smitty's in the bbq capital of Texas

Thank Heaven for Laura and all the tv watching she does. Somehow, on our drive from Austin to Victoria, Texas, we went right through Lockhart, the BBQ capital of Texas. She saw a show about Lockhart on FoodNetwork. I think I saw the same show a few years ago when a BBQ special feature comparing Carolina, Memphis, and Texas style BBQ featured Lockhart. It rang bells.

It wasn't until our return trip though, back from Victoria after helping a friend celebrate her wedding, that we stopped and ate at Smitty's Market. It was on the main road and thanks to Laura's fabulous recall, she identified Smitty's as the place to be/to dine.  She pointed to the parking lot and said something akin to "If it's full, it's gotta be good." We parked and walked inside and lined up. It was super hot. There's an open fire just inside the building where the cook the meat and sell it. Once you're up to the register, you tell the meatman how much of this and that you want. You pay, and then go inside to order and purchase sides and drinks. 

We split 1/2 pound of brisket and 1/2 pound of pork ribs. They slap a sheet of newspaper down, then place your order atop it. The meat is accompanied by white bread and/or crackers. We tried both. The brisket was moist and flavorful. The ribs were simply divine. Their BBQ sauce is reminiscent of the sweet tomato kind I can find in BBQ joints in East Tennessee. Laura is spoiled now. No other BBQ compares to Texas. She turns up her nose at everything else. It turns out that BBQ is bigger and better in Texas.

I forget what all kinds of sides they offered. That's slaw on the far left, potato salad in the middle, and beans on the far right. The slaw was okay. The mustard-based sweet potatoes were yummy. But the beans were mostly disappointing. We both expected cowboy or baked/bbq beans. Laura--who should write her own blog as much as she's featured on mine--thought they'd be perfect for a soup bean and cornbread supper, but that was not what we had in mind.

Here's a glimpse of Laura, you can see a bit of the inside of Smitty's. The "cafeteria" style dining room has 4-6 long wooden tables that bbq lovers find spots to park their rears while they eat. Laura picked an older gentleman to sit by. He looked harmless, she said. And he was. He snuck in a trip to Smitty's while his son finished up a Boy Scout backpacking trip at a nearby state park. He mentioned a bit about a feud that split the original BBQ joint in two and thus Smitty's was formed. Seems like BBQ wars occur in every state. I shared a bit about the one in SC with Maurice. Naturally he thought we were from there. I corrected him, said we hailed from Tennessee.

Here's the damage. We ate it all, folks. All but the beans. The amazing thing was that for under $12 the two of us ate our fill of meat, sides, beans, and then left with a scoop of ice cream each. I'd love to return to Lockhart, not just to eat at Smitty's again, but to try the other BBQ restaurants vying for the title of Best BBQ in Texas.

Comments

[Sandra Horn Underwood]

Heading to Smitty's tomorrow to try out their BBQ. I'll let y'all know how it was! It looks good! I'm so excited!

[generic viagra]

She pointed to the parking lot and said something akin to "If it's full, it's gotta be good." We parked and walked inside and lined up. It was super hot.