CENTRAL TEXAS: IN PURSUIT OF FOOD AND A COUPLE OF ODDITIES

October-November, 2018

3 things we noticed about food in Austin.  There are literally thousands of food trucks and food truck corrals all around town offering every kind of cuisine you could desire or imagine pretty much 24/7, from breakfast through late night after the honky-tonk-need- some-grease-to-sober-up grub.  Secondly kolaches are a finger food trend that could sweep the country if anyone had a little chutzpah (Shark Tank anyone?).  Thirdly, tacos are the norm and insidious; everyone has their favorite taqueria.

Lockhart has been declared by the Texas legislature the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” and for now it suffices to know that we accepted the mission to pay homage to the town with our appetites.  There’ll be more on this and on the holy throne of brisket a little later.  But there’s a couple of oddities near Lockhart that we just couldn’t resist.

Palmetto State Park is in Gonzales, Texas, just a bit southeast of Lockhart.  Any guesses how the park got its name?  Yeah, it’s because of the palmetto palm.  But the problem is that the palmetto palm is a tropical plant and the Park is at best and for only part of the year semi-tropical.  The geography and environment outside of the Park is arid for 6 months (late spring through early fall), but the Park is notable for its swampy and varied watery environments, which is more typical of lands to the east in Georgia and Florida not Central Texas.  Oddity #1, right?  No matter, we had a great time hiking through the Park.

On a lonely stretch of Highway 71 between Lockhart and Austin is the Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company, and on a corner of the property facing the highway is Ms. Pearl.  Not only is she the world’s largest squirrel statue (standing 14 feet tall), but she clutches a pecan bigger than your head in her hand.  Atlas Obscura’s description was just enough to peak our interest, and, of course, we had to visit the store and sample their plentiful pecan variations.  Delicious, certainly oddity #2!

We decided one morning that it was time to see what all the food truck fuss was about and breakfast tacos would be our initiation.  Barbara did our homework and planned out our stops.  3 taco food trucks later we were no longer rookies, and we came to appreciate how absolutely delicious eggs and edible things freshly made and stuffed into a tortilla can be.  Our favorite breakfast taco was migas, a mixing of eggs and potato and cheese and crispy tortilla strips scrambled together.  When in Austin, Veracruz All Natural Food Truck on East Cesar Chavez is highly recommended.  Lots of recipes out there if you’d like, but Brian’s made migas using one of Marcus Samuelson’s recipes.  There were 2 food trucks parked at our last stop, and after getting our taco we noticed that the other truck was called Gourdough’s Big. Fat. Donuts.  It was like a siren’s call after the savory breakfast we had enjoyed.  These are no ordinary donuts.  Each is made fresh and each is the size of a small hubcap.  We shared the original which is a doughnut rolled in cinnamon sugar and served hot with honey butter.  Worth every calorie.

Kolaches are an iconic foodstuff in Central Texas, and they are based on historical Czech pastries.  Brian had always thought that kolaches were sweet pastries usually with a healthy serving of fruit jam nestled in the center.  Not just so in Texas.  There are the sweet kolaches, but the Central Texas version includes savory meats, meats and cheese, sausages, and breakfast combinations.  When we pulled up to the Kolache Factory there was a squad car in the parking lot.  Guess for the Austin police force it’s the equivalent of a donut shop anywhere else?

Taquerias are everywhere – restaurants and food trucks, sit down or delivery – and everyone has their favorite.  But don’t expect anything other than tasty fillings wrapped in your choice of corn or flour tortilla.  Salsa and/or hot sauce to taste, add some fresh chips and queso, and a tasty beverage and that’s pretty much it.  Hard for us looking for Tex-Mex platters with tacos, beans and rice to quite get our heads around until the first bite.  Thanks to nephew Jon and Lucy for introducing us to Torchy’s and Pueblo Viejo.

Texas is the home of beef, and smoked brisket is king.  Yeah – nearly everyone in the State does some version of smoked pork ribs, turkey breast and maybe pork/beef sausage, but pulled pork isn’t that often on the menu, and don’t forget a slice or 3 of brisket or maybe just to change it up once in awhile, chow on a 2-pound beef rib.  And, as in Memphis, smoke is the only sauce required; asking for Carolina or KC or Chicago-style sauce is just met with a look that implies you might just have your dinner taken away.

There is a method to getting your meal at a Central Texas Barbecue joint.  First stop is in the room with the smoker.  The smoker is a long metal cabinet set with an open wood fire at one end.  Racks and racks of meat are inside the cabinet and a flue draws the warm smoke over the meat doing its magic.  No fancy rubs, just salt and pepper rubbed on before being placed in the smoker.  At 90 degrees to the smoking cabinet is the holding cabinet.  We bellied up to the counter as the server placed pieces of butcher paper on the counter and asked “for here or to go?” and “what would you like?”  As we ordered meat the server relayed our order to the butcher who pulled the brisket (fatty or lean), beef shoulder, rack of ribs, turkey breast or sausage (original or jalapeno) from the holding cabinet and sliced it right there and then.  It gets immediately weighed since everything is by the pound, and then put on the butcher paper.  You have to decide if you want some good old-fashioned white bread or crackers with your meat.  Seems incongruous to me; so well and carefully-prepared meats and Wonder Bread on the same plate – oh well, when in Texas!  We paid for our meat and took our wrapped package into the dining room.  Then we had to belly up to the dining room counter and order our sides and beverage.

We enjoyed Texas Barbeque at Stubb’s in Austin when there for the Gospel Brunch, and in Lockhart at Smitty’s Market, Black’s Barbecue, and Kruez’s Market.  So here goes our review.  Stubb’s brisket is tender and soft and juicy, but the smoke ring was narrow and the smoke flavor not pronounced at all.

Smitty’s brisket is not as soft as Stubb’s, but the smoke ring is a good 1/4″ thick and the smoke flavor definitely present.  We tried the turkey, jalapeno sausage, and shoulder as well.  All good.

Black’s is the bomb.  Brisket and original sausage with a smoke ring holding the ticket to flavor town (thanks Guy Fieri).  Do not pass go, do not collect $200, just eat brisket and a beef rib at Black’s.  People stand in line for an hour or so at many barbeque joints all around Central Texas; at Black’s it’s worth it.

Kruetz’s was the first barbeque house in Lockhart.  Their brisket wasn’t too far off of the delight of Black’s, but their sausage was by far the best.  Along the way beans, slaw and corn muffins found their way into our bellies, but plain and simple, it was time for meat sweats.

And with that we bid goodbye to Central Texas…hell of a time!

Barbara and Brian