#blacks barbeque

Day 4: Part 3 - Thursday 8/1/2013: Lockhart, TX

Don’t let the “Day 4” part of the title throw you off. Black’s Barbecue was the 4th BBQ joint that I blogged about in April of 2012, and now 16 months later, a visit was long overdue. To keep the amount of places that I’ve visited consistently numbered, I’ve adopted a “Part 1, 2, 3, etc.” titling method so as to have an accurate depiction of the places I’ve visited. So with that out of the way, Black’s is pretty much some of the best ‘cue that the BBQ capital of Texas, Lockhart, has to offer. Me and some friends made the trek out to Lockhart with the initial intention of eating at Smitty’s Market. We even made our way inside and waited in line, until I questioned myself as to whether they accept debit cards or not. With my memory fuzzy from my last time here, I looked up at the cash register to a disappointing sign that read, “cash and checks only”. With a Walgreens right across the street (and quite probable, a Chase ATM), I quickly devised a plan to go get cash, and wha-la, problem solved. But that plan soon fizzled with my party now rooting for Black’s. I had just been to Smitty’s just a few months ago, but it was more than a year since I’d been to Black’s. Although I strongly prefer the Central Texas Market Style setup that Smitty’s offers, I was willing to go back to Black’s and their cafeteria style atmosphere. Into the car we went, and not even a minute later, arrived to our newly bargained location.

I was met with the familiar tight squeeze of the trademark cafeteria line, to a decent line of folks filling up on lunch and I contemplated my sides. Serving myself, I opted to go with my standard potato salad and baked beans, although Black’s hosts a wide array of sides to choose from. Everything from the traditional BBQ sides to the more Southern flavor of green beans and mashed potatoes. I couldn’t resist getting a hunk of cheese, although it was prepackaged in plastic. With my sides selected, I declined a bottled soda, holding out for some sweet tea. Once I made my way to the counter to pay, I went with a half link of original sausage and a half pound of fatty brisket. The whole plate cost me about $12.00, a really great deal considering the name behind the place and the quality of the food. I’m somewhat used to paying around $15+ per person at the more reputable BBQ joints, so it was refreshing to pay a reasonable price. I set my food down and went over to get some pickles, onions, bread and sweet tea in the condiments & trimming area, finally nestling nice and snug in a booth with the rest of my friends. I won’t go into detail about the interior, since I’ve written about Black’s before already. I’ll just keep it short and sweet and say that if you want the traditional Texas dining experience, this is the place to go. Nostalgic and frozen in time, this place has the trademark welcoming Texas feel that I look for, and even hosts live music, albeit in a crammed dining area.

Now, let’s talk food. I really wanted to get some sides in considering how much filling meat I had ahead of me, so I went for the potato salad first. A mustard based salad with red peppers thrown in for some crunchy color, it was an average affair that kept me mildly interested. What I was really interested in though was the fatty brisket, and this stuff had plenty of the fat stuff. Let’s first get something straight, I’m not a big fat guy. Well, I am a big fat guy, but I’m not a “fat guy” as to say that I enjoy eating globs of fat with my brisket. I do however, like the salty rendered fat that seamlessly melts into the meat, and this is exactly what you get at Black’s. Granted, I cut off most of the predominantly “just plain fat” parts of my meat, but still retained plenty of it that was existing happily side by side with the meat. What you get is ultra-tender, not too greasy and just the right amount of moist meat, easily cut with a plastic knife but best enjoyed with greasy fingers. The smoke ring was there, but I didn’t get much of the crust on my cuts. Kind of a bummer as I really wanted to get some smoky taste mixed in with my meat since the tenderness and abundance of moisture essentially left no room for smoky flavor in the cuts that I had; but maybe that’s a good thing considering the influx of smoke that I had at my prior trip for ‘cue at Live Oak BBQ and Beer. I tried my half link of sausage next, and it was chock full of snappy crispy sausagey goodness. The sausage you get in Lockhart is a different breed from that of the more well-known sausage capital of Elgin, TX. What you get here is more of an equal emphasis on the casing as in the meat since the casing really serves as the initial doorway into the beefy wonderland contained within. Heavy pepper as is the case in Lockhart lines the whole link, and I couldn’t help but wish that I had gotten a full link instead of a halfsie like some puss, but it was lunch time and I really didn’t intend on overdoing it. Through both meats, sauce was available the whole time. I’m glad to say that I didn’t need it, nor did I try any of it. Black’s has a pretty good variety of barbecue sauce, but when I’m eating in Lockhart, the last thing I want to do is go for sauce unless the meat just begs for it depending on its quality at serving time. The brisket was on point, and there really is a science behind how this place smokes their briskets. Apparently, they cook them with wood, then cool them for a few days before finally smoking them for roughly 4 hours. However unusual the cooking method here, you can’t argue with the results. Black’s knows their meat and they delivered flawlessly on this trip. Finally, I had the baked beans, and nothing really special to go into detail about. The side selection here is plenty, but they were average for me on this particular day. I’m sure their selection delivers heavier on other days, but hey, you don’t exactly drive out to Lockhart for sides. The tea was really good too, just the right about of tea and sugar brewed hot and served ice cold.

Ultimately, the brisket reigned king on my plate, followed by the sausage and then the sides. The whole ordeal went down really good, and this trip just continued to show that on the few times I’ve been out to Black’s, they consistently deliver each and every time. Lockhart is a curious town. The town square is admirable in that it serves as the backdrop to many major and independent films. The charm of the town combined with the love of barbecue makes it one of my favorite destinations for food to share with friends and family. I took a few pictures on our way out and we all sluggishly filled into the car, with meat comas and aching bellies headed back into Austin. Black’s has always historically done me right, and if you can set some time to try this place out, do yourself a favor and give it a go.

  Now for the score ranked from 1 (Poor) – 5 (Best):

Location/Facility – 5

Service/Staff – 2

Food – 4.5