My husband went to Salt Lick and said that it was really good. Check out the websites for MAN V FOOD on the travel channel and DINERS DRIVE-INS AND DIVES on the food network. They have featured some good places in Austin and other cities.
County Line is good but Salt Lick is better. However I suggest that you drive to either Luling or Lockhart for your BBQ.
Salt Lick would be agreat place to take him for Texas brisket
I'd head out to Lockhart. Both Kreuz Market - http://www.kreuzmarket.com/index.shtml and Smitty's - http://www.smittysmarket.com/ are great and close enough you can try them both.
At Salt Lick, the meat is so good that we actually preferred it without the BBQ sauce. It's fun to see them cook everything over the fire.
If you want the real Texas BBQ experience get out of town and head to Lockhart. Salt Lick and County Line are what I call up-scale BBQ. Lockart has the real deal. At Smitty's you will walk in and view the meat and sausage as it is taken off the pit and sliced right in front of you. BBQ is served on butcher paper...no plates or utensils here. Eat with the fingers. Great sides and atmosphere is all Texas.
County Line is very good, as is Salt Lick, but for the true Texas BBQ experience it is Lockhart for me.
Thanks for the great ideas! Just curious - how far is Lockhart from Austin?
Salt Lick is our favorite, but if you are willing to do a scenic roadtrip, check out Cooper's in Llano. Cooper's never fails to entertain with men smoking brisket on grills slapped onto 100 (or so) gallon barrels cut in half sideways.
Lockhart is about 35 miles from Austin. It's not too far and both places are within a mile or so of each other.