Photo by Joe OlivieriBy Joe Olivieri
Duo offers their own twist on Texas staples
Lindsey Nutter and Brian "Buster" Rauschuber opened food trailer Nutter Buster BBQ & Comfort on May 18, 2013.
A year later the duo has staked out their own piece of Austin's barbecue scene in the unincorporated Manchaca community of southern Travis County.
"We're doing really well," Nutter said. "There are not many places to eat around here. The people who live here have to drive up Brodie Lane or go to Southpark Meadows to eat. Now that Railroad BBQ closed, we are the only barbecue place in the neighborhood."
Nutter Buster smokes its meats for 12 to 15 hours and produces all of its foods on-site, Rauschuber said.
The trailer serves brisket by the pound but breaks with tradition in that the sandwiches are the stars of their establishment, Nutter said. They pile brisket or pulled pork on sourdough buns and grilled cheese sandwiches, and offer a mac-and-cheese grilled cheese on the menu.
On a typical day, Nutter Buster may smoke up to 150 pounds of meat. For a busy day or an event, they might prepare twice that amount.
The trailer's busiest day to date was the Heartbreaker Banquet, a private event at Willie Nelson's Luck, Texas ranch during the 2014 South by Southwest Music and Media Conference.
The truck is not Nutter and Rauschuber's full-time job; Nutter works in the music industry, and Rauschuber is a local attorney.
They have hired more employees to help expand the truck's hours, but they said they remain heavily involved to make sure the quality stays the same.
The duo said they hope to someday open a brick-and-mortar restaurant in South Austin.
"For us, we don't buy the cheapest meat. We don't buy the cheapest bread," Rauschuber said. "What keeps us going is not hitting the 'sale' button on the iPad but seeing the smiles on customers' faces and hearing them rave about
the barbecue.
"That's what makes us smile at the end of the day when we're sitting on the couch exhausted," he added.
Menu options
- Smoked brisket sandwich—Sliced or chopped brisket served on a sourdough bun ($8.75)
- Pulled-pork sandwich—Slow-smoked pork with slaw or toppings ($8)
- Grilled cheese with pulled pork—Pulled pork on a three-cheese blend on Texas toast ($8)
- Grilled cheese with brisket—Brisket on a three-cheese blend on Texas toast ($8.75)
- Mac and cheese grilled cheese —Bacon-infused mac and cheese on a three-cheese blend on Texas toast ($7.50)
- Fried mac-and-cheese bites—Elbow macaroni with a six-cheese blend battered and fried ($4 for five pieces)
Nutter Buster BBQ & Comfort, Far Out Marketplace, 1705 FM 1626, 512-903-9774, www.nutterbuster.com
