2018 - Luling/Lockhart

Beautiful late spring weather in Texas.  A perfect time for a barbecue road trip.  Below is my video from my trip to Luling and Lockhart.

City Market - Luling

I had heard good things about the barbecue served at City Market in Luling.  They made the Texas Monthly Top 50 list in 2017, so I pointed the minivan south and made the hour long drive.  City Market is located at 633 E. Davis Street, right at the intersection with US Highway 183 and just before you cross the railroad tracks.  Like many barbecue joints in Texas, City Market started off as a grocery store that cooked and served barbecue as a way to unload unsold meat.

The restaurant is divided into two halves.  Up front is where you get chips, sodas, etc.  The back part is where you order your meats.  I walked inside the enclosed area and was hit with the sweet smell of barbecue.  I ordered my standard half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs which was served on butcher paper.  I also got some sweet pickles and onions, then found a table.  I bought myself some fritos and a soda from the ladies up front and sat down to eat.

The brisket was very good: great outer bark, deep smoky flavor.  It was tender and juicy, but some slices were a bit stringy.  The pork ribs were outstanding: super tender and juicy with the meat falling off the bone.  I have heard that their sauce is really good, but there wasn’t any on my table and I did not see where any was kept.  No matter, the barbecue really didn’t need it.

When I finished eating, I walked around back and met Joe, one of their pitmasters.  He was pulling racks of ribs off the pit.  Like most all barbecue joints in central Texas, they smoke their meats using post oak wood. 

A few random thoughts. . .  City Market is cash only.  They do not take credit cards.  They do have an ATM machine inside if needed.  This is a no frills kind of joint.  If they serve side dishes, I didn’t see any except for banana pudding.  A small café down the street advertised their daily lunch special being meat loaf and two sides.  That might be the place to go for side dishes, but City Market is the place for good barbecue in Luling.   

I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!

Kreuz market - Lockhart

On my way back to Austin, I drove through Lockhart and right past Kreuz Market.  They also made the Texas Monthly Top 50 list in 2017 and I got to thinking: when might I just happen to be driving this way again?  So I decided to stop in and make it a barbecue two-fer.

Kreuz Market is currently located at 619 North Colorado Street, but that’s not where they started out.  Charles Kreuz opened a grocery store in 1900 in Lockhart and started serving smoked meats on butcher paper.  In 1948, long time employee Edgar Schmidt bought the market.  He sold the business to his sons Rick and Don in 1984.  When Mr. Edgar passed away in the late 90s, his daughter Nina Sells inherited the property.  The sons and the daughter got into a disagreement, a “barbe-feud” if you will, that was settled by her retaining the original location (now the home of Smitty’s BBQ) and the boys keeping the name.  Long time pitmaster Roy Perez helped drag a washtub full of coals a quarter mile to the new location to keep the 100 year old fire still going.

My tummy was already full from a bunch of barbecue in Luling, so I ordered only a quarter pound of moist brisket and a single pork rib.  I paid for the meat and took my butcher paper bundle into the dining room.  There I got pickles, onions, some ice tea, and found a squeeze bottle of their sauce. Both the brisket and rib had a good smoky flavor, but each was rather chewy.  Their sauce was a thin tomato based sauce that went well with the meat.

I have seen football stadiums smaller than their new location.  Out back, they have stacks and stacks and stacks of post oak wood.  I don’t think they will run out any time soon, but they are famous in central Texas and do a lot of business.  Kreuz Marketin Lockhart – serving Texas barbecue for more than a century.

I rate this barbecue one Hook ‘Em.

2018 - Black's Barbecue in Lockhart

My wife and I had tickets to see a play in Lockhart.  This gave me a golden opportunity to eat some great barbecue.  Here's the video of my latest adventure:

Lockhart is a quiet Texas town about an hour’s drive southeast of Austin.  At one time, it was considered the center of the barbecue universe, with several great joints in town.  For this trip, I wanted to sample the offerings at Black’s Barbecue.  I have eaten at their Austin “outpost” several times, but this trip gave me the chance to eat at their original restaurant.

Black’s is located at 215 North Main Street, just a couple of blocks north of the big county courthouse.  Opened in 1932, it is the oldest barbecue joint in Texas still owned by the same family.  Texas Monthly had previously named them as one of the 50 best joints in the state, so I was looking forward to this. . .

When you first walk into Black’s, your nose is hit with the sweet, sweet smell of barbecue.  At the end of a short walkway lined with photos, you grab a plate and choose any side dishes you might want: beans, cole slaw, mac and cheese, rice, etc.  I normally skip the sides, but I had to see if their pecan cobbler is as good as what they serve in Austin.  Then you make your way to the cutting board where you order your meat.  Kirkland oversaw things as I ordered a half pound of moist brisket and a couple of pork ribs.

The brisket was superb: very tender, delicious outer bark, deep smoky flavor.  My taste buds were in heaven.  The ribs were also impressive.  The meat had a sweet, smoky flavor and was very tender, easily biting from the bone.  My wife gave me a bite of their smoked turkey.  It was a bit dry, but also very smoky.  They had sauce on the table, but I never used a drop of it.  And the pecan cobbler – oh boy was it good.  After I ate, I had a chance to speak with Kirkland and the cutting crew.  Really super people. 

Edgar Black and his wife Norma Jean managed the family business for over sixty years.  They were very proud that they were the first business in Lockhart to integrate, believing anybody, regardless of race, can work hard and do good if given the chance.  Mr. Black passed away in 2017 at the age of 91.  The Black’s are now into their fifth generation of family members working and running the restaurant. 

Great barbecue, great people. . .  it’s easy to see why the famous, the not so famous, and the infamous have made the pilgrimage to Lockhart for all these years.  Oh and by the way, the play we saw that night was also a lot of fun.  Black’sBarbecue in Lockhart. . .  a classic Texas barbecue joint.

I rate this barbecue two Hook ‘Ems!