Showing posts with label Chisholm Trail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chisholm Trail. Show all posts
Friday, December 2, 2011
Lockhart BBQ recaps!
Not counting this one, 75 of my blog posts are tagged "Lockhart." As many of you know, it's known as the Barbecue Capital of Texas, as deemed by the Texas Legislature. We've got a good bit of chatter about it on Twitter today, and a couple of blog posts I've never seen were tweeted. They're both fantastic pictorial recaps of visits to all 4 BBQ joint in Lockhart (Black's, Chisholm Trail, Kreuz, & Smitty's), so I wanted everyone to see them. Both are from Austin blogs. One is from my foodie friend Sarah Pember, who runs the blog The Smart Kitchen. The other is from Tasting Buds. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting these self-proclaimed "food & wine geeks," but after seeing their Lockhart post, I definitely wanna grab some smoked meats with them.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
QOTD: Best BBQ in Lockhart?
As declared by the Texas Legislature, Lockhart is the Barbecue Capital of Texas. But which of the the town's 4 BBQ joints is the Capital of the Capital? Black's, Chisholm Trail, Kreuz, or Smitty's - which is your favorite (and why)?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Reader Review: Chisholm Trail Lockhart Bar-B-Q & Hot Sausage (Lockhart, Texas)
Reviewed by: David McDonald (Giddings, TX)
Chisholm Trail Barbeque in Lockhart is the ultimate barbeque afterthought.I have been driving by for years and finally a business lunch took me there. The big question is, how do you make it in the same town as the lockhart Holy Trinity. I got some answers in the form of lots of sides, catfish, chicken fried steak and reasonable prices. Now about the barbeque. I got a brisket and sausage plate and the brisket is legitimate stuff which would be top shelf in lesser markets although a bit dry. I am going to assume the sausage I got was an accident. It was either a smoked sausage cooked on the pit or just a very over cooked fresh link. In other words the casing was a candidate for Tony Lama. All things considered I would probably stop here again if I went through Lockhart often, didnt have time to stand in line or was not looking for Que.
Chisholm Trail Barbeque in Lockhart is the ultimate barbeque afterthought.I have been driving by for years and finally a business lunch took me there. The big question is, how do you make it in the same town as the lockhart Holy Trinity. I got some answers in the form of lots of sides, catfish, chicken fried steak and reasonable prices. Now about the barbeque. I got a brisket and sausage plate and the brisket is legitimate stuff which would be top shelf in lesser markets although a bit dry. I am going to assume the sausage I got was an accident. It was either a smoked sausage cooked on the pit or just a very over cooked fresh link. In other words the casing was a candidate for Tony Lama. All things considered I would probably stop here again if I went through Lockhart often, didnt have time to stand in line or was not looking for Que.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Jason and Rex visit Kreuz, Smitty's, and Chisholm Trail for lunch.
Email from Jason:So Rex and I ventured to Lockhart Texas this past Saturday!
As usual we hit up Kruez. I ordered a slice of beef brisket, beef rib and jalapeno cheese sausage! Beef brisket – was excellent; super tender! Great flavor, texture! 9.8. Beef brisket – was kind of skimpy on the meat, but awesome taste and flavor; great balance of fattiness to make it so tasty! It was a little salty though… but great. 9.6. Jalapeno sausage – solid; always solid. 9.5. Iced tea – 9.8 good brew…perfect balance…Overall 9.7
Up next is my favorite: Smitty’s. Ordered only pork rib and lone star. Pork rib – I like them cooked a little longer I can usually tell by the toughness and how hard the cartilage is. Great flavor and perfect amount of sauce 9.5. Lone star – 10. Part of Rex’s Avocado – 8.5. Overall – 9.5
Lastly you know where I like to end it; the old Chisholm Trail for some peach cobbler w/ soft serve ice cream! 9.5 hit the spot nicely!
First pic w/ bread is Kruez. Pics w/ just ribs – Smitty’s. Pic w/ Rex – Smitty’s. Cobbler – Chisholm trail
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jason leads the way to Lockhart.
A recent email from J-Pa:
So this past Sunday; I missed out on Opie’s the day before and needed some BBQ. Called up Todd and texted Russell; sure enough we have a group of 4 going to Lockhart. I made sure Smitty’s was open and turns out all the others were as well except Kreuz. So while making the trip we tried to go to Kreuz first but it was closed and headed straight for Smitty’s. You know this is my #1. Pork ribs and brisket. Money as usual; pork ribs; great sauce/ perfect amount little dry today than I’ve had but still excellent. 9.6 today. Brisket slice was awesome – tasty and moist! 9.5. Overall – 9.6.
Next, we went to Black’s – I ate so much at Smitty’s I only got a garlic sausage and peach cobbler. Garlic sausage was quite flavorful; nice taste and a break apart type sausage; not greasy at all. I liked it! 9.4. Peach cobbler was ok…ice cream they gave you was some generic kind in a cup (prepackaged) 7. Overall – 9.
Chisholm Trail – Last stop Russell wanted to try the meat here; I was so full; I opted for peach cobbler again…hahaa. I like the peach cobbler here: 9. Overall – 8.
And, now, Todd’s review:
On this trip back to Lockhart, Russell, Jason, Gina and myself visited Smitty's and Blacks. I must say I was sad to learn that Kreuz, my perennial favorite, is closed on Sunday's, but I was not disappointed. We started at Smitty's, and could have easily just ended there. I ordered 4 pork ribs. Wow. These were some of the best ribs I have ever had, I was blown away. This visit blew away all my previous perceptions of ribs at Smitty's.
But enough already, here are the scores: Pork ribs: 9.99; Service: 8.9; Sweet tea: 9.3; Atmosphere: 9.4; Overall: 9.7
After Smitty's we visited Blacks, where I had some peach cobbler. This stuff was store bought and the vanilla ice cream they served along-side was a sad excuse for ice cream. This stuff was not good, actually it was just plain bad. Peach cobbler: 4.5
*UPDATE: Russell gets his scores in post-posting…
Smitty’s: 9.9. You definitely suffer for your grub at Smitty’s….you stand in line in front on an incredibly hot open flame for their less-than-friendly servers (who are also suffering and sweating immensely) give you what they want you to have! But, you’re getting fresh BBQ right off the fire, literally. The pork ribs (9.97) are the big payoff item and are well worth paying the price! Brisket (9.49) was also very tasty.
Black’s: 8.89. Mr. Black was not in to give us a taste of his unparalleled hospitality. The food here is only just above average, but the fatty brisket tips were flavorful (they know fat is flavor- 9.25 for the deckle/fatty brisket tip here), and the this place just emanates TX BBQ history (9.98 for the atmosphere, as I love all the old deer shoulder mounts). Turkey was a 8.65. In many ways I like the atmosphere and friendliness better here than anywhere, but the food just pales in comparison to Smitty’s.
Chisholm Trail: 7.79. By Lockhart standards, this place is very subpar…were it located anywhere else on earth, it would likely score very well…but nothing here was really worth ranking individually today.
Overall Man-Up Scores…
Smitty’s: 9.7
Black’s: 8.945
Chisholm Trail: 7.895
So this past Sunday; I missed out on Opie’s the day before and needed some BBQ. Called up Todd and texted Russell; sure enough we have a group of 4 going to Lockhart. I made sure Smitty’s was open and turns out all the others were as well except Kreuz. So while making the trip we tried to go to Kreuz first but it was closed and headed straight for Smitty’s. You know this is my #1. Pork ribs and brisket. Money as usual; pork ribs; great sauce/ perfect amount little dry today than I’ve had but still excellent. 9.6 today. Brisket slice was awesome – tasty and moist! 9.5. Overall – 9.6.
Next, we went to Black’s – I ate so much at Smitty’s I only got a garlic sausage and peach cobbler. Garlic sausage was quite flavorful; nice taste and a break apart type sausage; not greasy at all. I liked it! 9.4. Peach cobbler was ok…ice cream they gave you was some generic kind in a cup (prepackaged) 7. Overall – 9.
Chisholm Trail – Last stop Russell wanted to try the meat here; I was so full; I opted for peach cobbler again…hahaa. I like the peach cobbler here: 9. Overall – 8.
And, now, Todd’s review:
On this trip back to Lockhart, Russell, Jason, Gina and myself visited Smitty's and Blacks. I must say I was sad to learn that Kreuz, my perennial favorite, is closed on Sunday's, but I was not disappointed. We started at Smitty's, and could have easily just ended there. I ordered 4 pork ribs. Wow. These were some of the best ribs I have ever had, I was blown away. This visit blew away all my previous perceptions of ribs at Smitty's.
But enough already, here are the scores: Pork ribs: 9.99; Service: 8.9; Sweet tea: 9.3; Atmosphere: 9.4; Overall: 9.7
After Smitty's we visited Blacks, where I had some peach cobbler. This stuff was store bought and the vanilla ice cream they served along-side was a sad excuse for ice cream. This stuff was not good, actually it was just plain bad. Peach cobbler: 4.5
*UPDATE: Russell gets his scores in post-posting…
Smitty’s: 9.9. You definitely suffer for your grub at Smitty’s….you stand in line in front on an incredibly hot open flame for their less-than-friendly servers (who are also suffering and sweating immensely) give you what they want you to have! But, you’re getting fresh BBQ right off the fire, literally. The pork ribs (9.97) are the big payoff item and are well worth paying the price! Brisket (9.49) was also very tasty.
Black’s: 8.89. Mr. Black was not in to give us a taste of his unparalleled hospitality. The food here is only just above average, but the fatty brisket tips were flavorful (they know fat is flavor- 9.25 for the deckle/fatty brisket tip here), and the this place just emanates TX BBQ history (9.98 for the atmosphere, as I love all the old deer shoulder mounts). Turkey was a 8.65. In many ways I like the atmosphere and friendliness better here than anywhere, but the food just pales in comparison to Smitty’s.
Chisholm Trail: 7.79. By Lockhart standards, this place is very subpar…were it located anywhere else on earth, it would likely score very well…but nothing here was really worth ranking individually today.
Overall Man-Up Scores…
Smitty’s: 9.7
Black’s: 8.945
Chisholm Trail: 7.895
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Talk about manning up!
An email from Jason:
So my buddies from Chicago are in town; what a great opportunity to take them to some Texas BBQ and what better place then Lockhart, Texas! We hit 4 places on this tour…yep all 4.
We started at Kruez’s the big massive mammoth of a building; it was Saturday afternoon around 1:00pm and it was slammed; it was one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen coming here. Today we ordered 4 slices of brisket (2 lean and 2 fatty); 3 sausages (2 jalapeno cheese and 1 regular); we also got 4 pork ribs. Brisket was average; tasty and flavorful. The sausage… man this is the best thing going for these guys! Solid once again…that jalapeno cheese rocks!! Pork rib was good; very peppery, as I remember the last time. Brisket 8; Ribs 8.2; Sausage 9.9; Overall 8.7.
Next we headed down a couple blocks to Black’s – I do enjoy black’s brisket and turkey so I recommended the guys get that. As tempting as those sides are coming into this place… we moved along cause there was much more meat to eat! So we ended up ordering 2 slices of turkey, 1 slice of pork loin, 2 slices of brisket, and 1 pork rib. Turkey 9.4; Brisket 8.9; Pork loin 8.7; Didn’t eat the rib; Overall 8.8.
Of course, farther down the road is Smitty’s. I won’t forget to mention this is my favorite place in Lockhart. We took a different entrance today, going in from the rear door, which leads to the other side of the fire, which sometimes they make you go to. Anyhow, the line was long, by far the longest I’ve seen at Smitty’s. People were definitely ready to eat today. The BBQ pits were definitely all going today, as we saw 4 pits blazing with the wood, as it was nice and toasty waiting in line. It was our last meat stop and we definitely manned up on some brisket, ribs, and 1 sausage. Fatty brisket 9.3; Lean brisket 9.2; Pork ribs (off the chain, as usual) 9.8; Sausage (very oily, as usual, but I expected that…but very tasty once you drain all the oil) 8.6; Overall 9.3.
Lastly, how can we forget Chisholm Trail? Peach cobbler a la mode! Can we say that was a 9.8 today!! Great sweetness and great texture! Loved it!
Adrian - In general, I loved the jalapeno sausage at Kreuz and the ribs at Smitty's. Brisket was good at all three - I think I prefer BBQ pork to beef though. Black's was the least impressive overall - kinda thought the turkey was the best thing there. Absolutely loved the building/atmosphere of Smitty's (which, if i understand correctly, is where Kreuz used to be located before they moved to that gigantic sterile big building?)
Ben - My review: "yum, me fat."
So my buddies from Chicago are in town; what a great opportunity to take them to some Texas BBQ and what better place then Lockhart, Texas! We hit 4 places on this tour…yep all 4.
We started at Kruez’s the big massive mammoth of a building; it was Saturday afternoon around 1:00pm and it was slammed; it was one of the longest lines I’ve ever seen coming here. Today we ordered 4 slices of brisket (2 lean and 2 fatty); 3 sausages (2 jalapeno cheese and 1 regular); we also got 4 pork ribs. Brisket was average; tasty and flavorful. The sausage… man this is the best thing going for these guys! Solid once again…that jalapeno cheese rocks!! Pork rib was good; very peppery, as I remember the last time. Brisket 8; Ribs 8.2; Sausage 9.9; Overall 8.7.
Next we headed down a couple blocks to Black’s – I do enjoy black’s brisket and turkey so I recommended the guys get that. As tempting as those sides are coming into this place… we moved along cause there was much more meat to eat! So we ended up ordering 2 slices of turkey, 1 slice of pork loin, 2 slices of brisket, and 1 pork rib. Turkey 9.4; Brisket 8.9; Pork loin 8.7; Didn’t eat the rib; Overall 8.8.
Of course, farther down the road is Smitty’s. I won’t forget to mention this is my favorite place in Lockhart. We took a different entrance today, going in from the rear door, which leads to the other side of the fire, which sometimes they make you go to. Anyhow, the line was long, by far the longest I’ve seen at Smitty’s. People were definitely ready to eat today. The BBQ pits were definitely all going today, as we saw 4 pits blazing with the wood, as it was nice and toasty waiting in line. It was our last meat stop and we definitely manned up on some brisket, ribs, and 1 sausage. Fatty brisket 9.3; Lean brisket 9.2; Pork ribs (off the chain, as usual) 9.8; Sausage (very oily, as usual, but I expected that…but very tasty once you drain all the oil) 8.6; Overall 9.3.
Lastly, how can we forget Chisholm Trail? Peach cobbler a la mode! Can we say that was a 9.8 today!! Great sweetness and great texture! Loved it!
Adrian - In general, I loved the jalapeno sausage at Kreuz and the ribs at Smitty's. Brisket was good at all three - I think I prefer BBQ pork to beef though. Black's was the least impressive overall - kinda thought the turkey was the best thing there. Absolutely loved the building/atmosphere of Smitty's (which, if i understand correctly, is where Kreuz used to be located before they moved to that gigantic sterile big building?)
Ben - My review: "yum, me fat."
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