Terry Black’s Barbecue – Austin, Texas

Our older son drove up from San Antonio for a visit and to have dinner with us — I asked him to pick the restaurant. He wanted barbecue, and instead of our usual place, he selected Terry Black’s for a change of pace. Our favorite is Black’s Barbecue, which sounds like the same place but is not.

Black’s is the original and the oldest continuously run BBQ restaurant in Texas. They started in Lockhart, Texas, where they still smoke the meats and truck them to Austin. Terry Black is a Black family relative, and there was a bit of controversy when they opened a competing joint in Austin.

I’ve been to Terry Black’s many years ago. However, we go to the original out of convenience and tradition. With the extended trip to South Austin, just south of the river across from downtown, I brought my Fujifilm X-S10 and Fuji 16mm f2.8, just in case. It’s currently my compact and preferred setup for everyday use.

Terry Black’s was packed and dripping with character — much more than I remembered. It seemed like a Texas version of those slightly gaudy Italian family restaurants with all-year Christmas lights and memorabilia tacked up everywhere. The wide 24mm equivalent adequately captured the details.

I shot at around 1/30th of a second, which rendered action with some motion blur. It was a compromise between ISO and shutter speed, maintaining adequate quality in a darker setting.

The food was excellent and better than I remembered. The homemade sides were superior to Black’s, as was the brisket. I preferred the original Black’s sausage. However, Terry Black’s was noticeably more pricy. Nevertheless, its proximity to downtown and kitschy decor will make it fun for tourists. We might consider going again, too, for special occasions where the increased price and inconvenience might be worth the effort.

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