More evidence that Lockhart has lost its barbecue magic

Smitty's Market oak wood pile & the Caldwell County courthouse. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

On our way back to Dallas from our recent Houston-area barbecue tour, all 6 Posse members on the trip listed their top 5 joints in the state, in no particular order.

Specific criteria probably varied from person to person, but these would be places we'd drive across the state to eat at or recommend to good friends that they do the same.

Since then, we've been asked to run each person's top 5. Those lists are below.

Three joints mentioned by each of us: Killen's Barbecue in Houston, Pecan Lodge in Dallas and la Barbecue in Austin. Only 3 of us listed Franklin Barbecue in Austin, generally considered the best joint in the state.

Others receiving at least one mention: Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Miller's Smokehouse in Belton and Snow's BBQ in Lexington.

Reviewing the lists now, a bigger revelation than the lack of unanimity for Franklin, is the total absence of any joint in Lockhart. Five years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. Then, Smitty's, Black's and Kreuz Market demanded a pilgrimage.

That's more evidence that Lockhart is no longer the barbecue capital of Texas.

Indeed, Lockhart is no longer the BBQ capital of Texas, and other things we learned from the Posse's Best of Texas Tour

A customer eats lunch at Stanley's Famous Pit Bar-B-Q in Tyler. (Photo ©Daniel Goncalves)

A few things we think we learned from our recent Best of Texas BBQ Tour:

--In a post here a while back, we pondered whether Lockhart was losing its distinction as the BBQ capital of Texas. Upon more reflection, we're ready to say, yes, it definitely has lost the crown. With Franklin Barbecue and a host of start-up joints, we're declaring Austin the new capital. To us, Lockhart is going stale. In Texas barbecue, you can't take success for granted.

--Related to that, newcomers are making a huge impact. We first learned what great brisket was when we made our first trip to Snow's BBQ in Lexington in 2009. During our recent tour, Snow's finished third overall. It's not that Snow's has slipped. We'll eat brisket for breakfast there anytime. It's that a couple of young competitors, Franklin and Pecan Lodge in Dallas, have caught up and edged ahead. That's what competition is about.

--Judging only the three basic meats of Texas barbecue -- brisket, pork ribs and sausage --  really focuses the evaluation process. Before, we would give a place an overall qualitative rating based on the food and atmosphere. Having average sausage or ribs didn't really hurt if the place had another great dish or great atmosphere. On this tour, though, one low-scoring meat torpedoed any chance of a strong finish.

--We're more adamant than ever that real Texas barbecue is cooked with real wood. The state doesn't need a Truth in BBQ law. But the public should be aware which joints are cooking with the real thing.