That's true for the brisket, but the jalapeno cheese sausage at Kruetz...that stuff is amazing. But Snows and Franklin ruin all other brisket
Yeah, you're right. I was just thinking of brisket, to be honest. I only consider two things at most Texas BBQ joints and that's the ribs (beef or pork) or the brisket. The rest of the stuff I really don't even consider as bbq. Most bbq joints don't even make their own sausage (Kreuz does) - they get them from local grocery stores or butchers. For example, Rudolph's Market in Dallas has been making sausage for over 120 years and they supply a lot of the sausage/links you'll find in Dallas BBQ joints. If you like Kreuz's stuff, you can mail-order it. I may have to try it next time I go to Lockhart Smokehouse here in Dallas. FYI : one of you guys that live or travel around Lockhart need to try the bbq and sausage at Chisholm Trail - I've heard people say it's better than "the Big Three" in Lockhart. Also, the sausage at City Market in Luling usually gets good reviews. I can't comment - never tried any of them.
I'm going to Lockhart with some friends Monday to sample some goodness and was wondering what the consensus #1 is for ribs and brisket. A consensus is the last thing I expect, but was interested in some opinions. (I have my own!)
I've been to Kreuz and Blacks. Blacks might be better then anything in Houston, but it doesn't belong with the big boyz.
city market is the best sausage ive ever had (no homo). i have not been to snows or franklins, but ive been pretty much everywhere else in central texas and they are my favorite - brisket is top-notch as well.
id go to smittys (the one in the old building) - its about as bare-bones old school as you can get. get some brisket and sausage there...and then walk over to blacks for pork ribs, brisket and their jalapeno sausage. the pork ribs at blacks are delicious! kreuz is in the big red barn off 183, but the lady there yelled at me once when i inquired about bbq sauce so i never went back.
There is no consensus. It's a war. Smitty's and Kreuz - owned by the same family but broke off from one another years ago are considered the biggest names. Go here if you want ancient Texas BBQ tradition. Black's is considered by many to be better than both, but they don't get the pub. Even residents there say it's better, but most reviews I've read are mixed about which is better. Usually, this is is considered #3, but a distant 3rd among the "Big Three" in Lockhart. Black's also has a long tradition. Chisholm Trail is relatively new compared to the Big 3. They started up in the 1970's or 1980's. The other three have had histories that date back to the early 1900's if you consider family ownership. Chisholm Trail had beef ribs the last I looked, too. They are considered the "hidden gem".
I thought you guys may be interested in this video where the owner of City Market in Giddings throws the gauntlet down for Texas BBQ and disses pulled pork : http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/07/15/meat-meister-has-beef-with-non-texas-barbecue/
WTH?! DUDE!!! YOU NEVER ASK FOR BBQ SAUCE AT THOSE PLACES!!! :grin: Oh, and Deckard... don't go looking for forks, either. Unless they offer them to you. If you don't see them, don't ask. lol.
City market and smittys are my top 2 no doubt... Used to hit up city market when we were in school in San Marcos. So damn good, best sausage I have had. Never been a fan of blacksbut it's been awhile since ive been.
this was 10 years ago - i was ignorant at the time! what really pissed me off is that after eating a bunch of ribs i asked for some wet-naps and the old lady said they were out, but said it in a manner that implied that they were not out...she just didnt feel like getting any for me. i really angered her when i asked for sauce so no wet naps for jo mama. the thing ive noticed w/ blacks the last few years is that it has become hit-or-miss - it is either absolutely killer or its mediocre. might depend on what time of day you get in there. i will say that when the pork ribs are good they are the best ive ever had.
louie meuller's chipotle sausage is my favorite. i've been to city market once, that place was jammed packed.
louie muellers is really good too - their sausage is off da chain, for sure! thats a top 3 bbq joint for me (again, still havent been to snows or franklins). the entire building is coated in a dense film of smoke. go in for lunch and you will reek like it for the rest of the day. and name one other place where when you walk up to the counter there is a little chunk of brisket waiting for you that the cook slices off when you walk in the door. mikeskas is good too, but when i go to taylor i always go to muellers. taylor is criminally underlooked as a bbq mecca - its about as far from austin as lockhart is.
Went to Black's for the first time yesterday. Just a few thoughts: - "moist" brisket was delicious...but not as flavorful as Kreutz, IMO. - Jalepeno and Cheddar sausage was incredible, regular sausage was just so-so, but they had a new sausage that had green chiles in it...INCREDIBLE flavor. - really liked their BBQ sauce, although felt a little like I was breaking the rules for using BBQ sauce in a place like Lockhart. - potato salad was NOT good at all. very bland, very forgettable. - also had their beans, which were kind of like "ranch style" beans. ok flavor, could really taste the bacon, but not a lot of "bite". - VERY dissappointed in the pork babyback ribs. Flavor was ok, but very dry. All in all, would definitely go back...but also defnitely not my first choice. Still like Kreutz better, as far as the Lockhart joints go. I may get skewered for this, but if I want BBQ anywhere in the Houston area, I drive to Rudy's. Their sauce is amazing, and their moist brisket never dissapoints. Sausage is ok, definitely not in the same realm as the Lockhart places. Their potato salad is by far my favorite.
Just got back from Lockhart Smokehouse (again) and tried the brisket and jalapeno sausage (made by Kreuz). The sausage was ok, I guess - I'm no expert on the food, though. They all taste like sausage to me. lol. Today, the brisket was the best brisket I've had in Dallas (which isn't saying much). If you ever want Central Texas bbq outside of Central Texas or in the DFW area, this may be your best shot. The guys at the counter will let you sample their cuts, so I tried the shoulder clod. It was way too lean/dry when I tried it today. I can't say I'd go for that over brisket (lean or otherwise).
For you in the Austin area, I just read that John Mueller's BBQ just re-opened. He's from the same "Mueller" family that runs Louie Mueller's. John Mueller used to have an employee named "Franklin" who worked with him back in the day.... *hint* *hint*...
I heard that his plans of reopening had temporarily fallen through. Where did he end up opening? Link?
Ooops, looks like I read an older article... but he's definitely re-opening at the end of the month. From my favorite BBQ site : http://fcg-bbq.blogspot.com/2010/01/john-mueller-returning-to-austin.html
Cool. Looks like he's opening on 9/26 on S. 1st. Between this place, Franklin and Live Oak, I'm going to be overloading on BBQ. But that is a good thing. In fact, I think I will head over to Live Oak for some BBQ tonight.
