Holy Smoke!

Barbecue is a religion in Texas.  There are probably more folks on Sundays in barbecue joints than there are in churches, but to many people barbecue can be a religious experience.  Here in Texas the Baptists are the most popular with the Methodists coming in second and then some of the Pentecostal and fundamentalist groups and, of course, in the southern part of the state, we have the Catholics and the Lutherans.  But barbecue is the most popular spiritual experience here.  During the road trip that took me through Lockhart in Caldwell County, a paramount stop on the agenda included barbecue.  After all, Lockhart was officially named by the Texas state legislature as the barbecue capital of the state back in 1999 and three of the most popular BBQ joints in the state can be found in this peaceful community.  A fourth is making inroads into that list, but we picked Black's, which is the oldest (been there since 1932 and run by the same family) and is only two blocks from the courthouse.  You can look on line for "barbecue Lockhart TX" and find the others if you happen to be traveling through.  Some people have actually chosen to try all three of the most famous places but I think they burst at the end of the day.
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You stand in line at the counter and tell the BBQ-ista what you want.  All meats are sold by weight and the "sides" have a standard price.  (Is that a photobomber in the background?)

I chose brisket and a couple of ribs and potato salad.  One of the reasons I picked Black's was because I had read online that they served their patrons with real silverware and I have a thing about paying $15 for a lunch that is served on Styrofoam plates with plastic picnic utensils.  Well, real silverware was a fantasy, but I finally was able to put that aside and forget about that fetish as I dug into the holy smoked meat.

There's not much ambiance in these places.  The folks who come to worship are happy to sit on folding chairs rather than pews, eat on Styrofoam plates on red checkered oilcloth tablecloths, drink out of plastic cups (I still have mine from Black's), and could care less that the decor consists of dead deer heads, old pictures and plaques, and horns from cattle.  You can tell from the photo above that they don't care about all that fru fru and they're concentrating on the stuff that's on the Styrofoam plates.

Notes:  I saw no skinny people in Black's.  These photos were taken with an iPhone which I usually forget is supposed to take really good pictures and I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

I need to return to Lockhart.  Maybe I'll try out another famous BBQ place but I was so high on that beautiful courthouse and eating at Black's that I actually forgot about the gorgeous Eugene Clark Library, built in 1899 and the oldest continuously operating library in the state.  We did try to go to the Southwestern Museum of Clocks and Watches which is in a beautiful Victorian building on a corner across the street from the courthouse only to find it is open on Saturdays or by appointment only!  I'm hoping to have one more opportunity to return to this sweet little city.

And where is Lockhart?  33 miles south of Austin, 225 miles south of Dallas, 150 miles west of Houston, and 250 miles southwest of my home near Garrison, Texas.