Snow’s BBQ
Lexington, TX 78947
Hours: Open Sat 8–noon, or until they sell out. Closed Sun–Fri.
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Texas Monthly rating: 5.00
TEXAS MONTHLY SAYS: A small wood-frame restaurant, open only on Saturdays and only from eight in the morning until whenever the meat runs out, usually around noon, Snow’s is remarkable not only for the quality of its ’cue—“outlandishly tender brisket, fall-apart-delicious chicken”—but for the unlikeliness of its story. The genius behind this meat is a petite, energetic woman named Tootsie Tomanetz, who’s been smoking since 1967, when she ran the pits at City Meat Market, in Giddings. She starts the meat smoking at midnight and wraps the brisket in butcher paper around six or seven. When asked why Snow’s wasn’t open more than one day a week, she said matter-of-factly: “There’s no market for it.”
BBQ SNOB SAYS: 2010: We ordered a few slices of brisket, then I asked for a chunk off the fatty end. We added a link and a hefty bit of the pork steak, and then we were ready to feed our growling stomachs. The fatty end of brisket was a perfect morsel of smoked goodness. I can’t say much more. The sausage proved smoky and moist, and heavy black pepper worked well with the beefiness of the link, which worked as a good counterpoint to the fatty pork steak.
2009: Brisket, ribs, sausage, and pork steak were on the menu today. The brisket was the stellar offering of the day (again), with its thick black crust and ample smoke line. The sausage (supplied by City Meat Market, in Giddings) had a coarse grind with a solid snap to the casing. The overall flavor was smokier than I’m accustomed to for sausage, but it was no less than delicious. The pork steak could have used more time on the smoker to render the tough strings of fat a little better. The dry ribs are what kept this joint from reaching six-star status. The red-colored meat was flavorful and smoky as expected, but the texture was tough, and the meat had the moisture sucked right out of it.
2008: At 8:05 there was already a line up the ramp into this tiny metal building. Everyone was anxious to sample the offerings from this newly fabled joint that was recently ranked number one in the latest barbecue review from TEXAS MONTHLY. The brisket bordered on perfect—the smoke line was thick, the meat was lean and tender, and the smoke flavor was incredible.
