Sausage, brisket & pork ribs…oh my! A few friends and I have embarked on a quest to compare barbecue from famous Central Texas joints. We’d visited JMueller BBQ several times, and in between wrestling for the last beef short rib, an idea was born: midweek lunchtime BBQ every few weeks. ‘Cuestravaganza hit the road on a Tuesday, to Lockhart, for an early lunch at Kreuz Market. A perfect time and day to visit, it seems, as there was no line when we arrived.
We were handed a few rectangles of butcher paper by the counterwoman, who said “here’s yer plates” as she passed them over. No forks to be had here, folks. You’ll eat with your fingers, and you will love it. There are knives, and spoons for the sides (German potato salad, sauerkraut and beans). You have an option of bread and/or crackers with your meats, and pickles, onion, avocado, cheese and a few other items are also sold at Kreuz’s. Our group had agreed upon sausage, brisket and pork ribs for these barbecue adventures, reasoning that those are most commonly found at all meat houses.
The brisket was drier than I prefer, even though we’d asked for a fatty cut. The taste was absolutely delicious, smoky yet not obscuring the flavor of the beef, with amazing burnt ends, where the meat is fairly caramelized on the surface. Kreuz has a no sauce policy, but I couldn’t help wishing for a little more moisture for the brisket.
Sausage is not my favorite meat. I dislike the general greasiness of most sausage, but Kreuz serves up a juicy product with a nice spark of pepper in the seasoning. I devoured a link before I even thought about grease. The skin had a nice pop when you bit into the link, for which I give them extra points.
The pork ribs were heavenly. When I die and go to carnivore heaven, I’m certain these tender, meaty, flavorful beauties will be on a platter waiting for me. I’ll go back for the pork ribs, for sure. I’d like to try their housemade weiners and the pork chop, too.
