A Day in Lockhart- The BBQ Capitol of Texas

About a 30 minute drive from Austin is Lockhart Texas. This charming small town with a population of 14,000 became the BBQ Capitol of Texas in 2003. Here’s how to spend a day in Lockhart eating all the bbq!

A couple things to note before we get started: There are four bbq joints in Lockhart. That’s a lot of food so come with a big appetite or multiple people! I’ll add a couple of things to do in Lockhart to help spread out the meals.

History of Lockhart BBQ:

With a town this size and 4 barbeque joints, there’s lots of history and family drama.

Kreuz’s opened in 1900 as a market. In 1948, it was sold to Edgar Schmidt. The barbecue expanded and he eventually closed the market side. He retired and sold the business to his two sons. When he later died, he left the building to his daughter. The siblings had a disagreement over rent and building improvements, so ended up parting ways. Kreuz’s moved to it’s new location in 1999 and Smitty’s opened in the original Kreuz building.

The Lockhart residents all have an opinion on the matter. It was like a battle in the city and residents took sides. Ask the locals which one to try and they won’t hold back!

Black’s Barbecue opened in 1932 and is the oldest continuously run barbecue restaurant by the same family in Texas. They have a bit of family drama themselves, however it’s more in the Austin area and didn’t affect the Lockhart location.

Chisholm Trail opened in 1978. They have over 3 decades of barbeque experience.

Smitty’s Market

First stop on the Lockhart BBQ Tour. Smitty’s opens early, so we’re going to start here. Nothing like barbecue for breakfast! I recommend getting here around 9:00am. That gives you a little bit of time to eat and check out the building.

Go through the front entrance to walk down the smoke lined walls and feel like you’re walking through history. It was built in 1900 and has the original pits.

Since it was just my husband and I on this BBQ pilgrimage, we stuck with small portions. We tried the brisket and pork ribs here. Nothing fancy, they cut your meat and place it on butcher paper. No forks.

Tip: The back room gets hot in the summer! Avoid peak lunch and dinner times. CASH ONLY!!!

Smitty’s Market is located at 208 South Commerce St. in Lockhart TX

Monday through Friday 7am-6pm
Saturday 7am -6:30pm
Sunday 9am-6:30pm

Town Square

Smitty’s is located in the town square. Now is a great time to walk around before checking out the next location. The courthouse is beautiful and there are several cute shops here. 30 minutes to an hour is a good amount of time to spend here.

Kreuz’s Market

Our second stop on the Lockhart BBQ tour is Kreuz’s Market. Pronounced “Krites”. The building and parking lot are huge! As you walk down the hall there’s a sign that says “Vegetarians here, all normal people proceed down the hall.” Loved it!

The back room is where you order and pay for your meat. They place it on butcher paper and then you proceed into the next room for sides.

We tried the brisket and sausage here. The sausage was delicious and brisket had a great smoky flavor.

Tips: Avoid peak lunch and dinner time!

Kreuz’s Market is located at 619 North Colorado St. in Lockhart TX.

Monday through Friday 11am – 7pm
Saturday 10:30am – 8pm
Sunday 10:30am – 6pm

Lockhart State Park

While you certainly can eat all this BBQ back to back, here’s another spot to break up your meals. Lockhart State Park is only a 5 minute drive from a couple of the barbecue restaurants, so it’s a great place to take a break.

We took a quick hike here to burn off some of those barbecue calories. I’ve written a complete guide to Lockhart State Park, you can check it out HERE.

Chisholm Trail BBQ

This was not originally on our list to try. We happened to drive by it and the line was out the door during lunch. Thinking we didn’t want to miss out, we added this in next.

This is a local’s favorite for one reason. It’s the best value in town. We got an obscene amount of food for only $15. While the food was good, it was not worth a drive like the three barbeque places in town.

Chisholm Trail BBQ is located at 1323 S. Colorado St in Lockhart TX.

Monday through Wednesday 7am- 8pm
Thursday through Saturday 7am – 9pm
Sunday 8am – 8pm

Black’s Barbecue

Our final stop on the Lockhart BBQ tour is Black’s BBQ. We saved the best for last! This is the oldest continuously run barbecue restaurant in Texas.

They’ve clearly learned a thing or two, because the beef rib may have been the best barbecue item I’ve ever eaten! Plus, it’s HUGE! The brisket was delicious and tender as well!

As we were coming in, a few of the locals chatted with us and declared Black’s as their favorite as well.

Black’s BBQ is located at 215 North Main St. in Lockhart TX.

“Open 8 Days a Week!”

Sunday through Thursday 10am – 8pm
Friday and Saturday 10am – 8:30pm

Summary:

I highly recommend coming to Lockhart, TX the BBQ Capitol! If you only have time for one meal, I highly recommend Black’s BBQ. If you have time, Smitty’s and Kreuz’s Market should be added in too.