Dining: Ben's Longbranch Barbecue

Ben returns to Longbranch cutting board

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Oct. 27, 2004

Pork ribs are common on barbecue joint menus, but at Ben's Longbranch, you'll also find pork butt. To go with the meat, try the hearty pinto beans. Ben Wash had retired in 2002 and was leasing out the restaurant until August, when the leasees wanted out of the contract. Wash cooks about a ton of meat each week. One option that merits high marks is mutton, here with brisket on a combo plate. The cole slaw, which is sweet and tasty, also gets a nod.

Photos by Deborah Cannon/AA-S

Boy, is he back.

The sign out front of Ben's Longbranch Barbecue in East Austin proclaims his return. Inside, it was even more obvious: Eighteen people were lined up from the cash register to the door at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

That's a booming business for a place that was struggling a few months ago.

Ben Wash, who had the barbecue joint from 1971 to 2002, leased it out two years ago. "I was just tired," he says. "I was 62 years old. I thought it was a good time to retire."

The new operators, however, couldn't make a go of it and asked Wash if he'd let them out of the lease. He agreed and took it back at the beginning of August. Word spread, and business picked up. "Everybody came back flying. Sure did," Wash says. "I just couldn't believe it."

When he left the business in 2002, he was cooking 3,000 pounds of meat a week. In less than three months, he's back up to 2,000 pounds a week.

That production includes mutton, pork butt, pork ribs, sausage, and brisket, available by the pound, a plate or as part of a two-meat dish ($8.49) with two sides.

High marks went to the pork butt, mutton, sausage and ribs, all of which were tender, moist and packed with smoky flavor. (Pork butt and mutton are rare items on a barbecue menu.)

The brisket had great taste, but slices from the lean end of the beef were too dry (a common problem), while those from the fatty end remained juicy.

Two especially good sides were the hearty pinto beans and the cole slaw, a sweet-tangy version of chopped cabbage and shredded carrots.

That tasty fare is one reason Ben's is back on track. Wash's presence is another, although the affable pitmaster is too humble to take all the credit.

"I'm just blessed," he says. "God has been good to me."

Ben's Longbranch Barbecue
900 E. 11th St.
(512) 477-2516
Rating: Forks Up. Price: Cheap.

Oct. 28, 2004 Reviews:
• Las Palomas
• Ben's Longbranch Barbecue

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