A Weekend in Lockhart + The BBQ Capital of Texas I Hill Country Homestead
The Ellison House graciously hosted us, all opinions are my own.
When Texas Monthy rolled out ‘The List: The Top 50 Barbecue Joints’ - Lockhart, Texas managed to take TWO of those high profile spots. We stayed in the posh Ellison House this weekend as we tantalized our taste buds with some of the juiciest pit smoked meats and delectable sides this side of I-35. After trying both Black’s BBQ and Kreutz Market I can see why both made the top 50. Two award winning Texas BBQ joints in one little town? Yes please. If your looking for an authentically epic Texas road trip, here is the run down.
The Ellison House
The Ellison House is a boutique boarding house just minutes from Lockhart’s downtown historic district. With the Ellison being historic itself, it gives visitors an authentically bespoke experience. All four rooms are available for rent individually, or you can rent the entire house for larger parties. Each room boasts a luxurious king bed and a private bath. The main salon in the house is a shared space with a full kitchen for drinks, games, and gathering. There is a turntable with a curated selection of vinyl records to enjoy alone, or while entertaining, catering is also available. We were in town for a track meet, so the competition schedule kept us extra busy. Otherwise, I would have loved to try out the outdoor shower, and I would have spent a lot more time on the outdoor patio enjoying the vintage small-town feel of the historic house. I have more business to attend to at the Ellison House. We will definitely be regulars here.
Black’s BBQ
I list this Black’s BBQ first ONLY because we ate here first, it is by no means because it is superior to the latter. Both BBQ establishments were great in their own right. The service was fast, although this isn’t always the case. Most patrons can expect a line out the door on the weekends but totally worth it. We went through the line in mere seconds, we showed up at about 4pm on a Friday. The sides were amazing, I have never had a more tender and lean brisket and the atmosphere was eye catching and informative with tons of history lining the walls.
Kreutz Market
Kreutz Market is huge and I can’t imagine it here when the place is at capacity. I toured through with a baby on my back in a backpack and enjoyed the sights and smells. You walk right up to the humongous grills with fires blazing in underground pits and order the meat of your choice. I opted for sausages this round so that I didn’t have to turn this article into a biased post on who’s brisket was better. Once you check out with the meat, you move on to the dining room where you can order all the delicious sides and drinks and pull up to a table to enjoy your selections. You can look around for silverware, but you probably won’t find any. Part of the appeal, I suppose. If your lucky, you might snag a spoon for your Mac and cheese. The sausage packed major flavor, and the atmosphere was terrific.
I’m a big fan of visiting Texas cities with ample whitewater, natural rivers, or at least a place to swim. Lockhart doesn’t have any of these, but nearby San Marcos is about the clearest river water you can find in Texas, so it counts for Lockhart, in my opinion. With so many things to do in Lockhart, we weren’t able to get to it all, but these three things should be at the top of anybody’s list of things to do if you are west of Interstate 35 southbound in Texas. No better place to stay in the entire region than the Ellison House (believe me I looked) and the BBQ can’t be matched. Definitely going back soon, maybe I do need to figure out who’s brisket is better—all in a day's work.
