Black's BBQ

Alright already, I get it. Once you've seen the first 20 signs advertising the oldest continually operated BBQ joint by the same family, you've seen them all. I guess in a town where you're tucked in the back of the place, with 20 other BBQ places between you and the major roads, you have to advertise a ton. I saw half a dozen places between the city limits and Black's, one of which was Kreuz Market, so I'll forgive the aggressive signage/visual pollution.

Right when you walk in you know you're in a great place. Hasn't been changed in decades, judging by the dust covered paneling. Right off the bat you're in a line where you pick your own sides, and they have a better than average selection considering the fact that most BBQ places have only one or two things that aren't meat. I chose pinto beans and peach cobbler, both of which were very good. I wish the beans had been cooked longer, but it wasn't a distraction. The person I was with had blackberry cobbler, which was a bit tart, and green beans, which I thought made her a communist and didn't try. I just couldn't.

When you step up to the meat counter you see the smoke boxes behind the folks cutting and weighing it for you, and I will say they were reasonable in their prices. They also had a wider selection of meats. They had the standard pork ribs and brisket, but they also had chicken and beef ribs that looked like some caveman had just cut it off a buffalo. I ordered a quarter pound each of brisket, pork ribs, a quarter chicken (white meat), and I tried to order some beef ribs but when I asked for a quarter pound the guy pointed at the single rib laying on the chopping block and said that was one rib. I knew it was one rib, as evidenced by the enormous single bone sticking through it, and it had about a 4" square of meat on it that looked great, but they wouldn't cut anything off of it. The guy told me it would be about $14.00 for the one rib, and then he measured it. "Nope, it's $15.00." And while I hesitate to say that price was no object, I was going to hike some later that day and the real object was that I couldn't eat five pounds of meat all at once and my companion looked at me like there was no way in hell she was going to eat any more than what we'd already ordered, so I decided to make a second trip someday for one beef rib.

The chicken was very tender and moist. I'm a weirdo and like it drier, but it was very well done, although not hugely smokey because it was still on the lighter side of done. The brisket also looked like it could spend more time in the smoker. It was tender and moist, and had good flavor, but just not quite enough of it. The pork ribs were fantastic. On par with City Market, they were well smoked and had great flavor. The rest was good, but these were great.

The sweet tea was great, just like Grammy used to make, although one old lady at the next table over was a bit put out that it was Luzianne instead of Tetley. I can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone on BBQ and beer, but I'm at a loss for the difference in iced teas.

The BBQ sauce was good, but had a slight vinegar twinge to it that I just was not prepared for in Texas. It tasted like a light A-1 with a vinegar base, and was the part of the experience with which I was least pleased. Cumin? No thanks. Good, but not up to snuff with the meat. I used it to dip the bread in, but nothing else.

Overall, Black's is a must-see for Texas BBQ. Except for the pork ribs it's not as good as City Market, which is my standard since it was my first real BBQ experience. I wish City Market had chicken and more sides, but otherwise it's unbeatable so far.




215 North Main Street
Lockhart, Texas 78644
(512) 398.2712
Sunday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.