Lockhart BBQ Tour!

Well, I did it. I visited some of the Hallowed Halls of Texas Barbecue yesterday. First of all, let me state that Texas BBQ is BEEF, not pork, and beef brisket is the most famous cut of all. There are many, many famous BBQ places in Texas, but the best ones are in central Texas, in the old German and Czech towns. My uncle and I had many cities to choose from: Elgin, Luling, Taylor, Lexington, and Lockhart. We finally decided on Lockhart, and did what may count as the most gluttonous dining experience of my lifetime: we ate at FOUR BBQ restaurants in THREE hours.

First, there was Black's: it's the oldest continuously run BBQ place in Lockhart, started in 1932. There, we ordered the brisket (fatty AND lean, of course), and also tried the turkey and a beef rib, which was so huge, it looked like a dinosaur bone. Let me say that the first bite of the fatty brisket at Black's blew me away: the rub, the smoke, the wood, the meat -- I could taste it all. And it literally melted in my mouth. Unbelieveable. Maybe it was because it was the first taste of the day, but I could swear it was the best taste of BBQ I've ever had in my entire life. Zeke and I ate a few ethereal bites, and a bit of potato salad, and then we begrudgingly put the leftovers away so that we could head to the next place.

Which was Smitty's. Smitty's Market is a place of legend, one of Texas Monthly Magazine's Top 5 BBQ places in Texas. Even though it was around 2:15 when we arrived, we had to wait in a long line to order. And that line snakes right past the BBQ pits. So while the smell is outrageously delicious, waiting in line is HOTTER THAN HADES. But I got to see the soot-covered walls, the wood fire whose flames somehow get vacuumed into the smokers, and the pitmasters tending all that meat, all while sweating to death while waiting in line. Zeke and I ordered the fatty and lean brisket again, and this time ordered the hot links, as well (Smitty's also makes their own hot dogs, but I didn't see them on the menu), and potato salad. Unfortunately, our brisket was not good. It was overcooked, dry and leathery. Our hot link, however, was divine, and the potato salad was our favorite of the day. So I don't know if Smitty's just had an off day with its brisket, or if it is not living up to its reputation. I'll give it a second chance, but it was a disappointment.

The third place we visited was Chisolm Trail. It was funny, in a way: it was the least crowded, and also the least expensive. There we ordered the brisket (fatty and lean again), along with some turkey and pork spare ribs. (Yes, to my kosher-keeping friends, I ate pork on this trip. Sorry.) And the meat here was the saltiest, by far, but it was delicious! The texture of the brisket was fantastic, and that salty rub made for some seriously divine bark (the crust on the meat formed by the smoking, for you non-Texas-BBQ folks). The rib was excellent, too. And Chisolm Trail had the best bread, by far. White, light, and fluffy -- way better than the supermarket bread that the other places served. The potato salad was mustardy, which I like, but I still liked Smitty's potato salad better.

And finally, we doubled back up 183 to Kreuz Market (pronounced "Kreitz"). This place is the holy of holies, the monastery of meat, a legend among legends. It started in 1900, in the location where Smitty's now stands, and moved to its new location in 1999, after a family feud (part of the family continues to own Kreuz in its new location; the other part of the family owns Smitty's, in the old Kreuz Market location). The building is HUGE, with multiple rooms for seating. And we didn't arrive there until around 3:45 or so. But the place was still busy even at that late lunch hour. We waited in a fairly long line again, and got to see the pits again, just like at Smitty's. But this time, there was no soot on the walls, excellent ventilation, and a bright space, which goes along with the brand-new building. Again, we ordered brisket (fatty and lean), and our two "ringers" this time were the prime rib and the jalapeno-cheese sausage. The brisket at Kreuz was excellent. And the bark on it was pretty astounding: if I ate jut the bark, I could swear I could taste the oak wood that fired the pits. I also had a hefty dose of smoke, and the meat was tender. The prime rib was outrageously good, too. The jalapeno sausage was spicy, but I was so full at that point, that I only ate one bite!

Finally, at 4:15 pm, we left Lockhart. Zeke and I were so full that we could hardly move, even though we only ate little tastes of the meat at each place. Karen, who is mostly vegetarian but will occasionally eat chicken or turkey, ate the turkey at Black's and Chisolm Trail, and ate ice cream comes at both Smitty's and Kreuz Market. So even she was pretty full! Needless to say, I needed a serious nap after that gluttony. But what a feast.

Tonight, Zeke and I pulled out the leftover meat for supper, and after carefully tasting everything side by side this time, we confirmed our preference. Here goes:

#1 and Top Honors goes to: Black's!!!!!

#2: Chisolm Trail

#3: Kreuz Market

#4: Smitty's

Highly recommended, for those of you who feel like an entire day of barbecue would be good for your soul (if not good for your waistline).