I was bored and tired a couple nights ago so I did what a lot of people in Austin might do in that circumstance, I headed to Lockhart, the heart and home of Texas BBQ. A few years ago I stopped by Smitty’s and really dug it so I wanted to check out Kreuz and Black’s as well. Beau and I didn’t get to town till after 7 and both places closed by 8 so I had to stuff my face quick in order to get a good comparison.
Black’s was my first stop. I liked how you walked down a buffet line and could get really small portions of their sides then meat. Their half-slice of pickle was good and their slaw wasn’t too mayonnaisey. The green beans were decent. I ordered garlic sausage and their Jalapeno/Cheddar variety too. And… of course I had to throw some brisket in there. The meats weren’t as moist as i usually like but the flavor and smokiness were right-on. It wasn’t my favorite joint in TX but def better than most BBQ stops I’ve been to.
Kreuz was next on my list and i got there with only about 10-15 minutes to spare. My belly didn’t want much more meat but they only sold whole sausages and one slice of their brisket was exeptionally large. Both their regular and jalapeno/cheddar sausages were moist, large and plump. The plain was a bit bland but I think that’s just cuz I was gobbling down lots of garlic and spicy sausage. The brisket was equally moist, the flavor was well-rounded, and the quality of meat seemed better than a lot of other brisket I had recently been eating. Their sides seemed a bit lacking, I tried the cooked sauerkraut which was alright but I often prefer real fresh sides like pickles, vinegar slaw, and other veggies that aren’t overcooked, too sweet, or super-fried.
The only bummer was that I couldn’t give Smitty’s a second shot. I remember really liking the sausage and meat there and a lot of friends call that their favorite. I guess that just gives me another reason to head back to Lockhart soon!
