#51 - SNOW'S BBQ - Line Up for BBQ

On Nov 5, 2020, two weeks after I completed my Texas Monthly BBQ Passport, a tremor rolled through the barbecue community.  After almost eight months of shipping only, Snow's BBQ, the #1 BBQ joint in Texas, announced it was reopening.  

Lives were upended. Weddings cancelled. Plans changed. Bags packed. The BBQ line of the century was about to form.

Even though I had visited Snow's in late October, how could I say I had been to all 50 of the best BBQ joints in Texas without eating there?  I knew it would be a scene, so I began to plan out my trip.  There were a few things to consider: 

• There would be tremendous pent-up demand for Snow's among the rabid BBQ fanatics. 
• Snow's was featured in the first episode of Chef's Table on Netflix. 
• 
  Snow's opens one day a week at 8 am and when they're out of food they're done serving.
• People have been known to get in line and leave empty handed...even though Snow's smokes 1,500 lbs of brisket for their Saturday opening. 

The plan was simple.  Do what every beef-lovin' man would do.  Drive to Snow's to camp out overnight.  In a chair.  With a cooler full of beer.  

It was dark when I pulled into Lexington, TX, population 1,198.  9:30 pm on Friday, Nov. 13.  Snow's is located on a side street near downtown Lexington.  

I opened the bed of my Jeep, picked up the cooler and chair.  I tipped my hat to the line of imaginary cheering BBQ fans as the Conquering Hero headed to the front of the line.  As I set up, I saw brakelights from a vehicle parking down the road...another BBQ fan walked towards me.  

We introduced ourselves and I learned he had arrived at 9 pm.  With no one in line, he had been driving through Lexington to waste some time.  Oh well, I was first in line for about 30 seconds. And while Reese Bobby once told his son Ricky, "If you ain't first you're last," it didn't matter one bit because there was going to be plenty of BBQ for both of us.  

BBQ lines are the best lines because they're loaded with people who share a common love for great BBQ and are more than happy to talk about it.  We quickly bonded -- who wants to sit in a BBQ line for 10 1/2 hrs in silence?  

Clay Cowgill, one of Snow's pit masters, was the only other person on site, and he had been there for hours tending to the meat.  We struck up a conversation and shared a drink with him (us, beer.  Clay, Powerade).

It was a cool, peaceful night, sitting in my lawn chair, feet up on my cooler.  Down the road, we could hear music from Mom and Pop's Ice House, but the real party was at the Lexington Livestock Commission to the east of us.  An auction was scheduled Saturday morning, and the place was packed with cattle.  

"Moo," they said.  

"BBQ," I said.

By 11:30 pm, a friend of mine arrived, ready for his first BBQ trip.  A group of two arrived from Houston after him. The sound of mooing cows mixed with the snap of beer bottles opening and low conversation.  We popped more beers, swapped BBQ stories and made each other laugh to pass time. 

At 1:30 am, it was time for some real action.  Miss Tootsie Tomanetz, the 86-year-old Queen of Texas Barbecue and one of the most famous pit masters in the state, arrived and got to work.  All five of us jumped up, craning our necks to get the perfect picture of her enveloped in a haze of smoke.  

For the next several hours, she shoveled hot coals into the pits to maintain the perfect temperature,

and we watched her every move.  The scrape of the shovel on hot coals cut through the night.  Eventually, as the meat reached its peak temperature, Miss Tootsie and Clay began silently wrapping the briskets in foil. It was a highly entertaining low-key activity.     

As the hours passed by, more people slowly began to arrive.  By 2:30 am, we had become a group of nine (two others from Corpus, a dude and his girlfriend).  A trailer home pulled up and literally parked in line.  

At 3 am, the cattle party stopped and roosters began to crow.  A light rain began to fall. There's a point in the middle of the night when the brain gets tricked into thinking it's functioning.  Maybe it's the benefit of drinking and sitting in a chair.  Gradually everyone in our group fell asleep.  I managed to get in about 1/2 hour of sleep somewhere in the fog of 3 am to 6 am.   

As the sun came up, so did our spirits.  The line was stretching well down the road, having grown significantly during the wee hours of the morning.  Our little group of nine had become well over 200 people at least.  

Remember how I said that BBQ lines are unique?  Here's what I mean.  The owner of Snow's, Kerry Bexley, asked everyone to move the line off the road and wrap around the building.  We headed to the front door and the 200-plus people behind us politely followed, every person keeping their spot in line until the end gradually marched past us.  It was the equivalent of a giant game of Centipede.  

You could feel the buzz of excitement as 8 am approached.  When the door opened, we were allowed in three at a time (pandemic after all).  I ordered 2.5 lbs of moist brisket, 1/2 lb of ribs, 1 lb of turkey, 1 lb of jalapeno sausage, 1/2 lb regular sausage and 1 lb of pork steak.  Oh and 4 oz of potato salad, because, vegetables.  

We headed to the tables with our haul and watched Miss Tootsie tend the fire while we ate. I even managed to squeeze in a socially distanced selfie with her, which pretty much made my day.

The food at Snow's is complex in its simplicity.  It didn't matter what I tasted, every bite was the perfect marriage of salt, pepper, protein and smoke.  

The brisket was perfection, the definition of Texas BBQ.  The ribs were meaty, crusty, juicy and full of flavor.  The turkey was incredible, moist with the perfect amount of smoke and seasoning.  The jalapeno sausage was unlike any I have ever had.  It was perfectly packed and actually tasted like jalapeno.  After my first bite, the heat slowly built at the back of my throat and I powered through the choking tears. 

At 8:30 am, the day was young but we were done.  We wrapped up our leftovers, our group shared goodbyes and headed to our cars.  We learned that the line was the longest Snow's had ever had, and that no one had ever arrived the night before to wait for the BBQ joint to open.  Pit masters from other BBQ joints were in line behind us.  People had come from all over the world to dine at Snow's and be a part of history. 

Was it worth waiting 10.5 hours in line and sleeping 30 minutes to eat the best BBQ in Texas?  Absolutely.  The overnight anticipation coupled with the incredible meal were the ultimate Texas BBQ experience.  BTW I didn't order enough.  I should have doubled everything...it was that good!