This Year We are Thankful for Smoked Meats

Kreuz Market
619 North Colorado Street
Lockhart, Texas

Somehow, in the midst of planning our Thanksgiving road trip, Hubby had a brilliant idea. Like most of his brilliant ideas, it involved barbecue. After spending the holiday in Hubby's hometown of Temple, we were headed to San Antonio for the annual Christmas parade. It just so happened that we could route ourselves to San Antonio by driving along the Barbecue Trail. The only question was where to stop. We pondered. We debated. We read an old Texas Monthly article from the 1970s. But, after much discussion, we decided there was only one place to go -- Kreuz Market in Lockhart.

Kreuz Market needs no introduction. Founded in 1900, Kreuz has a simple philosophy, "No Barbecue Sauce (nothing to hide), No Forks (nothing to hide), No Kidding (nothing to hide)." It's Texas barbecue at its finest and it's all about the meat.

On the day after Thanksgiving, we pulled into the Kreuz parking lot around lunch time. I exited the car and was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of smoked meat. There was a chain link fence adjacent to the restaurant protecting enormous stacks of wood. There was no doubt that we were in for a treat.

My daughter, the inexplicable 4 year old vegetarian, makes an exception for 2 meats -- brisket (her Texas heritage) and ham (her Virginia heritage). So, we were quite pleased to see brisket and smoked ham on the menu. We decided to order both as well as an order of sausage. Kreuz is like most Texas barbecue establishments. You order your meat at the counter and then take your butcher paper wrapped barnyard (along with some slices of white break and Saltines) back to your table. There's also a separate counter where you can order sides (we opted for mac n' cheese, beans, and German potato salad), fix'ns (pickles, hunks of cheese, onions), and drinks (beer, Dr Pepper, and Big Red are really the only acceptable choices in my opinion).

Our meat and fix'ns secured, we settled down at a table in the very large, airy dining room. The setting was pleasantly rustic and clean. We were all starving and we didn't waste time tucking into the barbecue. Overall, the meal was great. But, I've become a bit of a barbecue snob after many years of quality briskets smoked at home by Hubby. We didn't get the best cut of brisket and it was a bit fatty. The cut can make all the difference. I did, however, really enjoy the smoked ham and the sausage. Paired with Saltine crackers, pickles, and a big slab of cheddar, I was pretty much in heaven.

When nothing but gristle and grease-stained butcher paper remained, we wiped our hands with the paper towels provided and hit the road for San Antonio. Our first family trip to the Barbecue Trail had been a success. En route to San Antonio Hubby and I evaluated the meal and planned our next trip back to the Trail, which won't be too far in the future, I'm sure. After all, there's always time for barbecue.

Texas forever.