cooper's old-time pit bar-b-que

good bar b q--this is self service--meaning you. cooper’s old time pit bar b q has been around for quite some time however not in new braunfels. this location is on a by pass around new braunsfel hgy 337. they also have internet ordering on their web site. we entered the restaurant and the first thing to do is pick out your meat or meats where then will take and weigh for the total price. up can add sides at the counter where you are getting the meats weighted. however today they had a special which was advertised as pork chop and baked potato for $10.99. i noticed pieces of pork lying on the grill. they appeared to have been cut from a pork loin and were boneless. i ordered the special and what was i served, a piece of the boneless loin and not a true pork chop. the piece was about 1 1⁄2 to 2 inches think and dipped in their sauce. the piece was very good as was the baked potatoes. others in the party had the “pork chop” as well and beef brisket and ribs. as long as thisplacehas been in business i know they know the difference between a boneless piece of pork loin and a true pork chop. they can call it what they want however a true pork chop is not a piece of boneless pork loin. in spite of their confusion the meat was good. i know someone will now comment that it is me that is incorrect and that the cut was from a loin that had been boned. give me a break friend as i was a butcher and cut and sold meat for years. you can pick up trimmings and bread at the bar. trimmings include a bowl of beans however i was the only one in the party who opted for the bowl of beans. onions and pickles are also on the condiment counter. by the way, those beans were included at no additional cost. there are loaves of bread scattered around and if you desire some bread help yourself. you eat at picnic type tables either indoors or outdoors depending upon the weather. you dispense your own drinks. and you clean your table and toss your own trash. there are no waiters to assist you. so the bottom line is that you pay full price and you do part of the work to get your food. kind of like checking yourself out at the grocery store and bagging your own groceries.

q loan required. no long dissertation or comparison for this review. you can find that in a number of places such as the texas monthly that will give you a review of the top bbq locations in texas. the long and the short of it is, thisplacehas good bull neck (my old uncle's term for meat). if you can't find a slice of brisket, a meaty beef rib, a smoked pork chop, or a sausage link that you like here, please do not pass go, do not collect $200, but do go back to new york city where you must be from.

the only issue i have, and it is not peculiar just to this place, is that a bbq meal, many times served on butcher paper, or paper or plastic plates and with plastic utensils, in a cavernous barn or a little old shack ought not to cost $20 dollars a person. yet with meats prices at $12 or more a lb. the bill for two at places like these is $30 to $40. i know someone is going to say, "then go to bill miller's if you don't like the price". that's an option, thank you, but with this mentality, how would you like to pay $50 or $60 a couple for your bbq meal . . . a distinct possibility when people vote with their wallets to continue an inflationary pattern. think about it. if you won't pay an inflated price, vendors cannot sell their product and will not continue the inflationary practice.

just some food for thought . . .

awsome. i lov thisplacetrue family atmosphere great food reasonable prices!! come early they run out soon!! 7 out of 10!

it was o.k.. this is aplacethat tries to do too much. they provide 13 meats and then also have a retail business selling dipping sauce, rub, etc. pricing is strange. consequently they don't focus on any particular cut of meat and shows in the texture and flavor of the meat they serve. you have to pick out what you want first and then proceed to the register to find out what it will cost after they are weighed as most items are by the pound. this can led to an embarrassing surprise if you are ordering when you are very hungry. i thought the sausage was nice and spicy but everything else was just o.k. friend brought me here from austin to just show me the place. this is not the little hole in the wallplacethat i prefer but somewhat of a factory production set up. not aplacethat i will return to anytime soon.

if you don't love it, you don't know pit bar-b-que. being a child of the 1950's rised in dallas i had the best of real pit bar-b-que, so i believe i know what this should be like and cooper's old time pit is still the best of the rest who try to sell slow smoked meats. the slogan cook it low and slow and use a dry rub over an open oak and mesquite wood fired pit is the only way to get that great taste. as my great uncle alvie, who ran a pit bar-b-que business for 35 years used to say "it not what you cook but it's how you cook in the pit" that's what makes it happen, enough said?


-----06 feb, 2010-----

eat bar-b-que here first!. ok folks thisplaceis too nice and clean to have bar-b-que this great. cooper's in one man's opinion is the way pit bar-b-q should always be. their secret is their rub which you can buy there and use at home. for those who think they have to eat great bar-b-que with sauce then they will dip your choice of cuts in it for you. be sure and try all the sides. the beans are like yo' mama used to make, which you can get as much as you can eat from the five gallon bucket they have them in. be sure and get the cobblers to go to eat later you'll be too full. ok folks, enough said it's time for you all to go to cooper's old time pit in new braunfels.

good bbq. great beans. very relaxed atmosphere. bbq can ce rather expensive but thisplaceis probably about the most expensive i've had. if you don't mind paying a lot...it will be good.

go for the smell alone!. walked in and smelled the hickory.....all of the meats on the pits were mouth-watering and made me want them all. i like the way you get a tray and get what you want then find aplaceto sit, kinda like a company picnic. too full for sweets, but they looked delish. maybe next time around ;)