Lockhart Courthouse
Black's Barbecue
Cutting Up
Pork Ribs, Sausage, Pickles and Roll
Smitty's - Over 100 yrs at this location
Loved the avocado
Wood Stack and Stack and Stack ...
Lockhart, BBQ Capital of Texas
Chisholm Trail
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Biker Living
March - April 2012
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Lockhart, Texas By Cappy Paxton Many towns in Texas have their claim to fame. No town is prouder than Lockhart, the Barbecue Capital of Texas. In 1999 the Texas House of Representatives passed the resolution, which in 2003 was duplicated by the Texas Senate, making Lockhart the Texas BBQ capital. Being BBQ savvy is not the only mark that Lockhart has made on Texas history. The Caldwell County soil is not all that great for raising lush crops. With its expansive grasslands and access to fresh water, it was ideal for raising cattle. After the Civil War, a man by the name of Thornton Chisholm rounded up 1,800 head of cattle and drove them north to the railroads. This started a trend and also gave the Texas cattle industry a swift kick in their Wrangler jeans. The herds would be bedded down after crossing Plum Creek. A Cutter would come from Lockhart and guide the herd through town. Lockhart was given another shove towards prosperity when oil was discovered in the early 1920's. To this day, Lockhart is a thriving community. Now to why I called you together - BARBECUE There are four very good BBQ joints in Lockhart. Before I get too involved in describing my experiences at each restaurant I want to start with a disclaimer. All cows, pigs and chickens are not created equal. There are other factors that are in play when it comes to consistent BBQ. The amount of traffic the restaurant experiences in any particular day and even the time of day can make a difference in in the quality of each serving. I will lightly skim over the "sides issue" - how long has the corn been sitting in that water? Is the coleslaw made today or is it left over from last night? The crux of the sides-issue that my traveling companions and I found were, the sides found the trashcan more often than not. I mostly stick with things like jalapenos, onions, avocados and bread. Your mileage may vary. I ordered the same items at each place, or at least tried to. My weakness is for pork ribs with sausage coming in a close second. That is what I stuck with. My buddies ordered various items, which I sampled as well. These other selections were brisket, chicken and pork chops. A side note: sauce was not made readily available. The common theme was, "if the meat needed sauce it wasn't good BBQ." I'm going to start with my least liked, which I liked, just less. Chisholm Trail - Right away, this place was going straight to the bottom of my list. They didn't have pork ribs. People around me seemed to enjoy the sides. The coleslaw and potato salad were average. The brisket was tasty. In fact all the meat I sampled was good. You could get fajitas and tacos as well. Since I was on a BBQ mission it never crossed my mind to try Mexican food, maybe next time. Black's - This was a very clean experience. The sides were probably the best of the lot. All items were tasty. The pork ribs were a little too firm for my liking. I did enjoy the sausage a lot. The brisket was very tasty and I consider it the best meat on their menu. It needed another 3 or 4 hours to get it the way I prefer but nonetheless, acceptable. We thought the Styrofoam plates were a nice touch. Kruez - I don't know how many readers are aware of the Kruez controversy. In a pecan shell - Old man Smitty (Edgar Schmidt) left the real estate to the daughter and the business to his son. They never could agree on the rent so away went the son, carrying the coals right out of the smoker, to a new location. From what I've heard, the feud-fires have died down and what the town is left with is two delicious options. The sides at Kruez are well … I liked the avocado. The pork ribs were scrumptious and the sausage tasty. The brisket was a welcome surprise. It seemed to be the best of the four BBQ joints. While the pork chop had great flavor, it was dry in the middle. Luckily I had plenty of refreshing beverage to wash it down. Smitty's - Since 1900, the original, and by the walls and ceiling you know that's right. Smitty's oozes old world BBQ. A fire is built at each end of their pit. I imagine being in the pit room during the middle of summer would be a special experience. I doubt if the meat is smoked much differently today than it was in the early 1900's. Cotton pickers brought BBQ to the state. They had a talent for making the lessor of cuts taste like the very best portions. They did this by putting the meat in a pit and slow cooking it. In 1905 Texas formed the Department of Health. Very soon after that, it was deemed unsanitary to serve food from a pit. Thanks to the German and Czech butchers, the smoking ovens were invented. The pit I saw at Smitty's had to have been one of the originals, at least it appeared that way to me. I am sure each of you will place the restaurants in a different order. Please do, you cannot offend me. The bottom line is that if you leave Lockhart, Texas without sampling their BBQ you will have missed a wonderful opportunity to taste some very, very find food. My parting comment is this - BBQ is subjective, as it should be. I have my favorite BBQ and it isn't in Lockhart. I can tell you this; the next time I'm in Lockhart and I am hungry, I will be eager to sit down and gnaw on Smitty's pork ribs with a side of jalapeno, avocado, onions and white bread. The only thing I'd add is something cold and refreshing to wet my whistle. As to the better Q, you'll have to track me down and we'll talk. Cappy out - |
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Lockhart Courthouse Black's Barbecue Cutting Up Pork Ribs, Sausage, Pickles and Roll Smitty's - Over 100 yrs at this location Loved the avocado Wood Stack and Stack and Stack ... Lockhart, BBQ Capital of Texas Chisholm Trail |