brisket battle royale

“the things i do for you people”…

…i’ve started more than one entry that way. typically when i do something out of character. this time i did something out of character, but it was enjoyable – i went here:

this is the sign outside the “nice” dining room in kreuz market, bbq tourist trap from hell in lockhart, texas (where i live). i hadn’t ever set foot in this building, and hadn’t been to kreuz’s in over a decade ’cause a friend of mine got burned (no pun intended) by somebody in management there…

(no names mentioned, but he was on the travel channel recently)

it was said travel channel article that lit up my inbox with people wondering if, in fact, kreuz’s deserved to win the bbq showdown on the travel channel’s food wars show. the answer, in my opinion, is no. lockhart (the bar-b-que capital of texas, or so declared by the texas legislature and many a local to anybody who will listen) actually has FOUR bar-b-que joints in town, but only two ever get the hype. i’ve always said to people who ask me where i recommend going for bar-b-que, it depends on what you want. they all do it well, but they do some meats better than others. here’s my personal breakdown…

kreuz market – great sausage (both jalapeno cheddar and regular), good brisket, honestly didn’t try much else…why do you need to? those are the typical staples, and i was pressed for time that day. a note to people who won’t expect it – NO sauce, NO plates (butcher paper), NO forks (fingers).

smitty’s market – great brisket, sausage, and prime rib. JAB raved about all things “rib” there when we had lunch recently. so nice, i’m doing it twice (last friday with JAB, day before you read this with my sister). again, NO plates and NO forks…but sauce is available if you ask for it at the counter where you get beer, and i recommend it – sweet and smoky, but not overly molassesy.

black’s bar-b-que – the other of the “big three” tourists like to go to, and the only one of the three to actually have “bbq” in the title. san antonio-born actor bruce mcgill (d-day in animal house, among other flicks like the recent vantage point) has it shipped out to his cali home regularly, and it’s the brisket of the shire (elijah wood is also a fan, in other words). brisket it okay, sausage and ribs all really good, and great pork loin. unlike the previous two you get sides aplenty, sauce, forks, and plates. it’s almost like a real restaurant!

chisolm trail bar-b-que – the forgotten “newbie” in town (started in 1978, mere weeks before i moved to town) and on the opposite side of town from the others (they’re all clustered on the north end of town closer to austin) this local haunt (called “floyd’s” or “chisolm” by the locals ’cause floyd owns it, and the latter should be easy to decipher) has lots of sides, okay bbq brisket and ribs, but positively AMAZING bbq chicken and pork chops, a HUGE salad / hot food bar, and they’re cheap. like a flintstone’s size pork chop is under five bucks kinda cheap. it was both my mom AND grandma’s favorite for the decades they lived in town…that should say enough for ya!

so, to address the emails – i disagree with the travel channel (i keep having to edit myself as i keep typing “FOOD channel” since the show was, well, about food) – the whole kreuz / smitty’s family feud made for good tv, and it was cool to see two people i went to high school with duke it out with smoked meat (keith schmidt from kreuz’s was two years my senior in high school, while smitty’s pit master john fullilove was a year behind me) but i gotta give the nod to john’s cooking (even though i always got along better with keith in high school). the meats more tender and flavorful, and i just find it better and more consistent. only one way to really tell, though – head on down…but don’t limit yourself to just the two places that you saw on tv!

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • kramerw Apr 2, 2010 @ 20:02

    Floyd’s still the best I had in that town.

  • sinderella Apr 5, 2010 @ 15:43

    Myself, i like each place. Each has it’s own specialties. Chisolm is the cheapest and stays open the latest and has the most giantic salad with turkey or ham for 3.95!