Eat Your Way Through the Best BBQ in Lockhart, Texas

When you’re traveling with a self-described BBQ connoisseur — that’s Brian, by the way — you don’t sleep on Texas. You don’t mess with it, either, but I think that’s a different thing.

If you want the best of the best, you head to the Barbecue Capital of Texas: Lockhart.

The title is serious business, too. It was made official when the state senate approved a Texas house bill to call it so in 2003.

If you’re anywhere near the Texas town, then, you take yourself on a mission of your own to eat your way through the best BBQ in Lockhart.

You’ll likely need to conquer the meat sweats and some of your own demons to make more than one stop happen, but I promise you it’s worth it.

Why is Lockhart famous for BBQ?

Lockhart is famous for BBQ because many Texans consider it the best representation of Central Texas BBQ in the state. The focus is meat, salt, and pepper.

Barbecue sauce isn’t always an option in more traditional spots because if the meat-smoking is on point, you won’t need it. Different eateries will add their own spice blends to their barbecue, but it’s all about the smoke to start.

There’s also the state resolution that gives Lockhart the title in a more official capacity.

Fun fact: The smoking techniques used in Lockhart are thanks to German and Czech immigrants that settled throughout central Texas in the mid-19th century. They would smoke the meats as a method of preservation when fresh cuts weren’t sold by butchers by the end of the day.

Beef brisket, pork ribs, and a variety of smoked sausages are the primary meats you’ll see on most Texas BBQ menus. You’ll see some variety from there in terms of additional proteins, like barbecue chicken and smoked turkey breast for the gentler folks.

Typical sides are coleslaw, beans, potato salad, and sweet pickles, with differences by eatery from there.

What is the best BBQ in Lockhart?

The best BBQ in Lockhart comes down to three main eateries: Kreuz Market, Smitty’s Market, and Black’s Barbecue.

These are the three we visited on our one-day eating adventure in Lockhart. All three got an “A” rating on Brian’s very scientific BBQ scale.

The guy grew up in Memphis, a mecca of its own for delicious BBQ, so he takes his meats very seriously.

READ MORE: Barbecue fans, you seriously need to visit Memphis. Steal our guide after loads of time spent in the city!

Now, this kind of madness in one day does require some planning. You’ll want to skip breakfast and not house as many meats as possible at the first stop so you have room for more at the others. Check on hours at each one you’re hitting before heading out.

If you’re only visiting one, you can certainly do whatever feels right…but that’s not why you’re here, right?

We were traveling in a group of four, which made it easier to sample a little bit of everything. There were still meat sweats involved for Brian. That’s just unavoidable in Texas BBQ heaven.

Embrace the heat and eat that meat!

READ MORE: Planning a Southern road trip while you’re here? Steal this two-week itinerary!

Kreuz Market

Kreuz Market is the usual start if you’re going in order of appearance. For some, this is the only place they go, as they consider this the best barbecue in Lockhart and don’t need anything else in their lives.

As we were new to the game, it was about the proximity for us. It’s the first place you’ll come upon if you’re traveling to Lockhart from Austin, just off of Commerce Street. It’s also the place to go for the best Lockhart sausage.

The story on this one deserves a rundown.

The roots of barbecue in Lockhart go back to 1875 when local Texan Jesse Swearingen opened a meat market with a focus on barbecued meats.

By 1900, the first in the Kreuz dynasty would enter the meat trade. Charles Kreuz bought the market from Swearingen and renamed it Kreuz Market.

The market needed a facelift by 1924, so the old building was torn down and a new, brick building was put up in its place. That building is where Smitty’s Market, next on this list, sits today. More on that in a minute.

For a while, Kreuz Market was run by the sons of the original owner under Kreuz Brothers Co. When the patriarch died, it was sold to a longtime butcher at the market, Edgar Schmidt, who decided to change the name of the place back to Kreuz Market.

By 1983, Schmidt’s sons, Rick and Don, purchased Kreuz Market in Lockhart from him, promising to keep serving up delicious meats to all the townsfolk and visitors alike. Dear old dad died by 1990 and pulled a fast one in his will.

He left the building the market operated out of to his daughter, Nina Sells.

That meant an agreement needed to be reached between his sons, who owned the business, and Nina, who now owned the physical property. A feud ensued, naturally.

The boys felt that Nina was getting a little wild raising rents. Nina claims the brothers’ vision didn’t fit that of the original intent for the place.

She wanted to improve the building. They wanted to expand.

There were lawyers involved, and then there weren’t. The siblings parted ways and decided to do their own thing in Lockhart. For the brothers, that meant taking their business elsewhere.

By elsewhere I mean down the street to a spot on Colorado Street. No, that doesn’t sound awkward at all.

They reopened Kreuz Market there in 1999.

As for Nina, she’s up next with our second stop on the barbecue tour.

That was long-winded, I know, but it’s a family affair around here. As far as the meats, yes, they’re delicious.

You’ll get your grub here on butcher paper sans barbecue sauce, just as the original owners intended back in the day. Do try whatever strikes your fancy, but the highlight for us was the house sausage.

Smitty’s Market

Smitty’s Market has been operating as Smitty’s Market since 1999. Yes, that’s the same year Kreuz Market reopened at their new location. You know now, though, that the meat history here goes back so much further. That’s why their tagline is “Where It All Began.”

You just feel like you’re walking into a legit barbecue establishment at Smitty’s in Lockhart, walls covered in smoke, quickly enveloping your clothes. It’s all about the pork ribs and brisket here, so start there if you’re pounding the protein today.

This was our second stop of the day, so we did as expected and housed their trademark meats. Yes, they were also delicious, and almost hard to distinguish from the first stop.

That all makes sense now that you know the family history. These two joints are working from the same playbook.

The sides are simple but expected: slaw, potato salad, beans, and crackers. Blue Bell ice cream is available if you’re feeling something sweet after all that meat.

Note: This one is cash only, so come prepared. You don’t want to be caught unawares after you smell all of those meats.

If you’re here for longer, they serve up fresh meats to cook at home just as they did back in the day.

The Original Black’s Barbecue

Black’s Barbecue has been operating in Lockhart since 1932, back then known as Northside Grocery & Market. By 1936, it moved to the building it operates out of today, which makes it the oldest among Lockhart BBQ joints in the same continuous spot.

Fun fact: The owners themselves claim this spot is not only the oldest BBQ in Lockhart, but the oldest Texas barbecue spot run by a single family in the state.

Walking inside, you’ll be overwhelmed by family heirlooms, deer heads, and the sides bar. Mexican rice, sweet pickles, potato salad, and black eyes peas await if you’ve left the room.

Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart was the last place we visited on our BBQ tour of the town. I’m not sure how we did it, but we had enough belly space for what appeared to be a dinosaur rib, one of the best things you’ll eat while you’re here.

I’m serious. The group consensus was that this was the best thing we’d eaten all day.

Fine, it wasn’t a dinosaur bone. It was one of their giant beef ribs.

Each one weighs about a pound, so you can see what I mean now. If that sounds too intense, their brisket is legendary among the best BBQ places in Lockhart.

If you don’t want to head all the way to Lockhart, Black’s Barbecue has a few additional locations now. Eat their meats in Austin, New Braunfels, or San Marcos.

The owners promise you’ll get the same delicious barbecue anywhere you go, but if you travel down to Lockhart, I promise it’s a unique experience.

Terry Black’s BBQ

We only had room for three, but this one comes with another strong pedigree in Texas barbecuing traditions.

Terry Black’s was started by, naturally, Terry Black, the grandson of Edgar Black Sr. Grandpa started the Original Black’s Barbecue and its heaping portions of dinosaur bones.

We didn’t prioritize this one to compare as it wasn’t open yet when we were in Lockhart. Their original location was in Austin, and that felt like cheating. (They opened a second location in Dallas before finally returning to the family roots in Lockhart.)

Maybe they were afraid of the stellar competition? I’m not sure. They’ve quickly built a loyal following, though, with locals raving about their brisket. It’d be worth the return trip, for sure.

Lockhart Chisholm Trail BBQ

This one is off the main barbecue trail, so we didn’t make it there either on our trip. I’d love to make a return trip as locals credit this one with having the best options for traditional Texas BBQ.

The eatery has been operating since 1978 by a former Black’s Barbecue employee, Floyd Wilhelm.

Yes, everyone seems to know one another in Lockhart.

The Lockhart barbecue menu here is more extensive. They have loaded baked potatoes and loaded fries and are known for their generous daily specials and inventive sandwiches.

Try the Trail Boss and tell me all about it. It’s sliced brisket and an entire link of sausage, all in one go, piled up with pickles and BBQ sauce.

Note: There were five options at one point until Mad Jack’s BBQ Shack took his pit to a mountaintop in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and rebranded as Mad Jack’s Mountaintop Barbecue.

Where to Stay Near Lockhart

Lockhart is an easy day trip from Austin, as it’s just 30 minutes away. That’s what we did, and I don’t regret having to head back to Austin at the end of our eating adventure.

Austin offers way more to do than Lockhart, too. Once you’re done with the barbecue, that’s really all she wrote on Lockhart.

Use the map below for your options in and around Austin:

You can’t go wrong with BBQ in Lockhart.

Black’s Barbecue has the BBQ in Lockhart if you’re looking for a subjective opinion about a place with a storied history and the meats to back it up.

That said, you can’t go wrong with any of the best BBQ Lockhart has to offer travelers who make the trip. I’m sure we’ll find ourselves back there whenever we’re in Austin.

Visiting a BBQ town built on smoked meats is a no-brainer if you love barbecue.