Former John Mueller Employee Opens New Barbecue Trailer in Old Location

Former John Mueller protege Mikey Perez and his new trailer M-Train BBQ took over the lot at 2500 East 6th Street, former home of John Mueller Meat Co., reported Daniel Vaughn at Texas Monthly. John Mueller's trailer had been closed since it was seized in late August by the state because of nonpayment of taxes.

First-time barbecue business owner Perez previously honed his skills at John Mueller Meat Co. for a couple of years before leaving in early July. As he told Vaughn, the operation "didn’t seem right to me, so I had to take off on my own." He took over the east Austin lot on Friday behind Kellee’s Place, a long-standing bar owned by Perez’s uncle.

M-Train BBQ’s menu includes the standard fare such as brisket, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and chicken. (Tip: Can’t decide? The brisket — made using a simple salt-and-pepper rub — and chicken both placed in the top 15 out of 63 contestants in a barbecue competition in Giddings over the weekend.) Visitors can expect a similar style as Mueller’s — albeit simpler — as described to Vaughn:

The pork ribs won’t get the sticky sweet glaze, and the pulled pork will come without sauce, too. ‘I’m basically doing what he did, but with more consistency,’ Perez told me [Vaughn]. A little mesquite will get mixed in with the oak, too. As for sausage Perez says, ‘I don’t have time to buy a sausage machine and crank it out every morning.’ He’s a one man crew right now, so he’s starting slow

John Mueller — of the Mueller barbecue dynasty — opened John Mueller Meat Co. in 2003 following his ouster from the family JMuellerBBQ truck. It quickly became a top barbecue destination in Austin. The trailer’s last post on Facebook on August 27 stated, "Closed until tax issues with the Comptroller are resolved." A reported $92,542.76 worth of taxes is at stake. Eater had reached out to Mueller about the new barbecue trailer, but hasn’t heard back yet.

Vaughn also clarified M-Train BBQ’s hours, which are incorrect on Facebook. It’s open Thursdays through Mondays 10:30 a.m. until sold out.

• M-Train BBQ Takes Over John Mueller Lot [TMBBQ]
• M-Train BBQ [Facebook]
• Barbecue Trailer John Mueller Meat Company Seized by State [EATX]