Essential Small Town Texas BBQ Classics
Ryan shares classic BBQ joints that are big on flavor and character that are located in small towns in the Lone Star State.
Texas has made significant contributions to barbecue culture over the last hundred or so years. It is almost impossible to overstate the importance of barbecue to the cultural identity of the Lone Star State, and at the same time, it is almost impossible to overstate the significance of Texas to the world of barbecue.
Texas's landscape is dotted with small towns, many of which have amazing barbecue restaurants serving delicious food with big, bold flavors. These small towns have a lot of history, as evidenced by their smoke-stained walls and heavily used pits from days gone by.
The small town of Lockhart is famously known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas. Charles Kreuz, Jr. moved to Lockhart in 1900 and purchased the meat market in the town and his family would later transform it into a commercial barbecue joint.
A family disagreement resulted in two different famous Lockhart joints: Smitty’s Market, located in the original Kreuz building, and the new Kreuz Market, located in a large new building nearby. Both are worthy of a visit and bring to mind a bygone era. Two other famous historic barbecue joints are also located in Lockhart: Black’s BBQ, which has been continuously operated by the same family since 1932, and Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que, which opened in 1978.
One historic barbecue joint that remains relevant in the age of craft barbecue is Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor. Walking through the rickety door and entering the “Cathedral of Smoke” is an experience like no other. The restaurant was founded by its namesake in 1949 and is now run by Louie’s grandson Wayne Mueller.
The giant beef ribs are the quintessential menu item to order but you should also try the brisket, sausage, and spare ribs. Be sure to check out the blackened wall of old business cards and soak up the history of this iconic spot.
Meanwhile, Southside Market & Barbeque in Elgin claims to be the oldest barbecue joint in Texas, having been started in 1882. Though the Elgin restaurant is now located in a modern building and additional locations have been added in other towns, the smoked sausage served at Southside Market is remarkable.
Another iconic spot that delivers a memorable barbecue experience is City Market in Luling (not to be confused with Luling City Market in Houston). Diners file up in a line running through the restaurant and go into a smoke-filled pit room to order fresh cut meats before exiting to order sides and drinks. A slice of City Market sausage on a cracker with some sliced onion and a drop of the tangy, mustardy sauce might just be one of the best bites in Texas barbecue.
An equally memorable and only slightly less-smoky experience can be found at Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Llano. At Cooper’s, meat is cooked over direct heat using mesquite, and diners pass by a serving pit and point to the specific cuts they would like to order before entering the dining room. Try the thick pork chops, beef ribs, and turkey.
--
Although these joints are located in out-of-the-way places across the Lone Star State, they have managed to keep the tradition alive and have continued to endure over the years. It’s important that barbecue fans continue to make pilgrimages to visit the historic, small-town spots that paved the way for today’s innovative barbecue restaurants.
Ryan Cooper
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Smoke Sheet to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.