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Lockhart texas is an absolute must visit for anyone who loves barbecue. The origins of texas barbecue are fairly simple - the cooking style was born out of necessity and literally perfected by German engineers.

Prior to widespread colonization, the Spanish dropped a few dozen cows off at Port Lavaca. Upon returning to Texas many years later, the Spanish found these cows had multiplied into thousands. Due to numerous crop failures, beef soon became the main and sometimes only staple of the early colonists.

While tejano barbecue is recognized on its own merits, the barbecue we know today as traditional texas started with the German immigrants of the 1800s. Many of them came at the behest of the Mexican government providing incentives for western colonization in the vast lands of Texas. The Germans brought with them traditional meat smoking methods which soon became a big hit.

Not wanting to leave anything alone, the Germans soon began designing different types of smokers, envisioning a more wood efficient method of cooking that could produce a better end product. This smoker functions by burning wood in a box that is offset from the main cooking chamber. As the smoke travels upwards, it heats the cooking chamber and provides a convective effect. This cooking method became so popular that it has become ingrained in the very culture of Texas.

Anyone who wants to try some traditional texas barbecue, Kreutz market in lockhart still cooks on direct heat smokers reminiscent of the original methods before offset cooking. I have tried it and found it to be excellent.

The original blacks in lockhart used to be the go to place, but due to some family drama involving a lawyer family member manipulating the old king on his death bed, I can't recommend it. Fortunately, the family members scorned by his actions started Terry Black's barbecue which carries on the legacy. They use the German invented offset smokers and you can even take a tour of the pits and speak with the pit masters themselves.