Black's Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas

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This past weekend, we took our Sunday evening meal at Black's Barbecue, in Lockhart, Texas. Many people view Lockhart, east of San Antonio, as the epicenter of great smoked meats in Texas. Lockhart, a town of only 12,000, is home to three restaurants that consistently rank in the top 20 in Texas, and there are at least 6 more great places within a 40 mile radius of Lockhart. The three in Lockhart are Smitty's, Kreuz's and Black's.


Black's Barbecue opened in 1932 and has been operated by the Black family since that date. It's an old building, inside and out, and is decorated with many photos of local sports teams and visiting dignitaries. There was a signed photo of Lyndon Johnson with some members of the Black family near our booth. Johnson grew up about 60 miles west of Lockhart.


In this barbecue house, diners pass down a short cafeteria line, choosing their side dishes, then into the meat room. All meat is cut to the order of the diner. We ordered our standard "get acquainted" order; brisket, ribs and sausage. This time Kay chose baby back ribs, instead of the larger spare ribs. The meat man asked me the usual brisket question - "wet or lean"? This translates into "how much fat do you want on your beef"? I always answer, wet. Well marbled meat means juiciness and better flavor.

Our brisket was very good, had a fine flavor, and a great deal of blackened crust had been included. The sausage was a fine example of Texas/German, with a medium spice level. I liked it quite a bit more than Kay. The interior was finely ground which made the cooked product somewhat soft. The natural casing was soft also. Kay objected to the mouth feel. The ribs were well cooked, but shaded toward dryness. Baby back ribs are small, and can be overcooked more easily than larger ribs. We were both disappointed by the ribs. We rated the brisket as a 4 (out of 5), the sausage 4 (Bil) and 2 (Kay), and the ribs 2. The beans were very good, the slaw and potato salad were adequate.

We understand why Black's Barbecue is rated among Texas best, and we agree with that placement.

Comments

Cynthia Turner said…
I believe that brisket is my very favorite meat to be barbecued. Or, any other way, as in pot roast, corned beef, whatever. Reading your "restaurant reviews" makes my mouth water.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011 11:09:00 AM
Chris Turner said…
Wow, terrific discussion and description. And the photos are great too, like the cook holding up the big chunk of brisket. There seems to be a mix of folks there, between those that need the calories, and those that don't. I Googled Black's, since it sounded familiar, and it also happens to be one of the gift certificates that Tiffani and I sent you for Christmas, were you able to use it?
Wednesday, March 09, 2011 12:47:00 PM
Bil & Kay Turner said…
Yes - we used your gift there. Thank you, thank you and thank you!
Monday, March 14, 2011 7:13:00 AM
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