Sitting at a picnic table inside The Salt Lick – the famous barbecue restaurant just outside of Austin, Texas – I briefly put down my fork and declared to my friends, “I am so happy right now.” Then I started piling up my plate with more brisket, ribs, potato salad and pickles. We wisely brought our own light beer to wash it all down.

Texas is justifiably famous for its barbecue, but sometimes it’s simply yanked from the smoker, slapped on a sheet of butcher paper and then you’re on your own. No forks, no sauce. That’s not the case at the Salt Lick, whose interior resembles a wilderness camp lodge, and it would surely be the greatest camp ever. Sure, you can peruse the menu, but I prefer the sampler plate. It’s less than $20 (cash only) and they bring you as much as you can possibly eat. As delicious as it is, you’ll eat more than you ever thought possible. My favorite is the brisket slices, which I slather in sauce and smash in a roll. The ribs are succulent and the sausage chunks ooze flavor. One of my friends ordered the chicken and picked it clean. Most of us saved room for dessert, and I would recommend the half-hour drive from Austin just for the warm, generous serving of peach cobbler with ice cream.

Whenever I visit a barbecue restaurant in Texas, I am always struck by the number of families sharing a table – old and young, large and small – and the diversity among the meat-eaters. Barbecue and music are a way of life there. (Indeed, there was a duo singing country songs when we arrived.) It’s a lovely way to spend a lazy afternoon, stuffing yourself, then driving back to Austin for a much-needed nap.