InterStellar BBQ – Austin, Texas

With more than 2,500 purveyors of bodacious barbecue in the Lone Star State, Texas Monthly Magazine has increased the likelihood of smoked meat aficionados locating and enjoying the very best.  That’s largely because of Daniel Vaughn, the magazine’s “Barbecue Editor.”  Vaughn has traveled the world sampling smoked meats at over 1,800 barbecue joints, most of which are in Texas.  Texans making pilgrimages in pursuit of barbecue carry with them Vaughn’s tome The Prophets of Smoked Meat: A Journey Through Texas Barbecue.  They also take along Texas Monthly’s “The 50 Best Texas Barbecue Joints.” Vaughn’s Texas Monthly compilation, last published in 2021, will be updated in 2025.  These are the barbecue bibles to which believers are called.

There’s only two jobs I’ve ever coveted and both are under the employ of Texas Monthly.  One is Daniel Vaughn’s aforementioned “Barbecue Editor” position.  The other is “Taco Editor,” a position held by Jose Ralat.  In a state covering 268,596 square miles, the chances of meeting either one of them aren’t very high.  Much less likely is the opportunity to dine in close proximity to one of these culinary giants.  It was sheer serendipity that the man, the myth, the legend himself, Daniel Vaughn would be sitting at a table across from me.  He was making a repeat visit to InterStellar BBQ in Austin, a restaurant which ranked second in the 2021 edition of The 50 Best Texas Barbecue Joints.

I’m not the type of guy who bandies about terms like “hero” or “idol,” but Daniel Vaughn would certainly be on my Mount Rushmore of food writers (along with New Mexico’s own Cheryl Alters Jamison).  Vaughn had three other stops to make so I couldn’t very well hold him up, but we did talk barbecue.  We both lamented the lack of Texas caliber barbecue in New Mexico.  Other than at Mad Jack’s Mountain Top Barbecue in Cloudcroft (which he joked “is practically Texas”) there are no barbecue spots in the Land of Enchantment worthy of being spoken about the reverence reserved for the best barbecue.

Both Vaughn and I were surprised at just how busy InterStellar was on a day in which the high temperature reached a balmy 28 degrees with wind chill in single digits.  Surely, we had both thought, no one would be in line on such a cold day even the best barbecue.  Alas, by the time I made my way through the queue, the brisket was gone.  So was the peach tea glazed pork belly.  Even fewer meats were available when Vaughn reached the counter to place his order.  Interstellar’s website advises “It is best to be here between 10:00-10:15 a.m. to ensure you are able to get all meats before we start selling out. it allows for the shortest wait and full menu options.”  Sadly, I couldn’t very well rush Southwest Airlines.

Unlike at some Austin barbecue restaurants, parking is not an issue for InterStellar.  It’s located in a massive strip mall replete with restaurants.  Vaughn advises “just circle the parking lot until you see the two smokers. The larger one is where Bates cooks his most popular meats. The secret to his brisket is simple: salt, pepper, garlic, and obsessive heat management.”  “The smaller smoker is reserved for experiments such as pork belly doused with a peach-tea glaze and an onion stuffed with chopped brisket.  The “Bates of whom Vaughn writes is Pit boss John Bates who has a fine-dining pedigree and an obvious passion for smoking meats.

In 2024, InterStellar was one of four Texas purveyors of barbecue to earn a coveted Michelin star.  “In theory, a one-star rating means, “a very good restaurant,” two stars signify “excellent cooking that is worth a detour,” and a three-star restaurant is one that offers “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.”  Only 2,817 restaurants in the world have Michelin status of any kind.  According to Michelin, “the food is the sole focus of the evaluation, but Michelin-starred establishments tend to also have exceptional service and ambiance, which keeps standards high across the board. Michelin states its official judging criteria as follows:

1. Using quality products
2. Mastery of flavor and cooking techniques
3. Personality of the chef in the cuisine
4. Value for money
5. Consistency of food

Considered the most prestigious culinary award in the world, a Michelin star can be the honor of a lifetime, one that can greatly alter the trajectory of a restaurant, usually for the better.  It’s hard to imagine any better barbecue than at InterStellar.  Even though neither of my preferred meat options (brisket and peach tea glazed pork belly) were available, it’s hard to consider my choices “runners-up.”  My protein choices were smoked turkey (marinated overnight in hefeweizen) and pork ribs (salt, pepper, garlic, brown sugar).  Both were outstanding!  The pork ribs were the best I’ve ever had, the vaunted “meat candy” you hear and read about.  The pork practically melts in your mouth, each morsel swoon-worthy.  The infusion of brown sugar lends sweet notes, particularly to the luscious bark–and the bark to meat ratio is as perfect as it can be.  Smoking is a subtle and precise process that infuses the turkey with just enough smoke to be discernible, but not so much as to render it overly smoked.

Though all sides were available, my choices were the citrus beet salad (red beets and kale tossed in a citrus vinaigrette, topped with a pecan crumble) and the  mac & Gouda (pasta shells and creamy smoked Gouda cheese sauce, topped with toasted garlic panko breadcrumbs).   Talk about foodgasms.  While most barbecue restaurants seem to offer a mac and cheese side, none are of the caliber of this one.  The pasta shells border on al dente while the Gouda’s sweet and creamy notes cradle your palate in a loving embrace.  My Kim (who could not join me on this trip) would have loved the citrus beet salad, the very best I’ve ever had.  The melding of beet’s “dirt” flavor with citrusy notes is sheer genius.  The pecan crumble provided a textural delight rarely found in beet salads.  Also on my plate were caramelized onions and pickles.

Any barbecue pilgrimage you undertake must include InterStellar BBQ.  Just take your place in line at a time guaranteed for the brisket to be available.  Even without having had the brisket, this was one of the best barbecue experiences of my life.  Meeting Daniel Vaughn was better than dessert.

InterStellar BBQ
12233 Ranch Rd 620 N suite 105
Austin, Texas
(512) 382-6248
Website | Facebook Page
LATEST VISIT: 19 February 2025
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$$
BEST BET: Pork Ribs, Smoked Turkey, Mac & Gouda, Citrus Beet Salad
REVIEW #1452