The Grail Quest Continues

This blog's Bar-B-Q mania prompted an e-mail tip from an old friend, Jackson, who wrote after a 50 year-hiatus in our contact: "Have you ever had 'cue at Zimmerhanzel's in Smithville?" At one time, Jackson lived in Harris County (exact location unknown) and had made his way some 120 miles west and north to Smithville. The query was intriguing because (1) this blogger had never been to Smithville (pop. 3901) in Bastrop County east and south of Austin and (2) Zimmerhanzel's didn't make the Top 50 in Texas Monthly's most recent (2008) assessment of Texas Bar-B-Q. Not only that, but Zimmerhanzel's is the longest name of any Bar-B-Q joint in the Lone Star State. Most joints are named Bert's or Bingo's or Stubbs' and don't fall into the polysyllabic range of names. The sight upon arriving at Zimmerhanzel's at noon on Saturday was not encouraging: cars and pickups parked everywhere. Inside the (what else for Texas Bar-B-Q joints) red building, the sight was not encouraging. A single line about 20-deep formed from the front door to the opposite end of the building; the tables weren't full so that meant that a lot of the customers were going for the takeout option. Visions of Snow's Bar-B-Q in Lexington where you either called ahead during the week or were out of luck when the meat ran out were dispelled when the line moved and it was obvious that Zimmerhanzel's pit man (or woman) had smoked plenty of meat. None of the compartments were empty. Zimmerhanzel's serves its dine-in customers on plates. Takeout orders are wrapped in butcher paper and wrapped in foil. Zimmerhanzel's goes halfway with plastic: it's OK for tableware but not OK for payment. This place follows the Texas Bar-B-Q financial mantra: "In God we trust, all others pay cash." I left with pork ribs, sausage, and sliced pork roast. Across the street from Zimmerhansel's was the major grocery venue in Smithville. A visit to the beverage section of the market provided the appropriate drink to accompany Texas 'cue: a 6-pack of Silver Bullets. Adjacent to the market, under a large pecan tree, was a picnic table. Judging from the ground under the table, the store employees took smoke breaks at the location. Mercifully, all of the employees were inside the store at noon hour on Saturday and the only smoke to be whiffed was from Zimmerhanzel's across the street. The sausage, in smaller links than the customary Texas Bar-B-Q sausage, was very good. The ribs were on a par with Louis Mueller's in Taylor, Texas. For this blog, that rates as tie for numero uno ribs. The pork roast was killer bee as well. The most amazing thing about Zimmerhansel's serving line was the absence of men. A regiment of women of varying ages and sizes served up the plates and the takeout orders. At the head of the line, was a very efficient lady (possibly Dana Bunte?) who sliced and weighed the meats chosen by the customers. Not quite, "You pick it and I stick it," as the pit man says at Cooper's in Llano, Texas. True to Texas Bar-B-Q form, Dana Bunte's husband, Bert (a classic name in 'cue), was probably tending the fire box and turning the meat as it smoked at the back of the building. All in all, I owe Jackson a big "thank you" and an apology for doubting that a guy from North Denver would know anything about good Texas Bar-B-Q. Jackson knows a helluva lot more than the "Bar-B-Q critics" for Texas Monthly who completely overlooked the Gem of Smithville: Zimmerhansel's Bar-B-Q. If this is (fair & balanced) oak-fired, smoked beef, pork, or chicken, so be it.

[x Austin Alternative Fishwrap]
Day Trips
By Gerald E. McLeod

Zimmerhanzel's BBQ occupies a small, red tin building between the Colorado River and the historic business district of Smithville. Out of this unobtrusive little shop comes the great big flavor of smoked meats fixed with family pride and respect for time-honored Texas traditions.

Smithville's premier barbecue establishment opened on February 13, 1990. "When we first opened we really didn't know what we were doing," says Dana Bunte. She and her husband Bert opened the restaurant with the help of her parents, who own the Smithville Food Locker next door. Grandpa Zimmerhanzel opened the meat processing business in southwestern Bastrop County nearly a century ago, when the town was a regular stop on the railroad.

Like all good Texas barbecue purveyors, the Buntes have experimented along the way to find the perfect combination of flavor, texture, and aroma for their foods. In the beginning they enlisted the assistance of W.B. Brazil. A legendary smoked meat maestro who once owned a famous eatery on Smithville's Main Street, Brazil was persuaded to come out of retirement to help the Buntes get established. The result was the continuation of some of the most time-honored barbecuing traditions.

Repeat customers are the backbone of any business, and that is especially true of country barbecue establishments. Once a Texan, native or transplant, finds a barbecue that they really enjoy, they will make any excuse to travel the roads in the general direction of their favorite smokehouse. "On Saturdays, 75% of our business is off of the highway (TX 71)," Dana says. Saturdays are also the day they are most liable to sell out of some items before the 5pm closing time.

Folks from Houston, Austin, and San Antonio will call in orders to pick up on their way to somewhere else. Of course, Zimmerhanzel's is also popular with Smithville residents. "Our customers tell us that we have better prices and quality than some of the more famous places," Dana says.

But it is the consistency of the product that keeps folks coming back. Once the Buntes found a perfect way to make their meats and side dishes, they stuck with it. "Bert is a real perfectionist when it comes to consistency," Dana says. In order to maintain the quality of their food, they have kept the recipes simple. She points to the sausage as a prime example. It doesn't have much filler or spices to alter the flavor.

Side dishes are meant to complement the meal, not wrestle your taste buds for dominance. The beans are another item that has a simple but honest flavor. Almost like ranch-style beans, Dana says they have a minimum of spiciness, just enough to give them a good country flavor.

Zimmerhanzel's serves the usual assortment of sandwiches and meat by the pound. They have brisket, sausage, pork ribs, and chicken, and on Saturdays they add a tender pork roast to the menu. The full meal deals are the plate lunches served with choices of meat and a choice of beans, three different salads, pickles, and onions.

Because the cafe opens early, 8am on six days of the week, the coffee is always fresh, and a section of tables is often taken up by local farmers and ranchers with a few minutes to kill in town. "You'd be surprised how many people like barbecue for breakfast," Dana says. Usually it's the sausage, she adds.

The food is served cafeteria-style with a menu on the board behind the serving line. To give the place a true Texas ambiance, one wall is filled with mounted deer heads collected from the processing plant next door. They even have a buffalo head from a herd that was raised on a local ranch. Before the owner died, the ranch once supplied the entire University of Texas football team with a buffalo barbecue. Another wall is lined with photos of the little league teams that the Buntes have sponsored almost since they opened.

Homey and friendly, Zimmerhanzel's BBQ makes no pretentious brags. The Buntes let their flavorful and tender meats, backed up by traditional side dishes, do the talking for them. At the south side of the bridge over the Colorado River, the unassuming little tin building is at the gateway to a scenic region of Central Texas. Stop in for a fill-up of good grub, then explore the shops on Main Street before heading back home by way of the back roads through the fertile ranch lands.

Zimmerhanzel's BBQ opens Monday-Friday 8am-5pm and Saturday 8am-4pm. The Buntes can be persuaded to do an occasional catering job, but consistency of quality is important, so they use the same crew that operates the restaurant.

Zimmerhanzel's BBQ
307 Royston Drive (State Highway 95)
Smithville, TX 78957
512-237-4244

[Gerald E. McLeod is an Austin Chronicle contributing writer and its "Day Trips" columnist. More than 770 of Gerald E. McLeod’s travel stories have appeared in The Austin Chronicle since the weekly column, “Day Trips,” began in 1991. While most of his articles are about Texas and Texans, McLeod has also written on national and international topics. His travel stories have appeared in Texas Highways Magazine, The Texas Observer, The San Antonio Current, The Fort Worth Weekly, The Bryan-College Station Eagle and other publications.]

Copyright © 2008 Austin Chronicle Corp.

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