Our father was due to land any minute. And he expected barbecue. Thankfully, the well-regarded Iron Works Barbecue was just blocks from our hotel. My brother and I were dispatched to secure several pounds of meat before they closed. We didn’t want to begin our four-day barbecue binge by missing out on a single plate of smoked meat.

Fittingly, Iron Works Barbecue occupies the former F. Weigl Iron Works above a creek that runs through Austin.

According to the Texas Historical Commission plaque outside: “Ironsmith Fortunate Weigl (1884-1973) migrated to Austin in 1913 from Germany with his wife Anna and sons F. Lee and Herbert… In 1922, Weigl established his own ornamental iron works, which he moved to this site in 1935 (the year of a massive flood, its water level marked inside by chalk line higher than my head). The iron works closed in 1977 and was transformed into a barbecue joint the following year, accentuating the location’s history. Outside, plenty of Weigl-manufactured brands burned into exterior boards.

Several examples of Weigl’s ornamental, hand-wrought iron line the interior.

“W.S. SHARPE, M.D. – 1103-B – GENERAL AND RECTAL SURGERY” is a particularly amusing sign near the ordering window. Thankfully, proctology wasn’t on the menu.

Myriad meats are available by the plate, sandwich, and pound.

We ordered a pound of brisket ($12.95), a half-pound of links ($6.95), a half-slab of pork ribs ($8.50), and a half-pound of pork loin ($5.40).

Iron Works smokes more cuts than typical BBQ establishments. They also sold pork loin, chicken, turkey, ham, beef ribs, and chopped beef.

It was a warm, humid night, and we sat on the patio, overlooking the creek. We ate the ‘cue off butcher paper, where the prices were written in marker. We also dipped into ice-filled coolers for soda and beer.

Iron Works provides squeeze bottles of regular (clear) and spicy (red) barbecue sauces. Spicy had a little too much kick; the regular was pretty good, not overly sweet. Not that the meat needed any help.

Sliced pork loin was pepper-crusted and juicy. Brisket was fairly juicy, with a thin outer char. Sausage wasn’t overly greasy, with a smooth texture. The pork ribs were really flavorful, with bronzed skin.

Pinto beans and potato salad ($2.15 apiece) are de rigueur in central Texas barbecue establishments. Unfortunately, neither Iron Works rendition hit the mark. Beans were too soupy, and potato salad was overloaded with mayo and egg.

Considering my brother and I pre-partied with a full soul food dinner, we skipped dessert. Iron Works had gooey looking peach and blackberry cobblers by the register, but Dad wasn’t tempted either.

I left without a clear understanding of Iron Works’ motto, “Real Texas Barbecue in the Country Atmosphere,” since the restaurant is located in downtown Austin, but the barbecue was several notches above average and a real nice start to our cow and hog fueled family weekend.