Our Man Sietsema: ''Lean' is Too Lean'

Our Man has eaten at Hill Country, and it was good. He knows his 'cue in general, and knows Kreuz Market, the famous Lockhart, Texas spot that Hill Country does a "reverent re-creation" of, according to Sietsema.

Here's what to order:

Clod, aka beef shoulder. "Kreuz clod is like smoked pot roast – big, coarse-textured, and well caramelized. Hill Country's clod ($18 per pound) is smaller and more delicate, a citified version of a country classic."
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Brisket. "The brisket comes in two variations. 'Moist' is fattier than anything I've ever seen in Texas, where good barbecue is invariably fatty. 'Lean' is too lean. The solution: A quarter-pound of each will run you about $8, and you can chop them roughly together before folding them into a slice of white bread, Texas style.

Sausage. "The plain sausage is unassailable, perhaps because it's imported from Kreuz Market, with a beef filling that is authentically loose in its casing."

As is tradition with barbecue, the sides are weird and not great, but Sietsema liked the corn-kernel pudding.

Hill Country

30 West 26th Street

(212) 255-4544