#49 - Kreuz Market - The Magic Kingdom of Meat

If Lockhart, Texas is the Disneyland of BBQ, then Kreuz Market is the Magic Kingdom of Meat.  In 1999, the Texas Legislature named Lockhart "The BBQ Capital of Texas."  It's also the home of three historic BBQ restaurants:  

Kreuz Market, Black's BBQ and Smitty's BBQ.  (There's a 4th, Chisholm BBQ, but hardly anybody talks about it.  I think it's because they sell a Chef's Salad on their menu.)

For many, the history of Kreuz Market, one of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ joints, is the story of Lockhart.  

When Kreuz Market opened in 1900, they gained a reputation as the best grocery store in the region with great meats smoked in the old German style.  Back in the day, an order of brisket, sausage and ribs was served on butcher paper with a side of crackers, onions and tomatoes.  No kitschy sides, no silverware.  Oh, but they did provide knives...they were chained to each table. It was Real Man Food.  

Without Kreuz, there would be no Smitty's.  

Gratuitous shot of the pit at Smitty's

After a little family feud, Kreuz Market moved down the road and Smitty's opened in their old space (there's a lot more to the story, get it on their site).  Without Kreuz, who would the Black family have to compete with?  Without Kreuz, where would Lockhart Smokehouse get their sausage?  It's a small world after all, and in Lockhart, Kreuz is at the heart of it.  

When you visit Kreuz today, you'll notice a couple of things have changed.  In 1999, after nearly 100 years in the same location, a new Kreuz Market was built a half mile down the road from the original location. You can't even see the building coming from downtown Lockhart until you've crossed the bridge going north.  But when you do, it makes a striking impression.  

The "new" Kreuz market just screams HISTORIC BBQ JOINT!  It's so big it's the Space Mountain of Lockhart, if Space Mountain looked like a giant brick smoker.  

"Since 1900" is tattooed prominently on the facade. There's a huge fenced-in pitmaster playground (aka the wood yard).  The exterior carries the patina of centuries of smoke. 

Kreuz Market is one of the largest BBQ joints in Texas and can seat up to 560 people.  Once inside, you'll notice the interior is separated into three sections:  the entry/seating area, the pit room, and the sides/seating area.  You'll also notice the tasty layer of smoke floating throughout the building. It's like walking into a BBQ eclipse.

In the pit room, the Kreuz guys will cut the meat, wrap it in butcher paper and hand it over with a sleeve of crackers, a half loaf of Sunbeam bread, pickles and onions.  Pay with cash or credit, leave the pit room and if you're thirsty and need a balanced meal, stop for some drinks, beans or potato salad.

We ordered a hefty helping of brisket, regular and jalapeno sausage and turkey.  The meat was great, but the sausages are their specialty.  Cooked in small rings and hung from a stick in the smoker, they are salty, garlicky and full of flavor.  I asked if they had any sausage ears hats...you would have thought I was from another kingdom!  Sing it with me...M-I-C-K-E-Y  M-E-A-T.  There's a real opportunity there for hungry folks with little fashion sense.  

So you're probably asking, what's with the crackers?  Tradition, I guess.  They definitely add a different flavor to the meat.  Maybe it's the combination of salt and soda.  But I'll admit, I really enjoyed eating a chunk of brisket on a crunchy cracker.  It's not something I'll repeat at my next backyard BBQ, but I'll will look forward to it next time I'm in Lockhart.

The trip to Kreuz was a trip back in time.  After my visit, I will never look at city BBQ the same way again.  The authenticity of Kreuz and its Lockhart competitors was well worth the visit.  After all, to paraphrase a famous anthropomorphic cartoon character, "If you are what you eat, you might as well eat the good stuff."