tables—they’re easily 15 feet or more in length, giving the place a very casual, communal feel.
  
  The brisket here can really run the gamut. I’ve had pieces that were extremely lean and dry, while other pieces were wonderfully fatty and moist. Because of that, it’s worth being specific about what you want when ordering. If you prefer a little more fat and moisture, say so when they’re cutting your brisket. But be careful, saying you like fatty brisket could land you a lot of fat, so Id recommend shooting for the middle.. Not too lean, not too fatty, moist and marbled is what I would recommend asking for.
  
  One option I particularly like is getting the brisket “dipped.” From what I understand, the dip is a mixture of meat drippings and BBQ sauce. When it comes out, there’s surprisingly little of the mixture actually clinging to the meat, but it seems to add some extra moisture without making the brisket overly saucy.
  
  The seasoning here can also be a little inconsistent. Some people find the brisket and other meats salty, and I have had individual bites or pieces that seemed over-seasoned. The same was true of the beans on one of my two visits. They were fine on one visit, but on the ther other were noticeably over-seasoned. The beans are self-serve and complimentary, so reguardless they’re worth trying.
  
  The BBQ sauce here is worth mentioning as well, because it’s a apple cider vinegar-style sauce. If you prefer a sweeter, thicker BBQ sauce, this may not be what you’re looking for. While its not one of my favorite sauce styles, its part of what makes this place a little different.
  
  The mac and cheese is pretty good, but one of the standout items for me is the blackberry cobbler. That’s definitely something I’d recommend leaving room for.
  
  Prices are reasonable, especially compared with other established BBQ spots. Cooper’s is generally around the same price as many competitors, and in some cases a little less depending on what you order.
  
  Overall, Cooper’s is a solid BBQ option with some things I really enjoy, particularly the brisket when you get the right cut, the dipped brisket option, and the blackberry cobbler. The inconsistency in the brisket, occasional over-seasoning, and vinegar sauce keep it from being higher on my personal list, though. For me, this location lands somewhere in the middle of my list of BBQ places.

  — Paul