Schoepf’s Bar-B-Que

My in-​laws live in Temple and swear that this is the best BBQ in central Texas. I would have to agree. I would go as far as saying it could compete against Austin, Elgin, and Lockhart BBQ.
I’ve been here on a few occasions. The most recent visit I had brisket and sausage, mac n cheese, green beans, and jalapeño cornbread. Loved all of it.
We had a large party of 12 people. We were able to call ahead and reserve a table for all of us which was nice. I know I’ll be back at some point.

I had dinner here with my girlfriend on 06÷18÷16. This isn’t the first time I’ve visited, although it has been awhile. I’m going to have to come here more often. Everything gets my DEE-​LISH rating. We ordered one combination plate which consisted of sausage (jalapeño and cheese) and turkey. We then added a side order of pork ribs. Everything was perfectly cooked. The turkey was some of the best I’ve had. Moist and flavorful. The ribs were great, although a bit dry for my taste. Yet they were meaty and delicious too. I wholeheartedly recommend Schoepf’s, especially if you are passing through Belton on I-​35. It’s just a block off Interstate. Quick and convenient!

They were out of ribs on a Friday night, which was the main reason for coming out here.
We had the chicken, brisket and sirloin. The chicken was dry, the brisket was ok but the sirloin was pretty good. The cornbread was dry and not very tasty. The green beans were not very flavorful. Would not recommend.

This place depends on what you like– sauce is unique, smokiness is light, heavily seasoned meats, etc.
For instance, I wasn’t a fan of their sauce, which tasted like someone took spaghetti sauce and added vinegar to it. The sauce didn’t compliment the meat either… Come on.
Their chicken half wasn’t bad, but it was more of a heavily seasoned grill rub rather than flavor from the smoker. Unfortunately, extremities of the chicken were pretty dry, but I still liked it. Seasoning was the savior to this chicken.
Spicy Sausage was decent but pretty dry — had to deeply submerge in sauce. It was great to not have an overly greasy link.
Lean Brisket was great — lightly smoked, moist, minimal fat marbling.
Overall, it was a good place to try and I would say give it try if you can.
Schoepf’s is not a godsend, but it is worth a taste.

No. Just no. The green beans are okay, but everything else was just bad. The lean brisket was anything but, even after I specifically asked that the fat be trimmed off. The potato salad tastes like straight mayonnaise and salt. The service was terrible at best. The restaurant is nice, but everything else breaks the place.
And we paid $ 63 for this crap.
We won’t go back.

Outstanding. As always. Expanded in last 3 – 4 years. Consistent. Clean. Friendly. Locally owned. Great catering. Now a music venue.

This review comes with a certain caveat: I am born and bred a Carolina boy, so my interpretation on BBQ is, apparently, quite different than Texas BBQ. I thought that BBQ was pork, but apparently, there are places other than the Carolinas that serve BBQ, and some of these places consider beef as a BBQ product. As wrong as this is, I had to check out this place.
I was here with another coworker and a customer. Both born and raised Texans (the pomposity of Texans is astounding ;)), so Shoepfs is apparently a great place for BBQ.
We arrived at about 11:30, and although the place wasn’t crowded, the service was soooo sloooow. We stood in line, waiting for out meats, for around 15 minutes. Combine the waiting room temperature being close to that of Mercury with the constant bark from the meat carvers to «Keep the doors closed» and the atmosphere was less than welcoming. They want the doors to remain closed to keep the meat warm. Excuse me, but isn’t that why you have a 4000 °F grill? I didn’t think it was culinarily possible to have a BBQ restaurant without a pork option, so I was completely dumbfounded when I saw no pork on the menu. The options were beef, chicken, or turkey. All things aside, turkey does not belong in a BBQ restaurant. I’m getting petty now.
I chose the brisket and turkey combo plate. I have had brisket maybe three times in my life. I thought it was pretty good but my coworker said it wasn’t, so I defer to his judgment. The turkey had some nice smoke flavor but was very dry. Copious amounts of sauce alleviated this somewhat, but I still felt like I was chewing on my running shoes.
We came here expecting a quick lunch, but it turned out to be an ordeal. I have no idea how this beef barbeque ranks, but I wasn’t a fan.

I’m a «foodie». Some of the worst BBQ (and sides) in Central TX… I don’t know how they have earned the reputation they earned because they have a fair amount of business. Great location… typical Texas BBQ atmosphere… smoke in the air, American not-​beir, nice pits, a café style serving line? Typical but very disappointing… call this place «Shucks Bad BBQ».
One could say… «they have their own style and they don’t care if you don’t like it»… think bland and very boring food with no flavor (no bark or smoke rings here), really? If you like real BBQ be prepared to wish you had not spent $ 12 for bland and boring meat and sides. It’s a BBQ crime and you can be the next victim? Help them get a grip on their reality… dullsville. Tears for Texas.

Good food, terrible experience. I interacted with about 8 «service» staff and it was evident none of them had been trained on what it means to be in the service industry. Despite my efforts to be friendly, I did not get a single smile or warm gesture from any of them. This is Texas y’all, we are supposed to be friendly! There are plenty of other great BBQ restaurants around who act like they want your business, I suggest Millers.

If you like you’re brisket cooked till it’s a roast and sausage cold this is the place for you. Belton/​Temple has a few BBQ places none of them good

I Was a little reluctant to stop at this place, but my coworkers wanted to eat here on the way back from dallas, I will break it down like this, the chicken was flavorful but dry, briskit had no flavor but moist, also had alot of fat that i trimmed off (not gonna eat fat) as for the sides, the beans were all split opened and had no flavor, (gotta soak beans overnight, so they cook even and not split) as for the potato salad, way too much mustard, overwhelms the other ingredients, overall this food is below average for the price point

The meat is cooked perfectly and flavored really well. My only complaint is the bbq sauce. It’s a little bland and very runny. Other than that I would highly recommend!

This place is very good, brisket is lean but moist, their mild sausage is delicious but the quail … Bacon raped and with a li bit of jalapeño in between… Oh may … Simply delicious. They also have the option for corn bread instead of bread which it was yummie.
Great atmosphere, I noticed that everyone that works there had a smile … Very pleasant.
No waiting time!!!
We really enjoyed it.

I would have sworn I’ve reviewed Schoepf’s before, but apparently not.
Shoepf’s has become a favorite lunch stop for me when traveling I-​35 between Austin and DFW. Earlier this week I was visiting a prospective client and had the opportunity to host him for lunch at this personal favorite.
Entering Shoepf’s, you first select your meats. They have something for everyone. My favorite BBQ fare is sliced brisket and spicy sausage. Shoepf’s offers a venison sausage that is an absolute «must have» for any sausage connoisseur. I chose homemade pinto beans and cole slaw to accompany my protein along with an ample stack of sliced dill pickles. The BBQ was tender and flavorful and I left feeling quite satisfied.
When you visit, make sure you walk past the smoke stack adjacent to the parking lot. The amount of heat it puts out is astounding. I look forward to my next visit!

I have no idea what people rave about. This is very disappointing and a huge embarrassment to Texas BBQ. The brisket is tender but bland with no, and I do mean NO, smoke ring. The sausage is ok and a variety of experiences are available, however Texas is about brisket and sauce. The setting is nice and the service is very warm but I can’t eat that. The beans arent bad (anyone can cook decent beans) but stay away from the out of a box cheese potatoes… Bland as well. The best thing about this place is that they put A1 and Heinz 57 on the table to give the brisket a chance. As a BBQ lover let me advise you, if you go into a place and they have steak sauce on the table, get outta there.

Was passing through and decided to check it out. When you enter, you enter into a non air conditioned space to order (it was damn hot & the staff were full of sweat), took about 5 – 6 minutes. The dining room however is air conditioned. You move from the meat line, not air conditioned to the fixings line which is air conditioned.
As far as the food goes the brisket didn’t appear to be smoked it tasted more like a roast & not much flavor, the sauce is very tangy, I guess more Carolina style. Also had the chopped beef which was also very tangy along green beans very tasty & cole slaw which was dry & bland.
If not for the lack of flavor I would have given a higher rating.

I was very surprised that this place does not have a higher rating on Unilocal. Perhaps there are other places in the area that have better tasting BBQ. For an out of towner, this place for me rates high. I dont typically eat BBQ bc the smell just sticks on you. So I geared up in my yoga pants and headed to this place. I already had my mind set on brisket and sausage with cheesy potato, cole slaw and corn bread to top off the meal. The meat was very tender and that jalapeño sausage was down right great! I will say they also had some of the best bbq sauce I have tasted. The sides were equally delicious! I must say I really enjoyed this meal and it would have rated it a 5 but I have tasted Salt Lick BBQ in Austin and well…

Ive heard lots about Schoepfs from numerous of people. I decided to give it a try as I was in the area.
I was very disappointed, the BBQ was terrible and dry. The staff was stuck up and just plain rude!
After the bad service and terrible food, I’ll never go back to schoepfs, for food or music.
Save your money and pass this up!
Ps,
If an establishment doesn’t want people exiting a side door, they should put up a sign, not chase them down to treat them as if they’re a child!

Did this place for first time, sausage was great, what a flavor, service from counter people was very good and friendly, plus knowledgeable of foods. Ribs had good taste, but we every tough! They were reheated of you ask me from day before, ordered moist brisket and yes moist means juicy with fat! Not the fat cap on it as you can see in the picture, plus electric knives to cut, hmmmm. Not old school! Slaw way to much mayo, if it runs when you eat it, too much, cheesy potatoes were very good. Sauce, if you like vinegar taste you will like it.

[Yelp 365 in 2014 Challenge — 358:365]
This was a difficult review to write. At first, I could understand all of the 1 and 2 star reviews. That is, until I summed it up as a whole and it all made sense. As a self-​proclaimed true connoisseur of the Q, I’ve eaten a lot of the stuff and always try to be fair and not compare. There’s no such thing as ONE good way to make great BBQ. So, here goes…
Located just about ½ mile off I-​35, the first thing you will notice about Schoepf’s (well, maybe the second… after the Fred Flintstone style sign it the parking lot) is their interesting ordering system — which I happen to like:
1. Walk in through the «Pit Room.» Eyeball the menu and all of the assorted meats in a huge pit behind a counter with fellows in cowboy hats taking orders and slicing away with their electric knives. Get your proteins — don’t be afraid to ask for a sample; happy to oblige — and then walk plate/​to-​go container through door into cafeteria type setup of side selections and various accoutrements.
2. Pick sides. Pickles, onions, japs, etc. What type of bread? Wheat, white, or in-​house cornbread (reg or jap)? Some scratch BBQ sauce? Sure.
3. Pay. Walk away. Eat.
The grub:
Brisket: Hmm… the confusion starts here. They buy briskets with HUGE (I mean like 3 inch) fat backs on them, and unless you ask them to keep some fat on, they slice ALL of it off and serve it «lean.» I got fatty and the meat was moist — so moist that when I picked a piece up and squeezed it in my fingers clear juices ran down. Decent flavor; especially the good/​bad tasty fat, a very slight smoke flavor, but the oddest texture. The only rub was on the fat and there was no pink ring or any type of crust at all — there’s your sign. No burnt ends here for sure! I just couldn’t get over «mushy» texture. Too high heat for short time? No low and slow? I just don’t know. = 2 stars
Turkey: Pretty juicy and tender. Strange crust on the outer edge… maybe they mop the entire time they cook. Overall good flavor. Again, no smoke ring at all, but pleased enough. = 3 stars
Pulled chicken taco: Tried just because first visit and wanted variety and it was cheap. INEDIBLE. The shredded chicken tasted borderline fowl and SO SO SO vinegary. So, I thought maybe their BBQ sauce they seemed to have tossed the chicken in was heavy with vinegar, which it was, but the chicken tasted like they had used their sauce and then added another gallon of apple cider vinegar. The first (only) bite literally made me gag! No joke. My husband was brave enough to try and his response was similar. = 1 star (zero or negative if I could) — actually I am. Zero stars in the equation for the retched taco filling. Yes, it was that bad. I can taste it now just thinking about it. = 0 stars
Potato salad: Nicely cooked tators with pleasant creamy sauce and just the right amount of mustard kick. Some of the better PS I’ve had. = 4 stars
Green beans: «Country style» like I like them… with bacon and onion. Not overly boiled down, tasty, a bit on the salty side but that’s just because they had so much bacon in them. I can’t possibly find it in my heart to bash them for that! = 4 stars
Cheesy potatoes: Slices of potatoes in a nice creamy cheddar/​American cheese sauce (I think). Potatoes not overcooked, but they reminded me of when my mother would make those au gratin in a box type for me when I was a kid. Seriously nostalgic… hmmm? = 2 stars
Scratch made jalapeño corn bread: Nice sweet flavor, no spice at all, and a tad on the dry side. = 2 stars
Price for quality: A little too proud in my opinion for food that seemed to be prepared by taking several shortcuts across the board. I personally don’t believe they are «invested» like many other pit-​masters and Q joint owners are. The lack of love and respect for the craft that is employed in making really fantastic BBQ is so evident. Maybe it was good a long time ago and now they just go through the motions. Frankly, I found it to be really sad. Such potential. = 1 star
Customer service: Everyone was really friendly and helpful. No complaints at all here. = 5 stars
Overall total: 2.33 stars. Much closer to deserving a «Meh. I’ve experienced better» than «A-​OK.»