Lockhart is known as the true barbecue capital of Texas, as it’s a small town whose primary attractions are three stellar BBQ joints: Kreuz Market, Smitty’s and Black’s. But if you had to choose just one to visit, it would most assuredly be Black’s, which, at 85 years of existence, is the oldest family-run BBQ spot in Texas.
You come to Black’s for its very unique but effective method of preparing brisket, which goes back decades — the meat is cooked for several hours using only wood, cooled and then smoked again in a brick pit. The proof of concept is in the thick, crunchy crust and impossibly smoky char that develops on the outside of the meat. There’s now a location in Austin as well, but if you want the real deal, make the trip to Lockhart. The town is precious and the meat tender.
Barrett Black, the grandson of original founder Edgar Black, Sr. took us around one afternoon to show us the goods. You’ll see barbecue sauce but the true Texan way is to go without it. Barrett told us “the meat’s gotta taste great on its own. If it doesn’t, then you have to be cooking in another state, not Texas.” Only when people from out of town started to visit Black’s and ask for barbecue sauce did they start to make it. We put host Molly Moker to work, trimming and seasoning brisket for the first time. Black’s trims about 100 briskets a day, but Molly was only hired for one!
Barrett Black, the grandson of original founder Edgar Black, Sr. took us around one afternoon to show us the goods. You’ll see barbecue sauce but the true Texan way is to go without it. Barrett told us “the meat’s gotta taste great on its own. If it doesn’t, then you have to be cooking in another state, not Texas.” Only when people from out of town started to visit Black’s and ask for barbecue sauce did they start to make it. We put host Molly Moker to work, trimming and seasoning brisket for the first time. Black’s trims about 100 briskets a day, but Molly was only hired for one!