GSRT - A SXSW Road Trip To Lockhart or "Meat or Bust!"

At Smitty's you start off by entering through the smoke room. In fact, it seems like the whole place (minus the dining area) is a smoke room.

Imagine hanging out in hell's antechamber, but instead of waiting to see which demon tortures you, you're waiting to see how much succulent fatty brisket, snapping hot rings and ribs your party of 9 can reasonably eat before heath officials are called in. Meat at Smitty's is ordered by the pound, so it's best to go with a regular, otherwise you run the risk of either having to go back and order more (not the worst result, of course) or of having leftovers. Again, not so bad. Then the show starts. Once you choose your meat one of the helpful and, erm, seasoned men behind the counter chops, slices, weighs out your bounty of bovine, your superfluity of swine, your mound of meat, basically:

Then you pay and the whole thing is wrapped up in butcher paper and the counter man hands you your bread (white) and crackers (saltines... For the sausage, dummy!) and you move into the more brightly lit, less "ring of fire"-like dining area. The "drop it and you're a dead man" meat mover:

There you spread out your bounty on long tables and chow down. Sides and drinks are ordered in the dining room. Shiner for some and the orange soda got raves. Oh yeah. No forks. Seriously. It's hands and plastic knives, just like our ancestors.

It's safe to say that soup to nuts, this was one of the top 10 eating experiences of my life. It scored high on the "uniqueness" scale (see pix. Duh.) and as far as the actual food goes, well, I am on record as preferring pork to beef in general, but this was an astonishing meal. Fatty brisket, sausage, ribs and some prime rig to top it off. The meat is served dry, as is tradition in this part of Texas, but there are options for saucing your mean if you must but really, it doesn't need it. The meat was all so favorful that all one needs do it slap some briket on a slice of white bread and chowdown. I wish I had some of that sausage right now, too....

And for dessert? Blue Bell ice cream, often called the best in the country. As someone who doesn't eat a lot of ice cream, I can't say, but it was damn tasty mint chip and at 2 scoops on a waffle or sugar cone for $1, what's not to like?

Clearly, dinner was warm water and a leaf of lettuce, but as for lunch...well, it's an extraordinary experience and if you ever find yourself within 120 miles of Lockhart, TX do yourself and your taste buds a favor and head for Smitty's Market.

MOre pix can be found on my Flickr stream, here.