Well taking the plunge and going to Lockhart Tx the BBQ Capital of the world. It will be 5 of us total going. looking at which one to go,

Kreuz
Smittys
Blacks
Chisolm Trail

Your guidance is needed. Thanks

Kreuz

Get your picture taken with the Pitmaster who looks like a Hispanic Elvis Presley with a big knife .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I've eaten at Blacks and it was very good.

Blacks is my preference...Smittys was good the last time I ate there. Haven’t tried the other two...

May have to go check out the Mexican Elvis...

Beef Rib at Black's for the WIN!!

I’m told Blacks is the one

Blacks followed by Smitty’s.

That said, stop by Taylor, Texas and eat at Louie Mueller’s BBQ. Much better than anything in Lockhart.

My family and I ate at Kruez once, very disappointed. Most people say Blacks is the best.

my order of preference is:
Kreuz
Blacks
Smitty's
...
Chisolm

my basis, my wife and I stopped there on our way home from Rockport a few years back and picked up 1 lb moist brisket and 1 lb of sausage from all 4 ... took it home to do a side by side comparison. Many years ago my dad and I would stop in Kreuz (before there was a Smittys, interesting history behind those two) or Blacks every time we were passing thru and it was pretty close between those two on brisket depending on the day. We'd get a couple lbs of brisket and a loaf of bread, all that was needed.

Kreuz history

Lockhart BBQ history

Smitty's was my favorite there, the fact you can get a fresh avocado with the bbq is nice.
Kruez was my second favorite there.

We didn't do the others.

Also side note, Smitty's is open on Sunday, so if you plan to stay overnight you can hold Smitty's off until then. Don't be shocked after eating at those 4 places within 24 hours you might not want to touch bbq for a few weeks.

What’s the verdict on Chisholm Trail? I’ve never been there, one of the sons has San Marcos BBQ. Its around the corner from my house, and is usually very good.

Blacks

Kruez is my favorite. Smitty's and Blacks = same family that split so not much difference in que but the sauces are different.

Smittys and Kreuz are brother and sister. We prefer Smittys and the ol' time location.

Check out Luling City Market for some of the best pork ribs you'll get anywhere.

Kreuz!

Kruez but blacks is good also.

Kreutz for the sausage and pork chop.
Smitty's for the pork chop and pork ribs.
Blacks for the brisket and beef ribs.
Drive 15 minutes South and have all the above with the best sauce in the State at Luling City Market.

Definitely the beef rib at Black's and the sausage. The brisket was too heavily salted for me.

Funny how all of Lockhart and Luling has that rather delicious coarse grain, small links.

From memory, I went to Kreuzs back in the day with an asst athletic director from Harvard and a sports agent from Boston. We were standing there by the fire ready to order when I realized the eastern folks were having a real hard time with the menu board. I told them to order like me. When it was my turn, I said, "One hot, two slices of a clod, a chop and crackers." Then I asked them, do you guys like good potato salad, cole slaw and beans? They replied, "Yes we do". I came back with, "They don't have none of that here". When we sat down, they started looking for the barbecue sauce. When it was all said and done, they couldn't have stuffed anything else in their mouths.

So we went to Blacks, the so called original Blacks BBQ. Good brisket, turkey and sides. Sausage? Meh not bueno. Had a strange raw like interior I/we did not like. Is it a deal breaker? No, we loved the rest of the other food. Thanks guys

Next time ask for “dry” sausage. It has the grease cooked out, more well done. If you were in Lockhart, that is the original Blacks. Theres now a location in Austin, San Marcos and New Braunfels.

How do the other compare to the "original"? Passed right by the one in San Marcos but went on in to Lockhart and thanks for the heads up on the dry sausage.

Haven’t been to the San Marcos location since it opened a few years ago. Went twice, they hadn’t mastered the pit yet. But I did like the building setup and full bar. Went to the original a few weeks ago, hadn’t been there for 25 years. It was good.

Guess I need to stop at Blacks next time through there. We always stop at Luling city market.

Went to Smittys year ago. After overpaying for their brisket they had the audacity to charge me as much as a whole onion costs for a few slices of onion.! Swore to never set foot in there again.

I think Kreuz was the one we ate at. It was on the right when we went into town from Austin. We were very disappointed. It was a long time before my family would trust me with picking a bbq place. I'd rather stayed home. Flame suit on.

all 4 major BBQ places (Kreutz, Blacks, Smittys and Chisholm Trail) are on the right heading south out of Austin ...

Which one is on 183 and has tea in mason jars? Growing up in Victoria and heading back to Lubbock for holidays/vacations to see relatives I remember Dad always stopping at a western style place that served tea in mason jars. That place may be looong gone. It was the 1970's.

Earl

Earl, that would likely be the original Kreutz Market in the reddish orange brick building which is now Smitty's. Kreutz built the new larger place in the late 90s, and Smitty's opened

interesting story about the family and the history behind all this ... Kreutz Market history

Yep, that was it! I remember the reddish orange brick. Thanks. Earl

Wow, $.79 was deal breaker for some onion? How did you afford the fuel to drive to Lockhart?

Last time we had bbq in Lockhart we decided to try Chisolm,Trail. It wasn't bad and they had good selection of side dishes. I seem to remember their prices were lower than the others. We only tried Mueller's in Taylor once and their brisket had waaaayyy too much pepper. A relative unknown is Fuschak's in San Marcos on 35 near hwy 12...great price on the 3-meat dinner...easily feeds both me and the Mrs.

Fushcaks has been in San Marcos since the ‘60’s. It was the only place in town til the 90’s. It’ll do in a pinch, but there are better places in town now.

Hays County Bar BQ across the highway is, to me & wifeypoo, very good. Morgan Fuschak is a good man.

I do my own meat smoking now. But if I need a quick BBQ fix in San Marcos, I go to San Marcos BBQ on Hunter Rd. Owner is a son of the family that has Chisholm Trail BBQ in Lockhart.
Hays County BBQ started their business in the same building as San Marcos BBQ. They were fair at best when there. I haven’t been to their new location.
The building was owned by a butcher named Woody. He had a meat market when I moved to town in the early 80’s. Woody also processed deer. He built that building and started cooking BBQ in the early 90’s, back when Hunter Rd was a 2 lane FM. And the location was considered “out of town” at the time. Woody retired and just leased the building out.

yep, it was way out of town, the next stop would have been Rileys

Well I guess the Fuschaks retired. The building is now for sale or lease. 1966-2020 RIP.

Morgan Fuschak got to be getting up there in age. I still remember directing Morgan around third base where David Bailiff (former Rice HC) met him with the ball at home plate. Bailiff was a lineman for the Bobcats and, well, Morgan wasn't near his size. Don't think he ever really forgave me.

Definitely Blacks but City Market is just down the road in Luling


https://g.co/kgs/E2atgH

Had Blacks’s and Smitty’s over 4th of July since we rented a house in Martindale. Brisket at Blacks was better but Smitty’s was better at everything else. I will also say that most of the locals endorsed Smitty’s and the line to get in at Smitty’s was long when I left.

Right now, I would rate them:
1. Smitty's
2. Chisholm Trail but been kinda going down since the man slowed down.
3. Blacks because they always burn the beans and that Jackalope...
4. Kreutz generally good meat but little else to complement it.

The best BBQ in Lockhart was Mad Jacks but he moved to Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
They always have lines outside all the way around the building and generally sells out everything he cooks every day.
He his Lockhart roots and still goes there for his wood.

I have been to Mad Jacks several times. I like all his BBQ except the sausage. When I spoke to him he said he was purchasing it from Texas. I don't like it but the rest is really good. Where did the owner from Mad Jacks start? I know in Texas but he would not tell me where? I assume a very well known BBQ joint in Texas.

the owner Mike is a great dude, and the BBQ at Hays Co. is really good. I actually bought my grinder from Mike to start my business. When i went to pick up the converter for the grinder, they covered my table with a little of everything they have. it was all excellent.

BBQ is a big business in Tx. It's so big that it's making tree clearing business owners rich. when i dont have time to go split my own, i'm paying $200 for a half cord...ouch.

Kreutz doesn't have sauce.
Smitty's doesn't have knives.

It seems like the Lockhart's BBQ places find it cool to be missing something.

Terry Black's in Austin has some really good stuff. I've never been to Black's in Lockhart.

Original Blacks was tops for us several weeks ago. Brisket and ribs nailed it. The sweet tea finished it off just right.