BBQ Joints are in the crossroads of the countryside

Feb 24/2019 Weather sunny, cool high 67, low 39.  

Llano River, low bridge at Castell crossroads, historical marker

Over the last few years that we have been frequenting Hill Country there has been a spot nagging at us to find.  It is a biker's ride/hangout and the best part is on Sunday you are rewarded with a 1 lb ribeye steak BBQ if there are any left when you get there.  The Castell General Store cooks till they run out of meat.  Our kind of place.  

Billy parking the bike in front of Castell

The tiny village is on the banks of the Llano River, which in the fall of 2018 took a kicking with floods.  We expect to see it not as picturesque as before, there has to be debris left from the high waters.   Even calling it a  village is exaggerating, now that there is a post office, an abandoned car dealership and the quirky general store.  History is that the store was built in 1927 by a local blacksmith, the town was founded by German freethinkers.  

The BBQ pit - the stack burns the wood to make coals which are moved to the pit for cooking

Not long ago they were also the home of Duke the rooster who was the pet of the place, unfortunately he went to the big chickencoop in the sky and a new Duke with his friend Henna Henpecker are making friends.  Thus the stores indoor space is known as the Roost.  Tuesdays to Saturdays are different venues of BBQ and Sunday is the big day with Ribeyes.  Order at the pit, then go inside to start a tab and grab a cold beer at the bar.  Then help yourself to fixings to accompany your beef:  baked potato, mushrooms, green beans, salad, buns.  

After filling our need for red meat, we meandered along the Llano River to Llano then headed south on a farm to ranch road thru the countryside back to Fredericksburg.   Wouldn't you ride 45 miles for a Ribeye? 

Robert F. Rowntree House plaque

riding along farm to ranch road in the distance is a historical home