Black's Barbecue Lockhart — Restaurant in Lockhart

So I'm here to confirm that the rumors you hear about BLACK'S BBQ being the best in Texas are true. Kent Black is a 3rd generation Pit Master and his family has owned this awesome BBQ establishment since 1932. This true to Texas gem is located in Lockhart TX 8 to 10 min off the 130 Tollway. If you give them a try the detour delay in your travels will be the best experience you have ever had. The building itself is steeped in humor and down home Texas history starting with the sign out front that loudly proclaims they are open 8 days a week! We sampled the wet cut Brisket which was melt in your mouth Tender with a deep and delicious flavor with a beautiful smoke ring but not a over powering smokey taste, magnificent! Next we tried the Dino Rib and found it to be equally tender flavorful. (Our dog flipped when we brought her home that giant Dino Rib bone) We also tried the Pork back ribs and they were some of the most tender we have ever, ever had without just falling off the bone. They also literally melted in your mouth. (I was temped to ask Kent about his technique to achieve that particular outcome.) Next we tried their Potato salad and it has a few extra ingredients that give it that special BLACK'S family twist, very delicious and impressive. The green beans are also delicious and not just and ordinary green beans, just yum! Lastly we sampled the Peach Cobbler and it was to absolutely die for. If you have not been to BLACK'S yet then have you really had real TEXAS BBQ? This small town BBQ PIT is phenomenal. I also wanna take a moment for special mention of the support staff: Susan is the wonderful hard working women who keeps the customers dinning area spotlessly clean, she is super friendly and energetic and literally never stops moving and helping the customers. Cameron is the dazzling young lady who is at the helm (register) at the end of the serving line, she can help you make decisions, can answer virtually any question and keeps everything moving at a brisk and efficient pace while still maintaining that down home Southern politeness that makes us love to eat and review places like this in small towns throughout the southern United States. Kudos to all the Staff at BLACK'S, for making this place the Texas Gem that it is. We shall definitely be back! Also they have a wide variety of BLACK'S merch to choose from as well as their signature BBQ sauces and in house made Dry Rub. Pics to follow. We definitely bought enough to be considered...

I’ve been to Black’s several times over the years and always had great experiences but this time was not, and may have been my last time. Which is unfortunate because I’ve always sworn to everyone that Black’s is the best bbq anywhere.

So I took my gf and her parents on Saturday (they were visiting from El Paso) for lunch. It was kind of busy, I’m sure because it was Saturday.

The sides and desserts were great, the problem we had was with the meat.

We each got the moist (fatty) brisket, (which is what I get everywhere almost every time). This time the brisket was overly fatty, it looked normal on the plate, ya know where you have to cut some off but that’s okay-no, each bite had so much bite it was un-enjoyable, same with the Dino rib. I was so displeasured I actually apologized to my guests for bringing them.

My second problem is, my gf and her parents had never been here and I feel like they were overly rushed and felt like they couldn’t even look at the meat board before ordering. Both my gf and her parents, wanted a modest amount of brisket, about what you’d get on one brisket sandwich. They each ordered something along the lines of “a couple slices”, it would’ve been helpful if they were told one slice was 1/4 pound, had they been told that they would’ve known almost 2 lbs between the 3 of them was going to be way overkill. My gf ordered a Dino rib because she had seen them on social media and wanted to try it. Again she was rushed and felt like she didn’t even have time to look at the menu to even see price . Well a Dino rib is about $27/lb and one is about 1.5 lbs, so beware that your ONE DINO RIB will be roughly $40.. 😳 then again it wasn’t enjoyable, way too much fat.

Between the 4 of us it was over $200 not including the tip.

I usually don’t write bad reviews but I’m almost embarrassed I brought guests here and none of left happy.

It’s even worse that I drove from Austin and passed both Terry Blacks locations and several other bbq spots to come out to Lockhart to be disappointed.

As I upload the picture of my plate that looks appealing I wish I would’ve taken a picture of all the fat we cut off/bites of food we spit out because it was overly fatty-I think that would’ve been a better view of...

The first time I came here, my expectation was high. It only took one bite of the brisket to exceed my expectation. One bite and I knew it was better than any other brisket I’ve ever had. Too many places have very salty crust on the brisket and bland meat inside. Brisket here is evenly flavorful throughout, and crust is not overwhelming at all. Just incredible.

The beef rib was out of this world - very flavorful and not too fatty. The fat is very properly rendered.

Sausage is usually an afterthought for me, but sausage here was great. Loved the coarse texture of the meat and not overwhelming seasoning.

Today I went for the second time. Got brisket, pork spare rib and sausage. My brisket was a fresh piece, getting it from the fatty side. The knife used by the carver was having trouble cutting through the crispy crust, and it looked like the meat was getting crushed rather than sliced. I got a little nervous watching. “Did I luck into a bad brisket?” I thought. I sat down and took a bite. Nope. It was just as amazing as I remembered it the first time. The crispy crust added a lot of flavor, while not being too salty. Underneath the crust, the meat inside had such complex flavor profile that I just shook my head in disbelief. The smoke and seasoning was just the right amount to let the beef flavor shine through. Just unbelievable food. I’ve made my share of briskets, and ate at few top ranked BBQ places. Nothing even comes close, at least for my preference of how a brisket should taste.

The sausage was good as usual. The pork spare rib had similar good qualities to the brisket in terms of smoke and seasoning, but something felt missing. I noticed that the rack of ribs look smaller than what I’m used to when cooking at home. I wonder if sourcing larger and fattier spare ribs would be beneficial.

The price of food is very reasonable, and not as heavy on your stomach as other BBQ. You’re not feeling sick from too much grease afterwards, and not burping up smoke flavor for hours. I definitely will stop by any time I’m traveling to...