About 25 miles outside of Austin City Limits lies a dusty little town that is known for its meat. Lockheart has been the BBQ Capitol here in Texas for over a decade, but it’s been serving up some of the finest BBQ in the land since the early 1900’s. Lockheart contains a number of famous BBQ joints, and every Lockheart afficianado has their favorite. Upon a friend’s reccomendation we tried out Smitty’s first. Since our visit we have been regaled with opinions on Black’s, Kreuz’s, and Chrisholm Trail, and are whole heartedly anticipating trying those too. After what we experienced at Smitty’s Market, a whole new world of smoky, tender goodness has opened up before us.
You see, the fare at Smitty’s has set a new standard for us when it comes to BBQ. It was that good. The experience was very much like the first time I ate tacos in Texas. I discovered that what I had accepted as BBQ all these years was really just a lame imitation. I had never tasted anything like this. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it blew my damned mind.
Brisket, for example, has been something that thus far I had never been excited about. In my experience, brisket was just a tough, chewy cut of steak with all the life sucked out of it. Correction, a tough, chewy cut of steak with all the life sucked out of it that someone left next to a fireplace for a while. Blech. I usually stick to ribs and sausage, since even bad ribs and sausage are still pretty good. But brisket? I just couldn’t get down with that stuff. That is, until I tasted the brisket at Smitty’s. Imagine fork tender pot roast, charred with wood smoke, and oozing with natural juices. This stuff practically melted in your mouth. It was almost a shame to taint it with sauce or bread.
Another pleasant surprise was the sausage. Now, I admit to being biased on this one. Not to sound like a tramp, but I’ve hardly met a sausage that I didn’t like. This bad boy was something else! When I cut into it, juice literally gushed out all over the table. The flavor was intense, meaty, downright yummy, and was it ever moist! It was like a little intenstinal case full of heaven.
On to the ribs! Again, so tender, so flaky, so tasty. They didn’t need sauce, as they were just perfect, bursting with natural flavor. Like the sausage and brisket, the smokiness was just right. It enhanced the natural aromas and tastes of the meat without overpowering them.
After stuffing ourselves to the point of stupidity we took a stroll around downtown Lockheart. What a gorgeous little town! The old timey details that cover several blocks of the downtown area are worth the trip alone. There were rows and rows of cute little store fronts, and old fashioned buildings, the most breath taking of all being the town hall. It’s a huge victorian building complete with gables, towers, and period details sitting right in the middle of town.
Once we finished our little jaunt we each polished off a cone of Bluebell ice cream, a steal at just $1 each. It was a great end to our meal, and a nice way to cool off before heading back to the car for our long drive home. Here are some more photos and details on our trip. The setting of Smitty’s kicks just about as much keister as the food!
Have you ever seen a more cheerful sign?
The unguarded fire pits are the heart of BBQ flavor. The twin pits fire up either side of the smoker, keeping the order counter and butcher block at quite a toasty temperature.
The folks at Smitty’s pull your meat from the smoker just as you order it.
The butcher block. This is where they slice your meat to order.
Menu of champions. Order your meat by weight, than pick up some sides in the dining room.
Butchers busy at work.
A BBQ feast. Ribs, sausage and brisket served up in brown paper.
The air conditioned dining room is filled with long, family style tables. The bright, airy, and cool atmosphere in the dining room is a sharp contrast to the firey brick smoker room.
Downtown Lockheart, a scene straight out of the old west.
The details on the buildings were fascinating.
A quick shot of a geometric skyline.
There was this amazing old timey gym next door to Smitty’s. Inside were an ancient collection of barbells, medicine balls, and other hardcore workout equipment. I’d love to spend a day photographing its collection of curious objects.
A rather salty sign hung outside the gym.
My reward for discovering such delicious BBQ, a dollar cone of Bluebell!