Black's Barbecue Review

We visited with my parents and nieces today and decided to try Black's Barbecue in Lockhart. Black's is often listed on the "Best of Texas BBQ" lists and Lockhart is considered the BBQ capital of TX. Today was the first time we had ever eaten at Black's.

The restaurant itself is on one of the streets in old downtown Lockhart. We went early, so there was still a ton of parking, but I could see how during busy times parking might be a challenge. When you first walk in, you are funneled immediately into a line. You are given plates to choose your sides, of which there were a ton and told how the process works. Basically it is like most BBQ joints, each side has an individual price and you buy the meat by the pound.

This was James' first plate. He choose beans, potato salad, a pickle, and a jalapeno as his sides. The pork spare ribs were purchased by the pound and then split up between all of us. James loved the ribs. They were super tender and pulled off the bone very easily. My 3 and 2 year old nieces were able to eat the ribs because they were so tender. He also said the potato salad had good flavor and texture. The beans were awesome! I had some as well and I thought the flavor and texture were both exceptional.


Just thought I would give you a peek at the blissful look James had while eating. This look alternated with one of complete focus on the food.


Here's my plate. I opted for the chopped beef sandwich with Black's BBQ sauce (no pickles and no onions for me, but they usually are included on the sandwiches), macaroni and cheese, and beans. The sandwich was one of the best chopped beef sandwiches I have ever eaten. It did not drip grease or have a lot of fat in it and they gave a generous portion of meat in the bun. The sauce was a perfect complement to the meat. The one downer to the meal was the macaroni and cheese. It was bland and not hot at all. Even salt didn't help the flavor of the mac!



Here's how the meat was served. My dad and James choose to get three types of sausage (original, garlic, and jalapeno), pork spareribs (beef ribs and jumbo beef ribs were the other rib choices) and brisket. James liked all of the meat although he felt that the brisket was a little dry. As far as flavor went, he said that the meat had the perfect balance of spices and smoke.

Like most BBQ joints, the meal was fairly pricey, but the flavor more than made up for it. I wasn't around when my dad paid the bill, so I'm not sure what the total was. I know the sides were about $1.50 each, the ribs and brisket varied in price from $10.98-$11.98 a pound depending on the type, the sausages were $2.19 per link, and the chopped beef sandwiches were $3.89 each. The link at the top of the review will take you to Black's website where you can peruse the other choices and prices that they offer.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is much like all the other BBQ joints...long tables, sauce on the table, wood walls, concrete floors, etc. Everything was very clean though which was nice. Missing was the stink of the smoker because I think they do their smoking outside or in another building that is separated from the dining area - this was a definite plus for me.

We will definitely go back to Black's for another meal. I'll leave you with James' most memorable comment, "I think I have found my new favorite place to eat."