Finger Licking Good BBQ in Lockhart, TX…

Although it was tough to leave Shiner and all that good beer the beautiful county courthouse and all that enticing BBQ smoke smell that greeted us upon our arrival in Lockhart got us fired up. You see Lockhart Texas has been dubbed the Barbecue Capital of Texas by the Texas State legislature. There are only four Barbecue establishments in this small town but according to a recent Texas Monthly Magazine three of them are in the top five Barbecue places in the entire state of Texas. The fourth one, Chisholm Trail BBQ, didn’t make the list but oddly enough it is rated the best in town by the locals in the annual “Best of” contest sponsored by the local newspaper. So what gives?

The only real way to find out in our opinion was to go ahead and try all four of them before leaving Lockhart. In our working lives we had eaten exclusively at Kreuz Barbecue when we had the hankering for great BBQ and really had no inclination to venture out to try any of the other highly rated establishments. However now that our  travels have taken us so far away from real Texas BBQ   we find ourselves now with an insatiable desire to devour all the smoky BBQ we can find. In retirement we also find ourselves with no time constraint so this makes it perfect for us to sample, savor and evaluate these culinary delights.

First on our list was Smitty’s Market at 208 S. Commerce street. As we drove up we found we had to search for an available parking space so given how many cars were in the lot we already knew we found a great BBQ spot. Walking in the door we could see and smell the big open fire pits framed by the blackened walls behind. We ordered up some brisket and a hot sausage link all wrapped in butcher paper with some white bread for which we paid cash as they accept NO PLASTIC (debit nor credit) as the signs so indicate. We sat down at a long table alongside military personnel from nearby Austin and as they did, we ordered up a nice Shiner Blonde to wash it all down. The sausage was nicely smoked although a little greasy yet very tasty. The Brisket was beatifulicious… and delectably smokiferous… Beyond our dreams good....just what we had been waiting for!

Next up was Black’s Barbecue located on 215 N. Main Street. They claim to be the oldest family run BBQ business in the entire state of Texas as they were established in 1932. This may not be entirely true as Martin’s BBQ in Bryan,Texas has been around longer in the same family than Black’s. But that is not why we were here…we're here because we hear it is good...how good? Even President Lyndon Johnson had Black's BBQ cater for a Presidential affair in Washington D.C. We ordered some Brisket and a few ribs on the side…  the brisket was extremely moist and just right with the smoke and holy moly, the ribs were near perfect…

The third one we tried was one we knew well, Kreuz Barbeque found on 619 North Colorado Street and is pronounced 'Krites'. Like several of the best BBQ places we have visited Kreuz serves its BBQ on brown butcher paper. Again, some Brisket and a sausage link were ordered, inspected and sampled. We have always loved the BBQ here but on this particular day we must have had their BBQ on an off day. The brisket was tasty but was not only was it too salty it was also tough as a boot!!! No way you say!!! Yep, it was tougher than 10 penny nail. What a let down....maybe next time…

Our last stop was at Chisholm Trail Barbeque found on 1323 S. Colorado Street and is the newest (opened in 1978) of the four joints in Lockhart. It is said the owner had to sell his fishing boat to raise enough money to open the restaurant and even after he did he said he must be crazy opening up a BBQ joint next to all those other great ones.. He is not as highly rated by BBQ connoisseurs yet he is rated the best in town by the locals. Another order of Brisket and some sausage along with a whole chicken (we were feeding the grandkids). The brisket was succulent and moist and yummy indeed as was the sausage. The chicken was a bit dry but otherwise good, yes the locals may be on to something…

Lockhart will stand out as a really great time for us while in Texas not only for the BBQ but for the priceless time spent with the grandkids. But which BBQ place did we like the best? Smitty’s was the best by far in our opinion as that brisket was exquisite… yep at this particular time it was Smitty’s hands down! Chisholm Trail Barbeque was not too far behind…