Keith’s BBQ

It’s hard to rate TX BBQ anything less than 3 stars, and this is TX BBQ. I would say it’s solid, though it’s not in the same tier as Terry Blacks and Rudy’s, my favorite and second favorite respectively. I had my meal off the truck.
I ordered the 2 meat plate, brisket, outside cut (aka meat candy) and sausage. The brisket was ok, a little dry and slightly tough. I had to use a knife to cut it! HAHA The bark was nothing special either, the rub could have used a bit more salt to bring out the flavor. It was plenty peppery though. It had a great smokey smell and taste. The sausage was very good, dense and flavorful, and the casing wasn’t too tough. The sauce was sweet and tangy, reminiscent of KC BBQ, though not as runny, and no heavy vinegar taste. It also came with a side, I went with potato salad. The potatoes were cooked and cubed, but still pretty hard. This tater salad held it’s shape. They used mustard (I prefer mayo) and the flavor was decent.
I would rate this place pretty far down the list of BBQ in central TX, behind Terry Blacks, Rudys, Louie Mueller, Opie’s, Smitty’s, etc. HOWEVER, the biggest redeeming quality for Keith’s is the price. I paid $ 11 (tax included, plus 20% tip) for my 2 meat, 1 side plate, which was plenty of food for a work day, considering I try to eat light at work but could not pass up BBQ delivered right outside my office. I can’t get out of any other BBQ joint for less than $ 20, so $ 11 for a 2 meat, 1 side TX BBQ plate is phenomenal. This is a «try it and keep your expectations in check» type place. I’d go again.

Super fresh ingredients. Awesome taste. Good price. I had the sliced brisket sandwich when Keith’s stopped by the WF office building at Las Cimas., it was a welcome treat. The BBQ sauce has the right balance of tangy, sweet and spicy. I usually don’t hold out high hopes for side dishes at BBQ trailers, but what a nice discovery… the beans and potato salad were fresh and tasty too. Highly recommended. I hope they keep swinging by here for lunch.

HOLY MOLY BEST BRISKET EVER. I’m serious!
I eat BBQ for the brisket and Keith’s is the best I’ve had in Austin. So tender and moist, my mouth was welcoming it like MJ welcoming boys into Neverland Ranch! Really enjoyed the sauce, too. And I know BBQ is all about the meat, but a big fan of their cole slaw too. Not as mayo-​y as others but was bow chicka wow wow.
So many !!‘s I’m on a meat high leave me be!

We hired Keith’s BBQ as one of the food trucks for our conference. Service was friendly. The brisket sandwich was awesome. Fatty, not too much sauce and moist. Everything you want in a brisket sandwich. I tried Ironworks the day before and I wasn’t too impressed but I decided to give Austin barbeque another try and it was delicious!
Plus I love that they’re on a school bus!

Keith’s brings brisket down to my work every wednesday. And it’s always welcome round these parts. The moist brisket is perfect with pickles and onions. And Gabriel’s service is always charming and on point. They work to remember your name.

Keith’s BBQ came out to set up shop next to my office building.
Mediocre, or maybe less than. I was excited for barbecue I didn’t have to drive anywhere to go get, especially after such glowing reviews, but what I got was disappointment.
Everything was dry. The cut of brisket I received was incredibly lean, the ribs tasted okay but were not at all moist, the meat preferring to stick to the bone at all costs. The sauce is nothing special, just your standard sugary generic sauce. After eating half of it I gave the rest away to a coworker.

Seriously one of the best BBQ chicken I’ve ever had!
I got a Robin’s Taco for lunch (chicken, beans, cheese… and some magical smokey goodness), and loved it so much that I went back and grabbed «to-​go» dinner for myself and SO.
Needless to say, the dinner (brisket and pulled pork plate) was devoured and got equally high praise from the SO.
Also, a really good value. The amount of food was quite generous for the price.
Hoping they return to our office location (Barton Skyway) often! (hint hint hint)

Keith’s BBQ catered our wedding and it could not have been more perfect. Our guests are still gushing about how amazing the BBQ was! My groom and I were dancing and socializing too much to eat at the reception. However, to our surprise Keith packed us two to-​go boxes and put them in our get away car! We devoured everything as soon as we got to the hotel. It was so amazing to work with a vendor that is dedicated to creating a seamless and stress free experience. I never had to worry about a thing and Keith went above and beyond to ensure our guests were completely satisfied.
If you are in need of a caterer for ANY event, I HIGHLY recommend Keith’s BBQ! They are a true pleasure to work with and their food is incredible.

I recently heard about this place, but hadn’t made the effort to go try yet. I live right by Zilker and next door to an office building that always has food trucks stop by for lunch. Just my luck that I came home about 11 am and Keith’s was posted up next door.
These people are slangin some serious bbq and some of the best prices around. When eating bbq by myself I almost always get a sliced brisket sandwich and tater salad. Not only is this sandwich in the top 3 I’ve had, but the price was a few dollars cheaper than the others. I’ll definitely be watching them on social media and eating here again.

His barbeque is outstanding. He catered my daughter’s wedding and we were all so pleased. His rates were very reasonable and the food was delicious. He delivered it to the venue and even stayed to make sure all was served/​stored correctly. Highly recommend his catering services.

Other than my husband’s BBQ, this is my favorite! We love to go see John Gaar Band at the Saxon Pub on Sundays, and when we see this trailer we start salivating! I haven’t tried anything I didn’t like, even the sauce is delicious! The BBQ seriously doesn’t need sauce, but like I always tell my husband, «I’m a sauce girl!» I will never stand in line at Franklin’s for two hours when there are places like Keith’s that are, in my opinion, way better! The only thing I would change is a little larger portion of sides, just a little more! Go find this trailer and see if you don’t agree!

I had low expectations when they pulled up in the parking lot. Actually enjoyed the school bus where the pit was in the back in the generator in the front. However, the meet is serious. The brisket was moist and they use the Franklin method of wrapping with butcher paper. I do prefer more salt on the bark but was impressed nonetheless. The pulled pork was exceptional. It is on the sweet side (as opposed to the vinegar). my business partner was impressed with the chicken. Today, we had a comparison since our office provided BBQ from Rudy’s. Keith’s was much much better.
The beans were very good. To the person who criticized for not having potato salad, I can only say a «really?» Judge what is on the plate. Never in my life nor any of my other barbecue friends lives have we ever picked a barbecue restaurant because of potato salad.
The prices are extremely reasonable and of course the convenience is outstanding. There certainly isn’t the line like there is at Franklin’s barbecue or at La BBQ.
I certainly would say it’s a top 10 barbecue restaurant in Austin. I can’t explain those with such negative reviews. I’m an amateur barbecue smoker and aficionado. I can only believe the people with the extremely bad reviews just happen to come on a bad day. BBQ can be like that, fickle beast that it is.

On the plus side, Keith’s comes to my office parking lot. I don’t mess with sides, and pretty much just stick to the «Keith’s Special» (sandwich or wrap of brisket and sausage). So for me, it’s under $ 10. They drive down the highway with a burning fire on-​board, so that’s cool. And occasionally the parking lot smells glorious. The guy at the window is always friendly.
The reviews are definitely a dichotomy. I’m somewhere in the middle. In my opinion, Keith’s strength is convenience, but it’s certainly not the mindblowing BBQ experience that would warrant anything approaching five stars. The brisket today (chopped and sauced, instead of the usual «sliced» they had run out of) was room temp and slightly stringy, and the jalapeño sausage is clearly brought in.
I’ll grade it on a scale where 1 is botulism, 3 is when-​HEB-​sometimes-​has-​a-​trailer-​selling-​sandwiches-​and-​sausage-​wraps, 4.5 is what I lovingly make on my Big Green Egg, and 5 are the places that make Texas Monthly’s list every year.
3.45 stars

After reading the reviews I was excited. This place was supposed to knock out Franklin’s and they were parking in front of my work for the day. Can’t beat that. I walk outside and the smell punches you in the face. Amazing, what you’d expect from a great BBQ joint. I look at the menu, simple, good prices for Franklin’s worthy BBQ in a mobile solution with no line (I paid $ 13 for my lunch). The guy taking your order was awesome, super friendly and helpful. The food comes out quick and the guy that gets you your food was friendly too. So far I’m stoked.
I find me a place to eat and the food was good, not great. Don’t get me wrong, I’d go back. It’s def. better than your Poke-​Joes and Rudy’s like another guy said but it’s no where near Franklin’s. I wouldn’t even say it was better than Terry Black’s but probably better than J Muellers. The potato salad was just something you could buy at HEB and the beans could come from any can. I ordered moist brisket and chicken, both had a great smokey flavor and were well seasoned but were borderline too dry. To be a great BBQ joint, you shouldn’t need sauce, that’s one thing that does Salt Lick in but add the sauce. I added some of their sauce and it was very tangy and overly sweet. Now I’m a Texas boy and in Texas we’re supposed to like the pepper BBQ sauce but I prefer the sweet mustard sauces of Salt Lick and Terry Blacks but this sauce was not a good sweet.
Now my review is sounding overly critical and it’s cuz I take my BBQ serious. I’ll say it again, I’d go back here. This place is good but it will never give Franklin’s or Pecan Lodge or Snow’s or Black’s (Terry or the original — yum) a run for their money.

Their lunch truck comes onsite and I have eaten here twice. UGH. They are expensive (their plates only come with meat and sides are additional) and portions small. The WORST potato salad I have ever eaten. I had my coworkers taste it and they all agreed by spitting it out. It was either rancid or made by someone with no tastebuds. I hope rancid, cause no one would have a recipe like that. I will not spend my money here.

After all that pulled pork, today I had the brisket sandwich. Pretty damn good. A nice balance of fattiness and brisket-​i-​ness. A good brisket is nice, but it’s never been my favorite Q item. This was pretty good. Many of the chains (pok-​e-​whoever-​the-​hell, rudy’s, etc) have a pretty dry brisket. Even if you get the «moist» it’s often over cooked. Keith’s was not overdone, buuuuuut… it wasn’t pulled pork. God I love their pulled pork. Pulled pork forever.
I’ve never before addressed another reviewer, I’m going to do so now: Casey G. you’re crazy. Maybe brain damaged. Quite possibly you’re a paid reviewer for Franklin’s. I think most people should closely examine reviewers with hundreds of reviews. They’re more likely to be paid for all their «awesomeness.» I can’t imagine how you could give their brisket a 1 star. Maybe you got an end or something.
When I went this time, I mentioned my love of the pulled pork but my need to try something else. I ordered the brisket sandwich; they were gracious and added on a taste of the chicken and their potato salad.
As you can see from my previous review, I gave the potato salad a mediocre review. A bit dry but still good. This time they seem to have gone with a more «wet» style. It was pretty good. Still though, it wasn’t quite right. If they strike a balance between the drier style I had before (with the yummy skin-​on taters) and the heavy-​on-​mayo wet style, they’d achieve perfection. But you dont’ go for the tater salad. You go for BBQ.
The chicken was pretty good. It’s easy to dry out BBQ chicken on a grill. The chicken was pretty juicy, fell apart as I ate it, and had a good char to it (for those that like char) that wasn’t overblown (i.e., dry and burnt).
Interestingly, they seemed to have answered one of my other comments about their Q. This time the sauce was sweet, but not as sweet as before and the pepper-​iness was toned down. I think they may have found the sweet spot (pun totally intended).
With these guys coming to my office once a week, I find it hard to believe that I’ll ever go back to the chains. Franklin’s gets lots of press, but there is no f**king way I’m standing in line for 2 hours. I’ll have to give Ruby’s pulled pork a try to be fair.

In order to get anything out of someone’s review I think qualifying the statement with a little background is imperative. So below are just a few points on my BBQ histories and beliefs
1. I fully believe that it is nearly impossible to separate the top tier of BBQ joints around the state and completely impossible (and maybe irresponsible) to narrow it down a specific list. Mainly because… sometimes I am hungrier than other days… sometimes the chefs are on point and other times not… I typically don’t eat BBQ from several places back to back and therefore don’t feel confident remembering which place I thought was more completely awesome… etc. etc.
2. My Typical Order for Reviewing: 2-​meat plate — Brisket, Pork Ribs, Coleslaw and Potato Salad.
3. To name a few I have eaten at: Franklin’s, City Market (Luling), Kreutz’s (Luling), Snow’s (Lexington), J. Mueller’s, Mickelwaith, Stiles Switch, Southside Meat Market (Elgin), Meyer’s (Elgin), Big Bib (Brady), and many many more.
4. My top tier (in no particular order): Franklin’s, City Market, and Snow’s.
Now to Keith’s…
Keith’s trailer comes by our office every other week and I have been able to try them twice now. The first time I had the brisket and ribs w/​coleslaw and the second time I had the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw. I have to say that Keith’s easily fits into my top 5. Everything I have had there so far is excellent from the meat to the sweet and creamy coleslaw.
I was particularly impressed with the moistness and humongousness of the pulled pork sandwich, and I am in fact still sitting here dreaming about it now as I type this review.
The service is top-​notch and friendly and they provide the additional benefit of being able to text in your order to speed up the process.
Please give these guys a try and you won’t be disappointed (except for those who have already tried it and were disappointed. I would have to assume these people have some mysterious taste pallette that is beyond my comprehension as a human.)

We hired Keith’s BBQ for a corporate event we did at South by Southwest last weekend and the food and experience was everything we could have ever wanted and more!!!
We wanted to create the world’s first in-​flight food truck for members of the media and influencers by serving BBQ on our company challenger. I found Keith’s BBQ through Unilocal and worked with him in the months leading up to the event to make sure we would have everything we needed. Not only was this the BEST BBQ we have EVER tasted — they were so friendly, accommodated us (we needed vegetarian options — they delivered) and helped us have fun while working long days at SXSW. The members of the media RAVED about the BBQ as did everyone at Signature FBO airport.
Keith and Robin went above and beyond for us and we are so happy with the result we had! HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the pulled pork, chicken, ribs, homemade coleslaw… basically everything!

Barbecuing ain’t easy. Nor is finding good barbecue to eat.
Despite what the aggregate Unilocal rating might say, Keith’s BBQ is not good. It’s not even close to good. The people are friendly and nice, and it’s convenient when the drive their truck around and park outside your office at lunchtime. But the meat is straight up terrible. The brisket was tough, chewy, and roast-​beefy. The meat had a smoke ring, but since it was cooked so poorly, one has to assume they injected chemicals to fake it. The sauce was mediocre. The sides were beans and slaw — I just can’t take a BBQ place seriously when they don’t even offer potato salad. I do have to admit the cole slaw was pretty tasty though.
Based on the amateurish quality of the brisket, I have serious questions whether most of the 5-​star reviews for Keith’s are from genuine sources, or were perhaps part of a «marketing» campaign. You will notice that most of the 5-​star reviewers have one or two reviews to their credit. Sketchy…
And whoever said that Franklin had better watch out for Keith’s (if in fact it was a real person) should have their Unilocal account suspended for willful misconduct. I have never heard a more ridiculous culinary statement in my life. Franklin is a jedi master, and these guys are like backyard cooks.
At least it was cheap at 7 bucks. If I ever I forget my lunch and reach the state of desperation where I might think about trying this place again, I think I’ll stick to cole slaw, or maybe give the chicken a try. They can’t possibly screw up chicken, right?

Hmmm. What to think about all the 5-​star reviews for a BBQ truck in a town full of awesome BBQ? Might be cynical, but the reviews are mostly from users with only a handful of reviews…
I’ve had Keith’s BBQ a couple times now, and I can say it’s not bad, but nothing special. The pulled pork is good, the sausage is standard Elgin-​type sausage you buy at the store, and the sides are chips, beans, and coleslaw. The sauce tastes like Rudy’s.
The brisket is another story. I’m not sure if it’s not cooked long enough or low enough, but it was very fatty and chewy… not the cooked-​till-​the-​fat-​melts wet brisket I like.
So, $ 7 for a grocery store hamburger bun with half a Elgin sausage and a small portion of fatty, undercooked brisket (Keith’s Special) is a threat to Franklin’s? Not so much. The service is good, if that helps.