Opie's Barbecue

Mesquite-cooked baby back ribs on Highway 71 since 1999 — go early, they sell out

Out on Highway 71 in Spicewood, past the point where the lake traffic thins out, Opie's Barbecue has been doing barbecue the old way since 1999. You walk up to the open pit, point at the meat you want, and carry it to the counter to be sliced, weighed and paid for. No table service, no fuss, and nothing about it has needed to change.

Why it's this week's craving. Some weeks only smoked meat will do, and Opie's is the closest serious barbecue for a lot of Lake Travis. It's also the kind of place you take out-of-town guests to so they get the real Central Texas routine — the pit, the butcher paper, the free beans — without a long drive into Austin or a three-hour line.

The story. Todd and Kristin Ashmore opened Opie's in 1999. Everything cooks over mesquite on wood-fired rotisserie pits, and the overnight fire gets help from "Woody," an automated feeder built by the family that drops in a log or two every few hours on a timer — no one has to babysit the pit at 3 a.m. The sweet-and-spicy baby back ribs are the house signature and the most popular thing they sell, and they helped land Opie's on Texas Monthly's Top 50 list.

Good to know. (INSIDER INFO: the Butter Beans are not allowed to be taken to-go for a reason, they’re too good and too limited. And, if you can get the pork shoulder when they have it and before it runs out, you’re one of the pros in the know). The meat gets a mop of vinegary sauce on the pit, and seating is casual, picnic-table style. The sideboard has bread, onions, pickles, peppers and sauce so you can build your plate the way you like it. Meat is sold by weight, so order with your eyes and let the counter tell you the total. Pinto beans and butter beans are complimentary for dine-in. Pork chops and spareribs are on the pit too if you want to branch out. Hours are on the short side — Monday through Thursday it's lunch only, closing at 4 — and Opie's can close early when the meat runs out, especially on weekends. If you've got your heart set on ribs, go early in the day, or call ahead to check what's left.