Review: Hill Country BBQ

In what was probably the most anticipated BBQ debut in recent D.C. history – Hill Country Barbecue, a long time NYC staple,  finally opened a few months ago. Before giving them our once over and have them endure our critical eye, we wanted to give the chefs time to get settled, prime the smokers and find their rhythm -- an all too important part of running a successful restaurant, let alone succeed with a genre of food in which the difference between juicy, dry, and inedible is just a couple of degrees and a handful of minutes.

But after giving Hill Country a couple of weeks and personally enduring the onslaught of our friends beating us to the buffet line and rubbing it in (the price we pay for being self-proclaimed BBQ aficionados), we finally decided to give Hill Country a whirl before settling in to watch a tradition like none other… Sunday at the Masters.

For this Que excursion, we were joined by our friend, and leader of the Southern BBQ Boys, Art Richey. Unlike previous reviews, we were too tempted by the line service to only eat just ribs.  However, per our tradition – this review will only deal with ribs and sauce.  (Though, since you are asking – we enjoyed the spicy sausage and the lean brisket was much better than the fatty brisket, which was too fatty for our liking.)

From the get-go you know that Hill Country is a different BBQ environment.  A huge sprawling place with ample seating and live music on a regular basis.  On our visit there was no band, but decent Texas inspired country music being played over the speakers.  Photos of individuals (we assume employees) wearing Hill Country attire adorn the walls and and BBQ theme accessories are spaced throughout.  The joint is very clean, but with a somewhat chain like feel.  It was missing that rustic, simplistic feel that most bbq places tend to favor. However we must give credit for a very impressive smoker set-up that customers can easily see while ordering, something you won't see in many BBQ joints.

But, as dedicated readers know – on our blog it is not about the décor of the place – its about the food.

Set-up as a twist on the buffet line, ribs are purchased by the bone (sausages by the link and brisket by the pound).  Sides, veggies and deserts are also ordered for an extra charge on a side buffet.  Sauces are provided on the table. Drinks are served in mason jars, a nice touch.

 

The ribs were well cooked with nice bark and a solid smoky flavor. The meat came off the bone just the way it should, with a gentle tug.  In fact, stacked up to the other things we tried the ribs stood out as our favorite.  The rub flavor profile was a touch heavy on the salt but more complex favors can easily be found.  The sauce did not really stand out to us but did give the ribs a little something extra.

Presentation/Visual: 9

Tenderness: 8
Taste/Smoke Flavor: 8

Sauce: 7

Overall Impression: 8

Recommendation: Overall, Hill Country Barbeque is a good treat, but can be overly expensive if you are not careful.  With all of the food waiting to be butchered sitting in front of you, it is easy to over order here so don’t let your eyes trick your stomach into ordering too much. Great place to take a large group and share entrées.

410 7th Street Northwest
Washington D.C., DC
www.hillcountrywdc.com/