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2nd BBQ Mecca Pilgrimage - w LOTS of pics!!
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Austin Smoker
Posts: 1,467
Okay, so last week I posted about my first experience at Smitty's in Lockhart, TX, and caught the obligatory and appropriate amount of flack requesting PICS. Well, dangit if work didn't happen to take me back down to San Marcos (about 15 miles from Lockhart) today. So here is the pictorial:
A rainy day in Central Texas; you can tell I am East of I-35 by how flat it is!
You can tell when you are nearing Lockart as signs for the numerous, well known and OLD BBQ joints start popping up:
Lockhart is a typicall little farming town of about 12k:
I passed by a competitor on the way to Smitty's - been here, pretty good, but not Smitty's!:
Ahh...town square and the courthouse, getting closer!! You can see the German immigrant influence in the old courthouse:
This is all you will see in terms of roadside signage:
But when you turn into the gravel parking lot, you are greeted with a view of the BBQ Taj Mahal:
Adjacent to the parking lot...it becomes clear that this place is serious!
The stack!!
There are two entrances, this one on Hwy 183 side, greets you with a small sign that confirms you are in a Texas BBQ joint - note the rendition of the favored sacrifice to the pits on the left!
The other entrance, from the town square, provides access through the hallowed hall of flame and smoke; you can see the smoke on the far end (if the pic resolution will allow)
Yes, it's dark and dingy...but the smell is enough to brighten any room. Walk through either entrance and you eventually be greated by the Pit Room:
On each end of the pit, the fires sit outside:
The other end:
Note the soot buildup on the wall above the flame...
Sausage prices on one wall:
All other meats:
So, you order your meat in the Pit Room - and the boys gladly slice it up on the monsterous round block that sits in the "v" of the pits:
They wrap it up in butcher paper, throw in a plastic knife (NO FORKS ALLOWED) and you head into the dining room:
I was EARLY today, so not many folks eating yet - by the time I left at 11:40, it was packed with good folks. Anyway, to your right is where you purchase everything else, drinks, slaw, beans, etc....but NO SAUCE!!
Head to your table and open up your package of greatness! Which for me meant 2 pork ribs and 3 slices of brisket ($9.80 and the ribs were more than half that total!) I chose bread from the "bread or crackers" option!
I would rate the ribs above the sausage on my last vist....not the best I've ever had, darn good!
But OHHH the brisket - PERFECTION! Slap it between 2 slices of that cheap, soft white bread and CHOW DOWN!! Sorry the pic is a little blurry, but I had Brisket Fever!
Here's my "plate" when finished:
They only take cash or checks, but don't worry - ATM is handy (note the bottom left corner, through the glass doors, that's the fire by the pit)
I had to ask for a picture of meat on the pit, so on my way out, did just that as they we're lining up the link:
As I stated in my last post, I love all kinds of cue, and certainly won't even start the fight about which region has it right (I love it all as long as it's good); BUT - if you lean to the cow side of the fight - head to Smitty's, cause you too will appreciate brisket perfection, alongside a BBQ ambience second to none.
A rainy day in Central Texas; you can tell I am East of I-35 by how flat it is!
You can tell when you are nearing Lockart as signs for the numerous, well known and OLD BBQ joints start popping up:
Lockhart is a typicall little farming town of about 12k:
I passed by a competitor on the way to Smitty's - been here, pretty good, but not Smitty's!:
Ahh...town square and the courthouse, getting closer!! You can see the German immigrant influence in the old courthouse:
This is all you will see in terms of roadside signage:
But when you turn into the gravel parking lot, you are greeted with a view of the BBQ Taj Mahal:
Adjacent to the parking lot...it becomes clear that this place is serious!
The stack!!
There are two entrances, this one on Hwy 183 side, greets you with a small sign that confirms you are in a Texas BBQ joint - note the rendition of the favored sacrifice to the pits on the left!
The other entrance, from the town square, provides access through the hallowed hall of flame and smoke; you can see the smoke on the far end (if the pic resolution will allow)
Yes, it's dark and dingy...but the smell is enough to brighten any room. Walk through either entrance and you eventually be greated by the Pit Room:
On each end of the pit, the fires sit outside:
The other end:
Note the soot buildup on the wall above the flame...
Sausage prices on one wall:
All other meats:
So, you order your meat in the Pit Room - and the boys gladly slice it up on the monsterous round block that sits in the "v" of the pits:
They wrap it up in butcher paper, throw in a plastic knife (NO FORKS ALLOWED) and you head into the dining room:
I was EARLY today, so not many folks eating yet - by the time I left at 11:40, it was packed with good folks. Anyway, to your right is where you purchase everything else, drinks, slaw, beans, etc....but NO SAUCE!!
Head to your table and open up your package of greatness! Which for me meant 2 pork ribs and 3 slices of brisket ($9.80 and the ribs were more than half that total!) I chose bread from the "bread or crackers" option!
I would rate the ribs above the sausage on my last vist....not the best I've ever had, darn good!
But OHHH the brisket - PERFECTION! Slap it between 2 slices of that cheap, soft white bread and CHOW DOWN!! Sorry the pic is a little blurry, but I had Brisket Fever!
Here's my "plate" when finished:
They only take cash or checks, but don't worry - ATM is handy (note the bottom left corner, through the glass doors, that's the fire by the pit)
I had to ask for a picture of meat on the pit, so on my way out, did just that as they we're lining up the link:
As I stated in my last post, I love all kinds of cue, and certainly won't even start the fight about which region has it right (I love it all as long as it's good); BUT - if you lean to the cow side of the fight - head to Smitty's, cause you too will appreciate brisket perfection, alongside a BBQ ambience second to none.
Comments
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WOW!!! if i go and bite into a peice of my brisket and burp it will have all the hallmarks of me going with you.... great pictorial and description....
love the pit shots also what a unique corthousehappy eggin
TB
Anderson S.C.
"Life is too short to be diplomatic. A man's friends shouldn't mind what he does or says- and those who are not his friends, well, the hell with them. They don't count."
Tyrus Raymond Cobb
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Wow!! Now to just find myself NEAR Lockhart, just once.............
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Calling the travel agent and booking the Presidential Suite at the Lockhart Ritz Carlton! Man that stuff looks awesome!
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Very cool documentary!
One of these days I'm going to have to make the "circuit" to catch Smitty's, Kreutz's and Coopers. I can't believe I haven't already.
LR -
I'm sure the staff at the Lockhart Ritz (dba Lochart Motor Lodge and Laundromat) will take care of all your needs! :laugh:
Knauf wrote:Calling the travel agent and booking the Presidential Suite at the Lockhart Ritz Carlton! Man that stuff looks awesome! -
Thanks LR, I actually have to go out West (San Angelo/Midland) mid-week. Of course, that takes me right through Llano, so I'll try to do a similar post on Cooper's. Love that place too...
Lawn Ranger wrote:Very cool documentary!
One of these days I'm going to have to make the "circuit" to catch Smitty's, Kreutz's and Coopers. I can't believe I haven't already.
LR -
What a pity! I know you're dreading it.
LR -
http://www.ntscblog.com/2006/10/getting-anointed-with-q-at-kreuz.html
Check out some others in Lockhart. I've heard the shoulder clod at Kreutz's is killer.
Mike -
Awesome. I love the BBQ from Lockhart. Don't forget City Market. I think their sausage is absolutely the BEST. Small links that come regular, garlic or jalapeno cheddar.
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Thank you for the pictorial trip. I just finished reading Legends of Texas BBQ. You did a much better job covering this place than those pros did. I look forward to where your employment takes you next.
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Awesome. I love the BBQ from Lockhart. Don't forget City Market. I think their sausage is absolutely the BEST. Small links that come regular, garlic or jalapeno cheddar.
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WOW.
The brisket on white bread says it all. It don't get much better than that. -
Great photo-mentary! That's the Texas Q by definition! My first real Texas BBQ was at Rudy's in Leon Springs - meat sold by the pound with a whole loaf of white bread on the side! I haven't seen Q sold like that anywhere else - what a great experience!
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cool pictorial, thanks. By chance is it all pecan in the lot, any mesquite. Twww.ceramicgrillstore.com ACGP, Inc.
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Hey Austin Smoker,
I had to do a quick day trip yesterday from Round Rock (my home) to Corpus. On the way back up, after a long day of driving, I saw a billboard on IH35 for Lockhart, the "birthplace" (or words to that effect) of BBQ.
I caught your previous post, and immediately cursed the late hour, and the long day. Alas, we did not stop.
With these pics, I clearly have no reason to say "no". It is such an easy drive on a Saturday, it will be a short trip.
Except for this Saturday with the EggFest here!
Thanks for the great pics! -
Round Rock to Corpus is no quick trip - ouch!! But with 130 completed down past the airport, a run to Lockhart should be a joy! Good luck - hopefully I will drag the kids by Eggfest on Sat.!
jamiemeyer wrote:Hey Austin Smoker,
I had to do a quick day trip yesterday from Round Rock (my home) to Corpus. On the way back up, after a long day of driving, I saw a billboard on IH35 for Lockhart, the "birthplace" (or words to that effect) of BBQ.
I caught your previous post, and immediately cursed the late hour, and the long day. Alas, we did not stop.
With these pics, I clearly have no reason to say "no". It is such an easy drive on a Saturday, it will be a short trip.
Except for this Saturday with the EggFest here!
Thanks for the great pics! -
Pretty sure it was all oak...but didn't inspect the stacks up close. The flavor profile screamed oak!
tjv wrote:cool pictorial, thanks. By chance is it all pecan in the lot, any mesquite. T -
If in the area on I35 try Johnnys in Salado. That aggie can cook.Salado TX & 30A FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.
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