Forget ‘Shouldn’t’… Go Eat and Enjoy!
By Scott Roberts & Jessica Dupuy
University of Texas Press, $39.95, 348 pages
Open pits and customer satisfaction are the main ingredients, but readers learn more about the Salt Lick in this unusually redolent cookbook. Owner Scott Roberts along with writer Jessica Dupuy tell the tale of the celebrated barbecue spot in Driftwood, on the edge of Austin, Texas. Kenny Braun’s photographs of the distinctive setting offer further temptation to get in the car and go.
The restaurant began as a stop-and-sample barbecue stand launched by Scott’s parents, Thurman and Hisako Roberts. After it morphed into a restaurant word got around. Since then, it has grown beyond recognition but the sides of brisket, the ribs and sausages smoked over live oak wood still taste the same. Grandma Roxie’s down to earth recipes for ‘sides’ hold good, and few diners there or eating at home can resist cobblers that defy culinary fads and warnings. ||The book’s charm lies in the affectionate family history that began when Scott Roberts’ great-grandfather bought the land way back in the nineteenth century. The recipes keep memories of a great meal alive, so do the tee-shirts. As one claims, ‘You Can Smell Our Pits for Miles.’
Reviewed by Jane Manaster
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