Leave a Comment
15 comments
Sunday, September 25th, 2011, 6:48 am
J Gonzales says:
I finally made the trip out to Lexington with my buddy, Tinch. Even after all of the buildup, I can tell you, the price was great, the meat was done right and the flavor was right on. I can say now that I am in definite agreement about a top 5 in Texas placement. Other people on this post need some help understanding bbq and the category of this rating. If you don’t like fat or grease, then ask for the dry cut and then, don’t comment on bbq, because try critics know the fat portions add to the flavor. This ranking is not about long lines or sandwiches or bbq sauces or flies flying around the tables. This is about the flavor of the meat. And with that being said...well worth the trip.
Saturday, May 21st, 2011, 10:59 pm
J Michael says:
For those of us who cannot make the trip, Snow’s is now shipping. I just received my third brisket which I treated my employees to today. Even vacuum sealed, frozen, thawed and re-heated, 10 out of 14 said that may have been the best ever(2 wanted bullseye bbq sauce so I should count those out). I can’t even imagine it fresh.
Sunday, December 12th, 2010, 12:15 pm
Fielden says:
Wow! Everyone is entitled to his opinion, but I have not seen such a concentration of wrong ones. There’s no crying in barbecue! I live eight hours from Lexington and we look forward to leaving at 11pm the night before just to get to Snow’s in time for breakfast. Arriving an hour before serving time, we enjoy coffee around the pits, visiting with Kerry, Tootsie and company, signing the guestbook and getting in line first. Heck, I’ve even let first-timers ahead of me in line before. That’s what Snow’s is all about. Because of newfound fame, Kerry had to figure out a way to cook and sell more meat in their Saturday-only way; at least he didn’t sell out like another "K" I could mention. When the 2008 list came out, Snow’s was, indeed, numero uno compared to all the others. Now I think Snow’s is merely in the Top 5 as pressure to maintain quality for all the top contenders proves that consistency is hard to achieve no matter how often the pits are fired. But Snow’s top ranking was well-deserved and I commend the staff at TM for eating outside the Locks so that the world could find this hidden gem.
Friday, September 10th, 2010, 12:33 pm
Brad says:
All these opinions are great, in spite of all the differences. The one thing holds true, each of us holds our favorite brisket, ribs, sausage, whatever, sacred. Each us can appreciate the time and skill that it takes to produce it. Whether you produce for hundreds each day, or just on Saturday for four hours, it still takes something special to put a product out for tasting that has your name on it. Gathering a few of your buddies around a pit, or cooking for a special occasion is great, but pressure takes effect when you start to sell the stuff, or you get out of your comfort zone and enter competitions, etc. I’ve eaten at three of the top five, and it was years ago, long before I really knew anything about smoked BBQ, or tried to produce it. My cousin graduated from Texas and when we were buying bulls for our ranches he took me throughout the hill country and so many good places. Cooper’s in Llano was a second line choice, but if you had ever gotten there for an early lunch on Saturday, and had the cabrito, you might have rated them higher. Honestly, the best and most interesting thing I have ever eaten..
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010, 10:26 pm
JD says:
Given that Tootsie learned her trade just down the road at the City Meat Market in Giddings, why not go to the master’s place and not to the apprentice’s?
And, yes, Franklin’s in Austin IS excellent. Only opened a few months, but off the charts good.
Sunday, April 11th, 2010, 9:58 pm
MP4EVER25 says:
Some of you were so gracious to give your opinions of better BBQ establishments, but Larry and Jim, how about you offer the readers something more than just a play-by-play of your bad experience... What is better than Snows, and why? and Charles, I don’t know anyone who’d drive all the way out to Lexington, buy a sandwich, and then throw it out without trying. Sounds foolish.
My pick? Franklin’s BBQ, smack dab in the middle of Austin. Best brisket bar-none, and yes I have been to Kruetz’s, Smitty’s etc.
Thursday, November 5th, 2009, 8:55 am
Larry says:
My wife and I did a road trip from Snow’s, to Louie Mueller, to Southside, to Smitty’s, to Kreuz, and finally Blacks. Snow’s ended up in second place on this trip (Smitty’s took first) and here’s why: Their brisket was similar in texture to a pot roast and the flavor had very little smokiness to it. Did the brisket fall apart, yes, but not in a good way. Don’t get me wrong, it was still good, but the best? No, not the best. Their sausage was very good though. It’s very country style, similar to how my dad and I make our link sausage and it had good texture, i.e. it wasn’t mushy and didn’t disintegrate when cut. The sauce was very good (if you like sauce) but the sides where boring and bland. There are much better places in Texas, than to struggle to make it to this little place in the middle of nowhere, before they sell out. Something tells me though, the more people that make the trip, the less people that will be going back for seconds.
Monday, November 2nd, 2009, 3:34 pm
jim washburn says:
I find it amazing that you would call Snows the best in Texas. I’ve eaten BBQ for more than 70 years now and Snows is not the best by a long shot.
We read the article and made the trip early one Saturday and had to wait for the placed to open. We wandered in and placed our order in a small crowd who had, I guess, all showed up at the same time, seconds before us.
We looked forward to what you call the best in Texas but we found the place greasy and dirty. There was food on the table that had been left from when Texas Monthly visited the first time, several months prior to our visit.
But, when we chomped down on the brisket, we both looked at each other with our expression of "What are we doing here?" I was thinking that we had missed the right spot and found a look alike, but we asked and the person behind the counter proudly said that they were the best.
I’m not in the habit of telling folks that they lie, but anyone who says that Snows is the best in Texas is telling a lie, or, they have never been any place else.
Friday, September 11th, 2009, 4:54 pm
Michael says:
i guess 6 people out of the thousands that have been there since the TM article is not bad. I live in Dallas and have made the trip 4 times since a good friend turned me on to this place. I have traveled all over the world and have never had bbq this good and it has been each time i have been there. I have also been to 3 of the other top 5 numerous times and they have been a far fetch from being as consistant as Snow’s. Sorry for you bad experience, But mine has only been wonderful each time. Michael
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009, 5:32 pm
Kenny K says:
Haven’t eaten at Snow’s, don’t think I can make it to Lexington from where I live (FW) before they close on Saturday. I can’t understand how the TM judges picked a joint only open around six hours in one week. Where is the logic in that.
Here is the point - the BBQ at Snow’s may be the best in Texas as TM says. Great. But I believe I and many other BBQ smokers in Tx can do brisket, ribs, ect... to perfection once a week on a Saturday morning. I don’t need to drive to the Snow’s for that.
What Mueller’s, Smitty’s, City Market and other weekely joints stand for is a consistent product, week in and week out, year after year. BBQ is an imperfect meat rendered great by the people who cook it on a consistent basis (not Saturday morning like me). Believe me, its’ easier to screw BBQ up that get it just right, particulary brisket - the benchmark of BBQ in Tx. I’ve probably eaten at the three above establishments over 30 times and can only remember a poor plate of BBQ once or twice. That daily consistency deserves the recognition, not the Saturday morning cook.
Thanks,
Kenny K
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009, 3:39 pm
Cocklover says:
To the above posters,
When you initially read the review in Dallas Voice that exlaimed the virtues of smoked hot meat. Your mouths salivated in eager anticipation. So much so that you were willing to drive several hours to try it for yourself. Only to be dissapointed to find out that it wasnt actually that you would be filling your mouths with. Sorry you were dissapinted.
Cheers.
Saturday, February 21st, 2009, 8:55 pm
Bruno says:
We gave it a try this past Saturday after hearing rave reviews. Not the best in Texas by any stretch. Very dissapointed with the pound of brisket that I had bought to take home. I had more fat than meat. They didn’t even try to trim it. That in itself sealed the deal for me. Won’t bother to go again. Circle S BBQ in Cameron should have been in this race. Much better!
Saturday, January 10th, 2009, 4:57 pm
charles says:
I'm afraid the critic needs more training. My wife and I took one look at our sandwich and wrapped them up and threw them away without taking a bite.
Monday, October 6th, 2008, 8:02 pm
Jon says:
I echo the comments above, except there was no waiting in line on 10/4/08. I fear fame has impacted Snow's product (as it also has Lillian's Casstevens). I had both the brisket and ribs and both were lackluster. The brisket was fall-apart dry and a little rubbery. The ribs were just boring and not very meaty. I agree with the review that the sauce was good, but I wished I hadn't needed it.
Of the Top 5, I say the Lockhart twins and Mueller's in Taylor were the standouts. Smitty's and Kreuz' profoundly changed my ideas about BBQ.
Of course, the best part of visiting the Top 5 was the company of the friends who went exploring with me.
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008, 1:03 pm
Gary Scism says:
Ok so me and my father love bar b q we eat it about 4 times a week we have been everywhere luling, lockhart, robstown, we live near belton i was pit master for 3 years at schoepfs so i know a little about bar b q we drove last weekend to try the "best In texas" waited a hour in line got everything on the menu and i was not impressed at all the brisket was not done and rubbery the sausage dried out and the pork was awful the sauce was great i could taste charcoal not wood i think louie muellers is better and luling is far better and joe cottons in robstown which is barely mentioned in the article is the best in texas i was very disappointed i will never go back to snows a waste of 3 1/2 hrs.
My Library
