BBQ Review - Live Oak Barbecue & Beer

So, I'm not a BBQ head or anything, nor am I a regular food reviewer, but lately, and by lately I mean like this past year I really like BBQ. Perhaps, it's that I was a vegetarian (and not a real smart one by any means) from the time I was 14-21. When I 'came back' as my dad used to like to say ("She came back to us!' He was also in the cattle feeding business...so you get the gist) I was living in California at the time. I lived in LA up until four years ago. Although, LA can be a foodie paradise, BBQ is just not one of the things that I remember running into too much.
Living in Central Texas....completely different story. Proponents of the True Barbecue experience will argue that you have to leave Austin proper and head over to Lockhart, Luling etc...(more on that later) and they are probably correct, but the capital has some joints that are definitely worth the visit. So, if you want some tasty barbecue in town, I suggest you visit Live Oak Barbecue & Beer. I've been three times and so far...not tired of it. The atmosphere is kind of dark and dank (I guess the place used to be an Eastside Bar that seems like it was a pretty good time in its own right, if you peruse the left over photo album that floats around the joint) and luckily for me, Social Distortion seems to be on general rotation as far as tunes go, which suits the place. It's a little punk rock if you will. The guys are pretty laid back, have tattoos and seem like the types that you may run into at a show somewhere on Red River. They also know their stuff. The proprietor, Tom, seems to have spent his time honing his recipes prior to opening up the brick and mortar. He's super friendly and will always find time to sit down with you for a chat. Everything is by the pound, my favorite by far is the brisket. The chicken is second runner up, it is so smoky delicious and it is JUICY! Oh MAH GAWD! As for sides, they change periodically, but they keep the staples like potato salad etc. And the sauce is PHENOM. It's like an au jus, so mellow and light but filled with flavor. Honestly, you can't go wrong with anything here.
Live Oak BBQ & Beer is located on the Eastside at 2nd & Pleasant Valley and open from 11AM - Midnight daily. Just go....

There it is....

The Menu

The sauce is an au jus and mouth watering

Melt in your mouth mmmm mmm good!!!!

Week One of the kitchen experiment - Pork Carnitas Tacos

In addition to my list of places to go in and around Austin, as an add on, I have made a 'general self improvement' resolution list. These are things I felt would enrich my life and make me a happier person if I stuck to making them part of my routine.
Tops on the list is to make one new dish every week, any day of the week, as long as I do it and it's new to me. I found this yummy looking recipe via Iowa Girl Eats who got it from one of my favorite blogs, The Kitchn. It was my first time EVER using a crock pot (no joke, and insert embarrassed face here) and boy am I fan! 20 minutes of prep and in it went. 8 hours later, I arrived to a wonderfully cozy smelling house and dinner was done all while I was out at a lady housewarming party drinking pink champagne and avoiding the cheese tray. Here is how it went down..

I started out by browning the pork shoulder on all sides for about 5 mins each. This process took the longest and isn't necessary, but I wanted to start out with a little crunchy color.

I only had to use my knife to trim off the fat and crush the garlic.

Both, my cutting board and the cutting mat are in the shape of pigs (totally not planned) but funny all the same. Oink!

Gotta have some veggies.

e voila! Into the mouth you go!