I’ll
admit…I like to smoke; the heavier the smoke, the better. Now I’ve gotten Josh into smoking too. Even though we rented a non-smoking car in
Texas, by the time we were done, it smelled like a five-alarm fire was burning
in there…
Before
you people get all up in arms, most of you know I’m referring to smoking
meat. Never, and I mean never, would
tobacco (wacky or otherwise) be ingested in our family. But when it comes to burning oak wood and
animal fat (of the cow kind…), bring it on.
Josh
and I had the pleasure of spending the past several days in Austin, Texas. Primary mission: to tour the University of Texas-Austin and to
get a sense of whether a Massachusetts Minuteman would be comfortable as a
Texas Longhorn. A not-so-coincidental
benefit to this trip: real Texas
bbq!!!!
For
weeks prior to this trip, I scoured the interweb for reviews, watched videos,
and visited websites…mostly of the bbq joints we were going to visit. Having just been down in Austin in April,
2011 for my own personal BBQ quest with charter subscriber and old friend Marty
(who’s to blame for this sick obsession), I knew we would head to Lockhart, TX
for some of the best bbq in the world, and maybe a few other places as well. Between the bbq and the University, I was
almost happy to be getting up at 3:45am to catch a 7:00am flight in a
blizzard…thankfully we made it unscathed, and the bbq awaited!
After
getting our car, we high-tailed it down Route 183 South to Lockhart, the
literal “BBQ Capital of Texas”, or so the sign claims. Kreuze Market is not opened on Sundays, so
the car took us to Black’s. With a long
line out the door, we opted to keep driving a couple of more blocks to
Smitty’s, where we faced a similar predicament, but this time, I was not going
to be denied the opportunity to eat Smitty’s brisket, which Texas Monthly
magazine claims is among the best anywhere.
I knew we would be coming back to Lockhart again, so we opted to wait in
line at Smitty’s; so glad we did.
The
thing about Texas bbq is that it is unlike anything we have here in
Massachusetts…having been there twice within the past 2 years, I understand
better now than ever that bbq there is a way of life; it’s almost religion
there. Never mind whether you are a
“reform”, “conservative” or “orthodox” Jew, or a “Roman” or “Irish” Catholic…in
Texas, you’re a “Smitty’s”, “Kreuze” or “City Market”. I really feel as if your preferred bbq joint
defines you there.
 |
| Smitty's back door |
With
that in mind, we stood in a long line that slowly snaked in to Smitty’s smoke
room. In these places, you walk up to a
counter, about ten feet away from the smoker, and order by the pound. There’s a cutter custom cutting your meat,
and tossing it on to some brown butcher paper.
Toss a few slices of white bread, and that’s that! To get to this counter though, you have to
navigate a fire burning at your feet, because in Texas, no Board of Health or
safety commissioner is going to tell them to enclose that fire and protect the
public. This is Texas y’all, and as
Davey Crocket famously said: You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
So true…
 |
| Fire in the hole! At my feet! |
Nonetheless,
after I grabbed 2 hot beef sausage links, a pound of brisket, extra moist
(read: fatty), and a half-pound slab of smoked prime rib, with great
anticipation we sat down at one of the communal tables and stared silently at
the glistening meat, mouth watering. The
first bite can only be described as “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh”. The smiles on our faces said it all. While we enjoyed all the bbq consumed
(including The Salt Lick at he airport, which Josh proclaimed to be the best
airport food he’s ever eaten), I think we are now considered “Smitty-ites”.
 |
| Greasy goodness-beef sausage, prime rib and fatty brisket |
