“Most of the people that are working here right now are long-timers. I have two that have been here thirty years apiece and one who’s been here twenty-five. So, yeah, we have employees that are loyal. I started like in 1964. I guess when I was twelve, fourteen years old. Started out there in the parking lot hauling watermelons, and I decided it was kind of hard work. So, I came into the barbecue business and started cleaning out, cleaning tables—and then ended up running the place. I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of people come and go. But some of the customers that I started out with when I was younger are still coming. They haven’t forgotten about us. It’s just a great feeling to see them coming back to where they originally started eating barbecue.”
—Joe Capello, manager (From Republic of Barbecue: Stories Beyond the Brisket, a UT/SFA oral history project. Read more »)
City Market
Luling, TX 78648
Hours: Open Mon–Sat 7–6. Closed Sun.
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Texas Monthly rating: 5.00
TEXAS MONTHLY SAYS: 2007: Classic and ageless, this Spartan barbecue joint does just three things—make that four—but does them flawlessly. The brisket’s rub gives the outside some crunch, while the inside remains moist and plastic-fork-tender; sweetly glazed pork ribs melt in your mouth; mildly spiced beef sausage squirts juices when bitten; and the mysterious, dark orange sauce—thin, sweet, redolent of mustard and peppers—is like no other. Order meat in the smoky pit room; grab sides, condiments, and drinks at the front counter; and eat with boundless pleasure at long tables or booths. Beer.
2008: This is barbecue’s holy of holies: City Market’s dark pit room, located in a back corner of the main dining hall. Clouds of post oak incense have been rising from its five pits for more than fifty years, and the smoke envelops manager Joe Capello Sr. and his crew as they slice your order—a choice of brisket, ribs, sausage, nothing else—onto butcher paper. You pay at the blackened cash register, then take your place at one of the pine booths or tables. Your first bite of a generous rib is tender, salty, fall-off-the-bone succulent. The brisket, perfectly crispy yet moist, emanates an addictive woodsmoke flavor. And, oh, the homemade beef sausage! Epic. Coarse and juicy, it alone is worth the journey. You forgot about the sauce, but it’s in a glass bottle right in front of you. And when you get around to tasting it—a thin, orange-ish, deliciously mustardy concoction—the signs imploring you to “Please leave sauce bottles on tables” suddenly make sense. In fact, your yearnings now met, your hopes fulfilled—suddenly everything makes sense.
BBQ SNOB SAYS: 2011: Not much more can be said about how great the meats are here in Luling. The brisket was smoky, tender, and moist. The ribs had a bit of chewiness, but the flavor was perfect, and the links were juicy with plenty of black pepper kick to go with that beefiness. There’s a reason I go back to Luling whenever I’m within about an hour of it.
2009: Even though the brisket could have been more tender, it was as good as always—the smoke, flavor, and moistness spot on. The fatty beef sausage also gave a strong showing, but the no-so-moist ribs had been basted too soon before slicing, and we could detect a layer of unrendered fat.
2008: Not to be confused with “Luling City Market” in Houston, this place goes only by “City Market,” and it’s one of a kind. The ribs were large and meaty with a beautiful crust from the rub that had a touch of black pepper. The fat was well rendered, and the flavor proved smoky and delicious. The brisket, however, was only nearly perfect. There was a great crust with salt and pepper, the smoke line was generous, the flavor smoky, and the fat well rendered, but the meat could have been more tender.
