DAY 12 - Austin to El Paso...and then some

We knew we had a long drive today so we planned to make today about having a good time on the road as opposed to getting to our destination as fast as possible. Meaning if we saw a town we wanted to explore, we stopped; if we saw scenery we wanted to capture, we stopped; if we wanted to eat, we stopped. Sure it made the drive longer, but again it was about having a great time, not making great time.

With this philosophy we got to see several fun parts of Texas including Fredericksburg, a great little town about an hour and a half outside Austin. We did breakfast and some shopping – Mom greatly enjoyed both.

Fredericksburg greetings sign

A shot of the quaint town of Fredericksburg, TX

Everything really is bigger in Texas; this may explain why we were able to drive for more than 10 hours today

Mama D. was in quilt heaven in Fredericksburg; she'd been looking all trip and this place had every possible quilt

We captured some great scenic shots of the big Texas sky and rolling mountains on our drive.

We finally pulled into El Paso at sunset, but decided to keep going. We ended up in Deming, NM, a small town about three hours outside Tucson, AZ.

Sunset in El Paso, TX

El Paso from up on the hill

THE REVIEW - Rudy's Country Store & BBQ, El Paso, TX

Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ - http://rudys.com – was not originally on our list, but along the way a few people recommended it. It’s a chain bbq restaurant attached to a gas station hence the “Country Store” moniker. We came across one on our way into El Paso and decided to give it a go. It was an order-at-the-counter place, but it was slightly different because you paid for the meat by the pound and the sides by the ounce. They had long picnic style tables with stereotypical picnic table cloths (a nice attempt to make it feel like an outdoor, ranch-style bbq).

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of sides (they had an array to choose from) and the terrific flavor of their pulled pork; the ribs and brisket weren’t bad either. Rudy’s uses oak pits to give their meat a nice smoky flavor.

Sauce – 1.5 – They had a sweet sauce called “Sissy Sauce” and their original sauce. Both tasted like V8 juice with spices. To say it was too tomatoey is an understatement.

Sides – 4 – Rudy’s had a large selection of sides and we tasted several. The coleslaw and cream of corn were the best of the bunch. The slaw was the best we’ve had in awhile – crispy lettuce, a little creamy and a sweet finish. The cream of corn was rich and sweet, but not too much so. The potato salad was decent – traditional style with celery chunks and a tad sweet. The Texas beans were standard and watery.

Slabs – 3.5 – The pork ribs were solid – nice smoke flavor (best smoke flavor since Hog Wild in Wichita) and they were cooked to a nice pink color. They were meaty, but a tad fatty. The skin had a nice flavorful crust.

Steaks – 3 – Nice smoky flavor from the oak pits. A little too well done, but still moderately moist with a decent flavor.

Sandwiches – 4 – Pulled pork was the best part of the meal. It was shredded which we’ve learned leads to drier meat, but Rudy’s pork was juicy and flavorful (no sauce) and had the same smoky flavor as the other meats. Plus, the bits of glazed skin added even more flavor.