Louie Mueller opened his barbecue restaurant in Taylor, Texas, in 1949. In 1974, he handed the business to his son Bobby, who ran the smoker for more than three decades. In 2007, Bobby’s son Wayne Mueller took over as owner and pitmaster, making Louie Mueller Barbecue a three-generation family business.
A Texas classic
Around 2007, the James Beard Foundation gave the restaurant an American Classics award, which honors the country’s most beloved regional restaurants. The restaurant itself calls its dining room a “cathedral of smoke.”
Shipping Texas barbecue
If you cannot make the drive to Taylor, the restaurant ships nationwide through Goldbelly.
Know before you go
- Location: Taylor, Texas, northeast of Austin.
- Barbecue joints often sell out, so check the restaurant’s website for hours and plan to arrive early.
Louie Mueller is a good example of what a family business can become when the same hands keep the fire going.
Featured photo: Louie Mueller Barbecue by Steven Walling, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
