Central Texas BBQ Dynasties

The Schmidts

Kreuz Market

In Lockhart, 619 N. Colorado, 512/398-2361

Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm; Sat, 9am-6:30pm

Smitty's Market

In Lockhart, 208 S. Commerce, 512/398-9344

Daily, 7am-6pm

When longtime Lockhart barbecue master "Smitty" Schmidt of Kreuz Market died in 1989, he left the family business to his son and the building that housed it to his daughter. There's no way to know whether he had any inkling of what would transpire approximately 10 years after his death. Sibling rivalry ensued, and when differences couldn't be resolved, Rick Schmidt moved the original family meat market operation to a brand-new building while sister Nina Schmidt Sells opened Smitty's Market in the spruced-up old building. The story made statewide and national news in the mid-1990s, depicting a situation where the barbecue world as we knew it was coming to an end. Sides were definitely taken. Barbecue fans all over the country held their collective breath.

Several years down the road, the storm has blown over, and the news is all good. Lockhart, Texas, remains a very necessary destination on any list of world-class barbecue joints. The well-seasoned, unsauced meats at the relocated Kreuz's are as good as they ever were. With Nina's son, John Fullilove, at the helm, Smitty's also thrives, providing yet another Lockhart outlet to demonstrate the pit master's art. Be advised that these are truly meat markets where meats come on butcher paper with bread or crackers, no sauce, no sides. You'll smack your lips, lick your fingers, and look around for more.