Real Estate Photographer in Lockhart, TX

In Texas’ state-designated BBQ capital, two legendary Lockhart families run the town’s most iconic barbecue joints as a rising star joins the scene — and all vie for coveted spots on the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ list. Explore our project online now and watch the documentary June 5 at 7 p.m. on the KXAN+ smart TV app.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — While exploring Lockhart’s barbecue legacy, culture and future, we talked with a dynamic cast of characters.

Here are some of the voices most prominently featured in KXAN’s documentary “Family Beef.”

Helmed by twins Mark and Mike, the Terry Black’s brand has expanded to five Texas cities so far with more growth planned. They say their Austin location is one of the busiest barbecue restaurants in the world, serving about 20,000 people a week. Mike initially worked at Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart under his uncle, Kent, but according to Mike, they didn’t get along. This led the brothers and their father, Terry, to break off and launch their own spot in Austin in 2014. Their venture sparked lawsuits from both sides and created a crack in the family.

Kent is a third-generation pitmaster who bought the restaurant from his parents in 2015. Black’s began as a meat market in 1932 and has remained in the family since then. From selling snow cones outside the shop as a six-year-old to leading the Black’s Barbecue dynasty, Kent has seen his family business — and Lockhart — pioneer Texas barbecue over decades. Before committing to Black’s full-time, Kent was an attorney and state prosecutor. That legal expertise resurfaced amid multiple business disputes with his brother, Terry Black, and nephews, Mike and Mark Black.

Nina operates Smitty’s Market out of Lockhart’s oldest barbecue building, which was formerly the site of Kreuz Market. Entering the building is like going back in time, with the walls completely smoked over and the original pit on full display. Nina served as the county clerk for 28 years and inherited the building when her father passed in 1990. Her brother, Rick, got the Kreuz brand. A lease disagreement led Rick to move Kreuz to a new location, leaving Nina to start Smitty’s. The dispute has cooled off since Rick’s passing, but it remains a defining moment in Lockhart barbecue history.

Since its inception in the late 1800s, Kreuz Market passed through a few families and now sits with Keith Schmidt, whose grandfather bought the business from the Kreuz family in 1948. The nephew of Nina Sells of Smitty’s Market, Keith was caught in the middle of his father, Rick, and his aunt’s business disputes and nationally publicized split. Since taking over the business in 2011 and his father’s passing in 2019, Keith has worked to mend his family’s relationship with Nina and usher what is likely Lockart’s oldest barbecue joint into the modern era.

Two years after opening her barbecue restaurant, Chuck has garnered widespread acclaim, from catching the eye of the New York Times to receiving a James Beard Award nomination and Michelin Guide nod. She learned from barbecue legends at Franklin Barbecue (Austin) and Goldee’s BBQ (Fort Worth area) before establishing her restaurant in Lockhart two years ago. Pulling inspiration from her Mexican heritage and Rio Grande Valley roots, the Barbs B Q menu reflects the cultural flavors Chuck grew up with — and patrons line up around the block for it.

Daniel moved to Dallas in 2001, where he said he became “enamored” with Texas barbecue almost instantly during one of his first meals in the city. More than 20 years later, he’s now the barbecue editor at Texas Monthly with the power to craft the industry’s most influential list and catapult barbecue restaurants into the spotlight. The Texas Monthly Top 50 Texas BBQ Joints list comes out every four years.

In preparation, Daniel and his team of tasters narrow down a pool of about 400 places to try. The closer a joint ranks near the top, the more scrutiny and visits it gets from Daniel and Texas Monthly.

ATXGuide

Our favorite places to eat smoked meats in the state's barbecue capital, ranked.

Lockhart is the official barbecue capital of Texas. And up until a few years ago, the lines at its handful of meat purveyors were so long, you’d have to dedicate a few hours of your precious weekend to get a plate. Nowadays, there are enough buzzy barbecue spots in Austin to keep most of the crowds away, but it’s still worth driving past the airport to explore Lockhart’s downtown and sink your teeth into a cheddar-jalapeño sausage.

Lockhart has plenty to offer, like traditional pits that have probably been hot (literally and metaphorically) for a century straight, and newcomers bringing additions like lamb shanks and sides of neon-green spaghetti into the fold. These are the absolute best barbecue spots in town, ranked.

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Unrated: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.

THE SPOTS

Nicolai McCrary

1

Terry Black’s Barbecue

900 N Colorado St Lockhart, Lockhart 78644

$$$$

BBQ

Lockhart

Perfect For:Impressing Out of TownersSitting Outside

If the name Terry Black sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve gone to town on brisket and ribs at their Austin location on Barton Springs Road. Terry Black’s is the first place you’ll see (and smell) on the drive into Lockhart, and it’s the best overall spot in town for brisket that melts in your mouth, tender and moist spare ribs, and snappy sausages.

And while the focus on excellent meat in Lockhart can mean sides are treated as an afterthought, that’s not the case here. The thick elbows of mac and cheese are glossy, and the creamed corn is a barbecue classics done right. There’s a pretty small indoor dining room if you want to enjoy some air conditioning, but the real action is outside, where you can watch the staff tuck briskets into the pits like they’re being put down for a gentle nap.

Nicolai McCrary

2

Black's Barbecue

215 N Main St Lockhart, Texas 78644

$$$$

BBQ

Lockhart

Perfect For:Classic Establishment

Both Black’s and Terry Black’s were started by the same family, but have since broken off into two different barbecue dynasties. Brisket is often praised as the end-all-be-all meat in Central Texas barbecue, but the ribs here deserve plenty of attention for their perfect amount of bite and smoke. The sausages are also great, and their jalapeño links have a prominent herby jalapeño flavor. The cozy space has lots of exposed wood walls and not a ton of natural light, so the dining room feels almost lost in time, but homey. The well-seasoned beans have been made from the same recipe since the 1930s, and you’ll find yourself shoveling them into your mouth between bites of sausage and beef ribs.

Nicolai McCrary

3

Barbs B Q

102 E Market St Lockhart, Texas 78644

$$$$

BBQ

Lockhart

Perfect For:Impressing Out of TownersLunchPeople Watching

Barb’s is the new kid on the block in Lockhart’s barbecue scene, and one of the few spots in town where you’ll find people waiting in folding chairs outside. They have classic cuts like brisket and pork ribs, but also inventive flavors and sides. Instead of potato salad or mac and cheese, you’ll find heaps of neon green spaghetti and a generous sprinkle of freshly grated lime zest on each plate. Everything here is good, but Barb’s neighbors are just more consistently great (to be fair, they’ve been at it for a few more decades). You should definitely still make the trek here to hang out on a late Saturday morning, since the camaraderie is reminiscent of the 6am crowds camping out for a pound of Franklin brisket.

Nicolai McCrary

4

Kreuz Market

619 N Colorado St Lockhart, TX 78644

$$$$

BBQ

Lockhart

Perfect For:Classic EstablishmentBig GroupsLunch

Central Texas barbecue traditions can largely be attributed to German and Czech butchers who immigrated to the state in the mid-1800s. So it makes sense that a German market that’s been smoking meat for more than a century would be a barbecue institution. The pits at Kreuz Market look like they haven’t been cold in a hundred years, and the pork chops are so moist and tender you can tear off a piece with just a fork. Once your meat is sliced and served on a paper-lined tray, you can head into the dining room where there are tons of large tables to spread out, plus a separate counter where you can grab some sides and a few bottles of Shiner. The sides here also stand out—you should definitely get some creamed corn with poblanos and baked potato casserole, or lean into the German roots and get a side of fennel-seed-flecked sauerkraut.

Nicolai McCrary

5

Smitty's Market

Walking through Smitty’s long hallway feels like entering the queue of a meat-themed Disney ride. The walls have a layer of smoke and soot, and the fires feeding the pits are just a few feet away from your ankles when you stand in line. The classically Central Texas brisket has a fragrant bark and plenty of moisture, and is perfectly balanced without tasting overly salty or smoky. It’s impossible to eat barbecue without a little mess, but your fingers are guaranteed to shine with beef fat, especially since there are no forks to be found here (just spoons and knives). Our only complaint is that the meat can be a little inconsistent across cuts—the pork ribs are a bit dry, especially when compared to the luscious brisket.

The Barbecue Capital of Texas has long been known for its stellar smoked meat restaurants. But more recently, Lockhart is seeing more people come for the food and stay for the arts.

The city's historic downtown square is full of several art galleries, shops and small businesses offering visitors a chance to explore its charming culture beyond barbecue. Over the past few years, this small Central Texas city has been growing with more artists, musicians and creatives putting Lockhart on the map.

As the cost of living continues to rise, more people are leaving Austin and bringing their talents to Lockhart, which has now become an unexpected art destination. Last year, former Austinites Tamara Carlisle and her partner, Donna Blair, moved to the barbecue capital after embedding themselves in the community for nearly a decade.

"We fell in love with the community, the entrepreneurial ship, the fabulous small town feel, but with a lot of big ideas," Carlisle told MySA.

Carlisle, who previously collected art in Austin, said the pair was inspired to open her own gallery after visiting Lockhart in 2016 to see Marty Spellerberg's Spellerberg Project. Spellerberg purchased the Masur, a historic downtown building, to present contemporary art to the public and support emerging artists.

He was the first gallery owner to bring this concept to the square, but he wouldn't be the last. Carlisle and Blair opened Commerce Gallery on the square in 2019, and later Get Lucky Gallery across the street in 2024. Carlisle described both her galleries as being "incredibly successful" over the years due to community events like First Friday and artist open houses.

"Our art openings are anywhere from, usually around 400 people from a three hour period," Carlisle said. "It's really, extremely well attended in Lockhart."

Commerce showcases large contemporary visual art with rotating exhibitions from Texas artists like Cruz Ortiz, based in San Antonio, and Christopher St. Leger, who is currently the gallery's year-round resident. Whereas, Get Lucky specializes in smaller art pieces like ceramics, prints, woodwork and textiles that are more budget-friendly.

Austin Affordable Art Fair Director Cori Teague said Commerce is one of her favorite galleries in Lockhart. Teague explained that she noticed the city's art scene has grown exponentially over the past five years.

"We are seeing more and more people move to Lockhart that are still associated with Austin," Teague said. "What we're doing with Affordable Art Fair is really just giving them the tools and the professionalism to sell artwork so that they can continue to be creative, and I would say when it comes to Lockhart, Commerce is really putting them on the map for that."

The Affordable Art Fair in Austin creates a space for Texas galleries like Commerce to get their work seen in a larger market and purchased by more collectors. This year, the fair will bring together 55 local, national and international galleries for its second annual fair in the city.

"You don't need to travel anywhere to get art," Teague said. "We can get it from our backyard now."

Visitors will have access to thousands of pieces of contemporary art from emerging and established artists all under one roof. Art prices range from $100 to $10,000, which Teague explained is lower than what typically more expensive pieces are worth in the art world.

The fair also combines art with performances, talks, tours, children's activities, music, food and drinks. It starts at the Palmer Events Center this Thursday, May 15, until Sunday, May 18. General admission tickets on Eventbrite start at $19.63 and go up to $58.61 for an all-access pass.

As for Carlisle, she says she's already planning both her gallery's 2026 art shows and even began a tourism board for the City of Lockhart to help showcase its vibrant community. She added that although more people are moving there and making the city their own, she believes Lockhart will not become the next Austin.

"We just want to be ourselves, and anybody here will tell you that too," Carlisle said. "It's not just the art scene here, it's the music scene and the food scene, and the people scene...it's extremely community driven, and we're all here for each other."

To learn more about new events happening in the city from art to barbecue and everything in between visit HelloLockhart.com.

May 14, 2025

Austin Trending Reporter

Cristela is a San Antonio-born Austinite covering all things trending and cultura in the state’s capital city. She holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.S. in electronic media from Texas State University. Her work has appeared in Bloomberg News, NPR's Next Generation Radio, KUT y más.