By Sunday early-afternoon, it looked like the Bubba Pass crowds were thinning and thing with the check-outs were proceeding smoothly. The pits that had the biggest lines were 17th Street and Salt Lick. You could pretty much walk up to the counter at Dinosaur and Blue Smoke. I didn't see anyone having much trouble with the registers. Faves here were the ribs at 17th Street, the sausage and brisket at Southside (why, oh, why couldn't I get up to Elgin when I was in San Antonio a few months ago?), and Gibson's shoulder and especially the slaw. (The variety of sauces offered was a bonus.) Blue Smoke left me surprisingly disappointed -- I think I'm not much of a fan of St. Louis style ribs after all -- and Salt Lick's brisket and sausage were only OK, and not in the same league as Southside. My final verdict: I may have to move to Austin, just to be close to Southside.
