Located in Driftwood, Texas just 22 miles from Austin, is the largest BBQ restaurant we have ever visited. It is also our favorite. We have visited each time we were in the area.

The Salt Lick was established in 1967 and serves thousands of people a week. On a weekend, its enormous parking lot (see below) is filled to capacity and wait times can reach hours.

Unlike many BBQ restaurants which smoke their meats using off-set smokers or commercial gas or electric smokers , The Salt Lick uses a less common technique called open-pit BBQ. They slow-cook meats over an open pit which allows meat drippings to fall on the coals and flavor the meat.

We last visited in 2019 and the food was just as good as we remembered. Fortunately, we visited mid-week for a late lunch and didn’t have to wait for a table to become available. Nice and most welcomed break in our 300 mile trip today.

Next stop is Fredericksburg, TX.