Texas barbeque started as German butchers running a meat market. Brisket was throw-away, so they smoked it and sold it to the migrant workers for lunch.
It was years ago, I was working for an attorney in Lockhart and we went to Smitty's Market for lunch. This was before food tv. You skinny up to the counter, order your meat by weight, buy a few jalapenos, a tomato and or onion, a glass of tea, and you're on your own from there. One of the oldest bbq stands in TX, run this way since 1900.
I had my pocket knife, and all around us were bankers and lawyers eating with their pocket knives. On the wall was a pulpit with a butcher knife on a chain. If you had to use the butcher knife to cut your meat, they knew you weren't from here.
Well, Smitty's Market has been on tv now, had to wonder if it was still the same. When I told my daughter about it, she was dying to eat with her pocket knife. So Monday, we went kayaking in the San Marcos River
and afterwards, made the 20-mile pilgrimage to Smitty's
Here's the beast - this meat is so good, they don't even have sauce - and don't need it
the pulpit is gone, replaced by a Blue Bell Ice Cream counter, and they've even added potato salad. They also hand out plastic knives for the tourists
but we don't need them
we're from here
