Black's Barbecue Lockhart

Black's Barbecue in Lockhart started in 1932 as a meat market and small grocery, during the Great Depression, when cattle rancher Edgar Black moved his family and their cattle to Central Texas. At the suggestion of his son Edgar, the family added a few dining tables in the middle of the small shop, and that was the beginning of Black's Barbecue.

Texas barbecue the traditional way

The kitchen follows the Central Texas script. Brisket is hand-trimmed, seasoned with a dry rub, smoked with oak, cooked without barbecue sauce and sliced to order. Beef ribs and sausages come out on butcher paper, and the pit at the Lockhart location was built in 1949 and can smoke up to 500 pounds of meat at a time. Third-generation pit master Kent Black has his own method for smoking brisket.

Sides and sweets

The restaurant serves a large selection of sides and homemade peach cobbler. The meat is served on butcher paper in the Central Texas tradition.

A family business across generations

Black's is described as the oldest barbecue restaurant company in Texas owned by one family and has been open every year since 1932. The company has four locations: Lockhart, San Marcos, Austin and New Braunfels. Lockhart is the original, a town that calls itself the barbecue capital of Texas, and Black's is one of its long-standing stops.

Common Questions

What are the hours?
Typically Sunday to Thursday 10 AM to 8 PM and Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 8:30 PM. Call (512) 398-2712 to confirm.

When did Black's open?
1932, as a meat market and grocery.

Is the brisket served with sauce?
The brisket is cooked without barbecue sauce, in the traditional Texas style, and sliced to order.

What dessert is there?
Homemade peach cobbler.

Are there other locations?
Yes, in San Marcos, Austin and New Braunfels.