When you visit the Hill Country, stop by Hays Co. Bar-B-Que. And be sure to get the green beans.

By SHAWN STONE

We recently spent some time in the Hill Country and decided to head to San Marcos to do some shopping at the outlet malls.

There’s a ton of great barbecue down there so I looked up Texas Monthly’s top 50 list to find one nearby. That’s how I stumbled across Hays County Bar-B-Que located at 1612 Interstate 35 S. in San Marcos.

This makes me hungry too.

The atmosphere was amazing. We ordered brisket, sausage, chicken and a pork chop.

The chicken was some of the best I’ve ever had and the brisket was incredible. (The great, young man even gave me a part of the burnt in, so he’s a winner in my book.)

The sides we ordered were equally delicious; twice-baked potato salad, mac and cheese and green beans.

Yeah, this looks pretty good.

All three were terrific, but the hidden gem of this establishment is the green beans. They had great flavor from the butter, tomato, and garlic and smoky chunks of pork.

We had a great experience and hope to get back soon.

I need another helping of those green beans.