Lockhart is a small city which is the county seat of Caldwell county. Almost 13 thousand people live here. The city was originally name "Plum Creek" thanks to the battle of the same name which was won by the Texans over the Comanche, back in 1840. The name was later changed to Lockhart.
Caldwell County Courthouse, Lockhart, Texas
©Mayra F. Gonzalez
Even though Lockhart has played host to numerous film sets (i.e.
A small town in Texas, 1976;
What's eating Gilbert Grape, 1993;
Waiting for Guffman, 1996;
The Faculty, 1998;
The Newton Boys, 1998, it is widely known for its Barbecue joints. The Texas legislature (house resolution No. 1024, 76th legislature, regular session, 1999) proclaimed Lockhart as
The Barbecue Capital of Texas.
Some of the most famous Barbecue places here are: Blacks Barbecue, Chisolm Trail barbecue, Kreuz Barbecue, and Smitty's Market Barbecue.
Well, passing through town at noon was a good idea and we went to the first barbecue place we could find. ... and it was Smitty's Market.
Front Left: Sign showing name, map, and activities in Lockhart. Smitty's market in the back
©Mayra F. Gonzalez
This place was established by Nina Sells in the building where Kreuz Market was originally located. Smitty's Market has been named one of the Best Barbecue in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine.
We entered through a dark, smoky-scented hall with old benches 'attached' to the walls, and ended up in front of the guys selling the stuff. We decided on Sausage, Brisket, and Pork chops. They are traditionally served on butcher's paper and accompanied by a few slices of bread and a plastic knife. Once you pay, you can proceed to the adjacent big room with long communal tables.
Sausage, brisket, pork chop at Smitty's Market
©Mayra F. Gonzalez
The people that serve you are not of the friendly type (at least, not the day we went!), but the customers that surrounded us were! Once inside, we asked for cole slaw and someone pointed out the freshly made barbecue sauce (... not that the place recomends using, anyway!) .
Our thoughts on this small feast? The sausage was O.K., good taste, but we prefer the consistency of the sausages we frequently buy from Snook, TX (Slovacek). (... but also from the Meat Market in Giddings, TX!); The brisket was a disappointment, too dry, it was sort of O.K., not a big deal, we prefer the brisket from either C & J Barbecue and J. Cody's, in Bryan, Tx, or Junek's BBQ in College Station (Wellborn), TX (... the main reason for such comparison is that we live in College Station, and we have visited and enjoyed those three Barbecue places!); The pork chop was also Ok, nothing out of the ordinary. The Cole Slaw was really good (for me; my wife did not cared much about it!) and the Barbecue Sauce was not good at all (I understand that a staple of the place is to eat with no Sauce, which is fine with me!).
Next time in Lockhart we'll try another place, will compare, and let you know!
I am out for now!
Buen Provecho!
