7/13/13 10:00am - With wife and kids out of town, finally got my chance to head to Lexington, Tx. Â Snow's did not disappoint, what a great venue for Texas Barbecue! Â They made Texas Monthly top 4 in 2013 and were voted No.1 in Texas Monthly 2008.
I scored Snow's a 93 out of 100. Â Grand Champion Texas Barbecue without a doubt.
Smoke: Â Post oak. Â Several large steel barrel and box smoke monsters. Â Looks like a rail yard with steam engines spewing out blue smoke. Â Very primal.
Brisket: Â Excellent. Â An impressive 5/16in deep red smoke ring beneath fat cap and deep brown bark. Â Absolute perfect tenderness. Â The slice holds up until pressure applied by fork and then it falls apart. Â How do they do it? Â It got a perfect score. Â Solid smoke flavor infused meat and rendered fat. Â A subtle salt rub takes the flavor over the top and satisfaction for distance traveled. Â No sauce needed at all.
Ribs: Â Excellent. Â A thin spare rib smoke to near tenderness perfection. Â A clean bite, clean bone with crusty bark at the ends. Â Rosy red through and through. Â Flavor was smokey salt pork with salt and black pepper rub with some good peppery aftertaste. Â No sauce needed at all.
Sausage: Â Very good. Medium packed beef central Texas style link with mild traditional spice and mild aftertaste. Â This link was a little dry and had nice smoke ring. Â No sauce needed but it help overcome the dryness.
Sauce: Â Very Good. Â A tangy vinegar tomato based sauce darken with drippings and maybe a little molasses. Â No sugar or sweetness, just tangy. Â Had a subtle lemon flavor. Â It gave everything that special flavor boost. Â If you have to have sauce with your bbq, then you are in luck. Â You will dip every bite in this stuff.
PS: Â Part of the whole Snow's experience is its small town setting. Â First of all, the staff is so friendly and happy to serve you (maybe its the one day a week schedule). Â I witnessed Ms. Tootsie take half a dozen pictures with patrons. Â There is outdoor seating next to the pits that the staff is more than happy to let patrons take a peek inside the smoke monsters. Â I asked Kerry the owner for a container for my sauce and he scrambled to find a Gerber baby jar and filled it straight from the pot. Â You couldn't find a happy bunch at a church picnic. Â Next is its proximity to a livestock yard two block south. Â While I was standing in line I watch trailer after trailer of steers heading to auction and couldn't help but smile knowing that for some Snow's was the end of the line.
BBQ for breakfast? yes, please. and the odds are, if you order the three-meat plate, you'll be eating it for dinner too, because it's SO MUCH FOOD. the ribs were exceptional, and the brisket was really good too. next time i would skip the sausage and get turkey, which i did not get to try on this visit. totally worth the trip.
the ambiance was enhanced by the mooing cows from the cattle lot down the road.
2013 - Â 4th of July long distance catering via Snows(upsate NY). Brisket, sausage were excellent. Â Nice balance of seasoning. Amazing how well the product maintains its integrity even after freezing/reheating process. Couldn't tell the difference if it had come come right off pit or out of the oven. Â Fantastic! Great eats.
Review Source:If I've learned one thing, fame ruins a lot of places, produces many haters. {Check reviews, e.g., of places before/after being on DD&D.} Snow's has somehow avoided that. Kudos to them for that alone. Great brisket. Â Good service. Worth a four hour drive, and 2 AM wake up call; not sure I would do it every weekend, but worth it once in a while to support a Texas legend. Keep on, keepin' on, Snow's.
Review Source:Guess I may as well start the second hundred Snow's BBQ reviews...
As I parked in front of Snow's BBQ on a drizzly May Saturday morning, betwixt BMWs, Lexii, minivans, and Honda Civics, it occurs to me that good BBQ is the great equalizer. Â If you smoke it, they will come. Â Well, except vegans. Â But those people are weird anyway, amirite?
Two weeks before, I had been driving through Lexington from Austin, right near Snow's opening time of 8am. Â I remembered the buzz of this smokey wonderland. Â But, alas, my wife was not as cool as you'd think with being late to my stepson's 9am A&M graduation, just to have a little brisket. Â Sometimes she just doesn't get me...
My insomnia on a holiday weekend, and my angelically snoozing wife, led me to jump in the car on a drizzly morning. Â I fired up the One Direction (editors note: remember to replace with cooler band name), and headed the hour east to Lexington. Â I turned onto Main Street, and saw the tiny building on the horizon, with a little puff of smoke emerging behind it. Â Do you remember that scene in the 1977 sequel "Bad News Bears in Breaking Training", as they drove into Houston? Â The Astrodome came slowly into view, with the low notes of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" building into a slow anticipatory crescendo... Â
You do? Â You're old.
No line at 9:15, but it did build up a bit by the time I left. Â The ladies that work the line are friendly and efficient. Â One surprised a customer when she correctly asked "You're from Rockdale, right?". Â And, they do take plastic.
Outside, I watched Kerry pull one of the briskets off the main smoker, when some of the liquid poured out and scalded him pretty bad. Â He said "See this mark here, and this other burn here, and this one up here from last week, and this other from the week before?" Â That's a man dedicated to his craft. Â When I started asking "Hey, is it ok if.." three folks said at once to "come on around", and I got the grand tour from Ms. Tootsie herself, as spry and cheerful as I could ever hope to be at her age... of 29, I believe. Â She showed me the box where the wood is initially started and then moved to the various places as needed to maintain the perfect temp. Â She showed me the rows of half-chickens, explaining how they move, row by row, across the grill based on doneness and proximity to the heat. Â I saw the sausage rack, and the ribs with their own large flat rack, billowing with smoke as she went to check on them.
Then I saw the big kahuna: the brisket smoker. Â It's three racks high, loaded with dozens of foil-wrapped goodness, waiting to be shared. Â There are plenty of pics of it, and it is very impressive to an amateur smoker like me. Â
Then she pulled me aside and said "Look here...". Â There was a nondescript junior version of the smoker. This was the original smoker, hand-built by Kerry, where, in the five years BTM (Before Texas Monthly), they made the "eight or so briskets per week" necessary to appease a sleepy little town of 1,100 until they sold out after a few hours each Saturday. Â And now, in the year 5 ATM, they start the fires well before the 3am they used to. Â But it still works here in this BBQ Mecca.
Oh. Â The food.
I grabbed two pounds of uncut brisket (only a rookie gets it sliced if you aren't eating it right away), a four-pack of potato salad, and a large cup of the gratis pinto beans. Â Plus a couple pork ribs just to try, and two slices to eat then and there, along with the requisite white bread, pickles, and sliced onions. The brisket is obviously the star attraction. Â If you come here and don't get the brisket, I'm not even sure I want to read your review. Â Any of them. Â That is what they are known for, and for good reason. Â We tried it with their sauce (packed for us in a Diet Dr. Pepper bottle), and two other sauces we had at home, and decided: Â Either way was awesome. Â My wife also commented that "since the beans are free, they're probably not any good..." Â She was wrong (and admitted so, after she tried them).
Snow's... You're doing it right.
Now it's time to end this review, because I have some leftover brisket that needs some attention...
Tried Snow's this morning and it was fantastic. The brisket was nice and smoky and very tender. I really liked the simplicity that really seems to be difficult to master. I also had the jalapeño sausage and pork ribs. Both were overcooked in my opinion. I like my pork ribs to have a nice pink hue, but these were brown all the way through. The redeeming part was that the bark was so full of flavor, it almost didn't matter....they were really good. The sausage has a good slightly spicy flavor and a great snap. If it was just a tad fresher / less well done, I think it'd be better. With that said, I've been trying quite a few BBQ places and Snow's definitely has earned their top tier title as some of the best Texas has to offer. Good stuff! You won't regret stopping by.
Review Source:Proof that sometimes Texas Monthly knows what it's talking about. As someone who grew up on Cooper's, my standards are high; but this was hands down, some of the most delicious, tender, juicy, well prepared barbecue I've ever had.
I went with two other guys, we got a pound of brisket, a pound of ribs, two chicken halves and a pound of sausage for under 50 dollars.
THE BRISKET. Seriously, melts in your mouth. To put this between two pieces of bread with some sauce is to do it and yourself a disservice.
Also, we'd heard the horror stories about the lines and the wait and getting there only to be sent away without any food, but when we got there around 9, it wasnt that crowded at all. In fact, throughout the hour that we sat there gorging ourselves on brisket and ribs, the closest it got to crowded was when a group of ten showed up.
If you're 1, 2, or 6 hours away from Lexington, it doesn't matter. YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY THIS PLACE OUT. Plus, if you're lucky, Ms. Tootsie will stop by and talk to you.
I usually don't like brisket (meat fat makes my mouth feel gross) but the brisket here was The Business. We lucked out and didn't have to wait in line, but I would truly walk 500 miles and wait in a line 500 hours long to get more of it. Friendliest group of people I met all day, too.
Review Source:I was a little worried. I didn't realize until we were well on our way to Lexington (over an hour from our South Austin home) that Snow's is open only one day per week. I also didn't realize that it had been named best in the state by Texas Monthly. After the horror stories of Franklin's lines and meat outages, I was wondering if we were going to get any of this good stuff at all.
We arrived at 10:30 a.m. on a slightly overcast Saturday in April and there was no line to speak of. Not wanting to waste time on sides, we ordered a few slices of brisket (which was $10.95 a pound ... by comparison, it's $14.49 a pound at Louis Mueller in Taylor). It was moist, beautifully red along the smoke rings and perfectly dark and crispy on the bark. Even the fatty cut we got pretty much melted in my mouth. This is fatty brisket you can spread on a piece of toast, just like foie gras.
We also got sliced pork shoulder and turkey (both good) and a pork rib (very good). Add a small side of beans (no extra charge, serve yourself, like at Opie's in Spicewood) and we had a fantastic lunch for two for about $13.
This place may be BYOB. It was a little early for us to partake, but there are tables inside and outside and as long as it isn't too hot, it seems like a wonderful place to sit and enjoy some excellent meat.
Believe the hype, Snow's brisket is hands down the best in the state! There aren't many experiences I'd files under "religious", but this morning's visit to Snow's is one I'd consider.
The moment I walked up and took my place in line, people started talking to me. There was none of that 3 hour-hipster-silence (unless they're asking someone to pass them a beer, naturally) that I dealt with the morning I stood in line at Franklin's. The staff continued to shower me with the kindness I had received outside. One of Kerry Bexley's (owner) daughters saw that my hands were full and quickly came around the counter and put a side of beans on my tray.
The food...the brisket did not disappoint. While I generally prefer the fatty end, I took the lean slices that they served me and enjoyed every mouthful. Their sausage was equally as amazing. I wish I had ordered more. I tend to shy away from sausage as the greasiness of some tends to be a sucker punch to the stomach...not the case at Snow's.
Friendly patrons. Friendly staff. Friendly crew out in the pits. Snow's is one of the few places I'm proud to support. You can tell they care about the product they're serving...and possibly even more about the people they're serving it to.
Bravo, Snow's!
Snow's is always a real treat. UT Austin student here and I have been there 3 times over my college career. Just went again this past Saturday.
As you open the car door to get out, you can already taste the deliciousness of that Texas BBQ by the smell alone. We arrived at 9:30ish and luckily they didn't run out due to a freak college mob coming in from UT or A&M or elsewhere. There were only about 5 people in front of us. That might not sound bad compared to the line, say. at Franklin's or Black Friday, but the tantalizing, desirous aroma of perfectly smoked brisket, pork ribs, and other meaty goodness. When only 2-3 are in front of you, that's when you're directly in front of all that meat, huge slabs of ebony pieces of brisket. Then as you watch the lady slice the brisket, you just see the steam arise and the juices ooze. (I'm salivating like crazy right now as I type). I just go straight for the brisket, 1.5 pounds. Which is enough for the morning and for dinner later.
What's special, I think, about Snow's is that their BBQ just doesn't make you feel 'sick' of eating meat once you eat a LOT. Places like Fogo or Korean BBQ will make you regret it once you hit your limit. But Snow's, I've never hit that limit of "I regret that last piece". The only real limit (and regret) is that my stomach wasn't bigger so I can eat more. Snow's truly breaks the economic notion of diminishing margin utility!
THE brisket:
- 1 pound of brisket is only $10.95!!! Seriously. This is a steal.
- I have been to Kreuz and Smitty's in Lockhart, and NONE of their brisket beats Snow's. None.
- The moistness. My God. When I take my camera out to shoot shallow DOF pictures of it, delicious bokeh, literally.
- This is the only fat I would PAY for. Each slice has a bit of fat that simply makes brisket oh-so-good.
- LASTLY, you know what's better than Snow's brisket? The 'hard' burnt ends of Snow's brisket! Pure ambrosia. Burnt ends are the crux of Kansas City bbq and they have got that right!
Other specifics:
- Indoor seating is hard for big groups, they do have plenty of tables outside. During our recent visit, apparently a BBQ tour group came, so all outside tables were taken.
- They charge 50 cents for water. Trivial, but it's not mentioned anywhere. Just wanted to mention it/be comprehensive.
- The bread they give you could be better, but honestly, it's overshadowed by the great BBQ anyways.
- Snow's sausage is okay, not as legendary as their brisket. If you want good sausage, Smitty's (Lockhart, TX) has 'hot rings', which are the absolute best.
- Their bbq sauce is alright. Added to the brisket, it makes it a bit sweet and too much is overkill in my opinion. Just enjoy the natural smoked meat.
- Free beans, though you probably don't want to fill too much of your limited stomach real estate for plain beans, which are quite tasty.
Snow's is the place that can be described as a rite of passage for anyone proclaiming to love Texas BBQ. Without a fateful trip here, you are simply hoi polloi, a pleb, the great unwashed (untasted?). So grab your car keys, an Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits CD, and make the trek to taste the legend that is Snow's.
Best BBQ in Texas? Â No, best BBQ in the world! Â I was fortunate to eat here for breakfast as part of a daylong BBQ tour from PBS's The Daytripper. Â Our bus load arrived yesterday on Snow's 10-year anniversary. Â Located in the sleepy town of Lexington, its located in a tiny red shack. Â Hard to believe Texas Monthly voted them Best BBQ in 2008 beating out legends who had been around ten times longer than Snow's. Â We all gathered on the benches by the pits and ate all that we could. Â Knowing that I had to pace myself, started off breakfast with slices of brisket, ribs, and sausages. Â I wasn't going to go for sides initially, but Kerry the owner insisted I must try the potato salad so I relented. Â The ribs were moist, juicy, and oh-so-tasty! Â Sauce was not necessary. Â The sausages I believe has mixture of pork and beef. Â Very juicy, oily, and has the right amount of smokiness to it. Â The casing has a nice snap to it. Â The sausages went very well with the BBQ sauce on offer here. Â The brisket, oh my! Â Now I understood why Snow's earned its worthy title. Â It was the perfect brisket! Â Words like tender, moist, juicy, succulent, smoke ring, and godly could not adequately describe what it's truly like. Â But Kerry was right. Â Their brisket is so tender, you could cut it with your finger which I did lol! Â As good as their sauce is, it's a crime against humanity to eat their brisket with sauce. Â They had other meats for us to try (pork loin, turkey), but I was so hooked on their brisket, I didn't dare try anything else but brisket and ended up going for seconds and thirds (not good when you have 3 more restaurants to eat at on the itinerary). Â The potato salad by the way was remarkable! Â Had the right consistency and flavor. Â It was the best potato salad I've ever had and found out later what the secret ingredient was. Â Chet Garner, our host, got the kind owners to give us a tour of their pits. Â It was amazing to hear Kerry the owner speak about their humble beginnings and even now, they remain humble despite their newfound fame. Â Their pitboss, Ms. Tootsie, is incredible. Â Despite being in her 70s, she still has the remarkable dedication to keep doing this and it remains as a fun thing to do for them as they only open once a week every Saturday for a few hours. Â I think her mom who's in her 90s makes the potato salad. Â I know its a terrible cliche but love really is their secret ingredient. Â I can't wait to go back even though I know they can ship their meats.
Review Source:My son & I arrived here promptly at the opening time of  8:00A.M. last saturday morning , because other reviews had informed me they quickly run out of some foods & then close when it's all gone ! ATTENTION: This place is only open on Saturday !
My son loved the brisket, and he is usually hard to get much comment from, lol. I also had some brisket as part of a two meat plate order. The brisket is pretty darn good, moist and tender with a nice, subtle smoked flavor. My second meat was the pork ribs, and while they were very tasty and meaty, they could have used a bit more time on the grill because the meat had to be chewed off the bone. I expect great ribs to allow the meat to part from the bone with a gentle suction from the lips or a gentle "shake" of the rib bone itself. Too "picky" ? Sorry, I just love VERY tender rib meat !
Since it is unlikely that I will make the effort to arrive again at this remote location by 8:00 a.m. on a saturday morning to be sure to get what I want : I went ahead and also ordered a half pound of sausage that my son & I split. We both agreed that it was very tasty & juicy with good smoked flavor and a distinct "snap" to the casing. My 2 meat plate came with two tiny side portions of coleslaw & potato salad. The potato salad was forgettable, but I was surprised that I loved the coleslaw. I usually do not even bother tasting coleslaw, but was pleasantly surprised to find it sweet & fresh tasting !
There is a pot of complimentary pinto beans off to the side of the ordering station for all to enjoy, and they are tasty without a lot to mention about them. All the staff are extra friendly in this tiny little place with about six (?) tables to eat at indoors. This establishment is trading heavily on a Texas Monthly magazine proclamation that they "have the best BBQ in Texas" - but I beg to differ, lol. That quote is on the t-shirts they have available to purchase, as well as a few other "touristy" items in the gift/retail section of the store. (They ship WORLD-WIDE)
Either the owner is retired and only does this cooking as a hobby, or he is otherwise employed and only has time to pursue cooking BBQ on weekends, or has become independantly wealthy from his magazine article write-up ! lol. At any rate, unless Oprah Winfrey has blessed you with a mention on her program, I find it hard to believe that any business can be taken too seriously when they are only open on limited hours ONE DAY out of the week ! Maybe he makes enough to satisfy his family living situation by working one day a week or he has an oilwell in his back yard -who knows ? If you are travelling in the area, early on a saturday morning and get a craving for some good BBQ for breakfast, it is worth stopping in this place for sure !
SNOWWWWW'S! I don't know what to say that others have not already said. You are fantastic.
I visited on Saturday, December 22, their last open day of the year. I arrived at 10 am, stood in a relatively short line, bought my goods, and promptly devoured them. The jalapeño sausage was good, the pork ribs were great, and the brisket was melt-in-your-mouth OUTSTANDING. The sauce was tangy but, most importantly to good barbecue, not entirely necessary; the meat could definitely hold its own. Barbecue sides often don't get the attention they deserve, but I will say that their potato salad was scrumptious and the complimentary beans sure didn't hurt. By 11:30, Snow's was out of all their meat save for some brisket.
This stop is a bit out of my way, but it was without a question worth the drive.
A word of advice: Go with a small group. Skip the barbecue plates, and order your meats by the pound. Grab a pint of potato salad, a pint of coleslaw (if you're into that sort of thing), and a pint of free beans. Sit down, and enjoy the hell outta 'em. You won't regret it.
I came here on Saturday morning, I was really looking forward to it since I read good reviews about it.
At 8:30AM, we arrived and I ordered a Jalapeno Sausage and Ribs. I have to say I'm disappointed, the Jalapeno sausage is bit dry (2/5 stars), the ribs is good, but not great (3/5).
I'm not sure if it is just that day or I just got a bad batch? I really want to like the place, but I had better ribs at City Market in Luling.
Pumpkin' patchin' took us halfway there so we decided to go ahead and give Snows a try. Â I'm not a bbq snob nor would I call myself a connoisseur... but based on my expectations, my experiences elsewhere, and my palette, I'd give it 3.5 stars. Â
I don't think I'd eat the ribs again unless they were free and I was starving. Â The sausage and brisket were good. Â I'm not a hipster nor am I a member of a largely large male meetup group dedicated to Lockhart road trips... but I like Franklin better. Â It's just really really really ridiculously delicious.
Before you and your shiny-faced friends get your leather thongs in a knot and start writing me hateMALE, please consider my alternative suggestion for releasing your self-important angst... a 4-way cage match between you, the coffee snobs, wine guy, and politics talkers. Â Whomever walks out alive gets an audience with some guy named Cotton.
Do you like BBQ? Do you?? Then stop sitting around and go to Lexington right now. Well ok, maybe not right now, unless it happens to be Saturday morning. Snow's is only open 1 day a week till they run out. When you're this badass, you can pretty much do whatever you want. The pitmasters here are a little old lady and a guy who looks like he's straight outta the backwoods or something. The few times I've been here I've seen a few people take pictures with the guy. From what I've read the little old lady started Snow's, and trust me- she knows what she's doing.
The prices are very affordable and what you get is great. It's a toss up for me between Snow's brisket and Franklin BBQ for my pick for best brisket in all the land. Brisket is my favorite BBQ item, and here it is like butter that melts in your mouth. Their sauce is also magical and they put in in Ozarka bottles. The ribs, along with everything else is also top notch, so try it all if you can. Everything is so tender and juicy. They have a few tables inside and some outside, but I would definitely recommend sitting outside. There you get the entire feel for the restaurant. You feel like you're out in the country and you can watch as they pull the meat out of the pits. Just be careful of the flies and the wind outside. They also come by and pass out slices of watermelon frequently, which is a delightful surprise if you have never been.
Depending on which part of Austin you live in, the trip could take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half or more. It is definitely worth the trip though. You go for great food and get a wonderful experience too. If you are traveling from Austin to Houston, the trip to Lexington isn't too far out of the way.
Visiting Austin, never thought I would get up early on a Saturday and take a road trip to the middle of nowhere to eat BBQ before noon. Â To my surprise, it was really good and worth the drive!
Brisket was very tender and flavorful, the potato salad was good. Â I tried the sausage, I thought it was a little mealy and dry, but my friend loved it.
My husband is a Texan and has dragged me to all the top BBQ places and this is now one of my favorites.
You have to go just to check out the set up, they have the perfect BBQ area and the grounds are spotless, wood stacked perfectly and the lady that runs the pit is a hoot!
The day we came, the food network was there filming a new series, look out for it.
One weekend I had to work out here in Lexington, TX, home of Snow's BBQ, and in the middle of nowhere. So naturally I left  to go to work early to sample those fabled smoked meats, and they did not let me down.
Mouth-watering clouds of fragrant smoke billowing out of the ages-old black-crusted pits spoke to my soul like some ancient Chinese proverb. We had to try everything. Ribs, sausage, brisket, and jalapeño-garlic stuffed pork shoulder sang their savory love songs on my tongue with every tender bite. I finally reached BBQ zen.
God bless Texas!
It's 49 miles to Lexington, we got a full tank of gas, it's dark, we're wearing sunglasses and we're on a mission from God. Â Smoked meat is not my first, second or even tenth choice when someone says "what do you want to eat?" But this was Snow's and I married a BBQ Boy, so, off we went.
Snow's got it's name before the owner, Kerry, was even born. Â His parents kept asking his older brother if he wanted a little brother to play with to which he would reply, "I want a Snowman." Â As soon as Kerry entered the world, he was dubbed "Snow" and the nickname has followed him all his life. Â
Upon arrival, at 8:30 a.m. on the dot, we noticed there was no line. Â What The What? We were able to walk right in and place an order large enought for our entire neighborhood. Several ladies mentioned the pork shoulder and we almost left without it. Â After a taste that reminded me of the most exquisite pork belly I've ever eaten, we added a fat shoulder to our already oversize load.
Finally, we wandered out back to meet Kerry, Pit Master and Ms. Tootsie, Grill Queen, who has been selling and smoking meat for 47 years. Hershey was tending to the brisket and advised me on his foolproof method for keeping it moist and tender. Â It was fun to watch the pros in action.
A few parting words about the meat. The sausage, regular and jalapeno, is juicy and delicious with a wonderful homemade texture. Hershey's peppery, salty tender brisket melts in your mouth and the ribs are full of flavor. Â We snagged sides of cole slaw and potato salad, a recipe passed down for 100 years, and both were excellent. The sweet tangy "don't-leave-without-it" sauce comes in take home recycled plastic soda bottles.
I believe it is true what they say, when you kill a cow and start a fire, magic happens at Snow's.
This place was super hyped, and lived up to it. A friend and I drove here non-stop from St. Louis and arrived an hour before they opened (at 8am). You could smell the place blocks away. It is no frills, which is awesome. Small interior, crappy white bread and Styrofoam plates.
The food on the other hand is spectacular. The meat is so well cooked and so flavorful that it was easy to forget about the sides. The baked beans were bland in my opinion, but otherwise the sides were fine. Now back to the meat. The sausage was the best I've ever had and the brisket was up there. The brisket was almost too fatty so I cut off a bit towards the end.
Overall, it's really an experience to drive to the small town of Lexington, TX early on Saturday to get some amazing BBQ for breakfast. Highly recommended.
Snow's BBQ is Top 3 on my list of BBQ joints in Texas. Â They do most other meats pretty well, and their brisket very well...but, the reason I love Snow's so much is not because of their ability to smoke a bovine. Â It's actually because of THE OTHER WHITE MEAT.
*gasps
Yes people. Â Snow's barbecues......WILBER! Â I must say, Snow's totally opened my eyes to a completely new dimension of pork shoulder. Â I really can't say that I've had a better piece of pork in my life (Sorry Perry's!). Â Most pork dishes need complimentary content on the plate that helps the pork shine, but the pork at Snow's truly speaks for itself. Â I'm sure many are surprised that pork is even in the picture, but you have to try it to know that I only speak truth. Â
Brisket was great, but I don't want to talk about it, because I don't want to take away from the pork. Â It was THAT good. Â I will say that the sweet old lady cutting my brisket ONLY served pieces that she judged as being good quality. Â Everything else went into the scrap pile if it didn't meet her standards. Â Can you spell Q-U-A-L-I-T-Y?
Okay, back to the pork--I recall coming to Snow's with three other friends, but the pork was SO GOOD that I have since forgotten which friends I went with! Â Pork that is BRAINWASHING good. Â BTW, friends that went to Snow's with me...who are yooouuuu?
At the end of the day, just remember this: Â
At Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas.....Pigs fly.
Snow in Texas? Once every blue moon but for a little town called Lexington, it comes every Saturday bright and early at 8am. Â I thought my friend was snorting white powder when he wanted to get there at 8am on the dot. Â Lo and behold, when we arrived the line was already 10 persons deep. Â The majority of people brought coolers to store their chunks of meat to eat later in the day, because who eats barbecue for breakfast? Â This guy right here *points to self*.
You see the seasons change before your eyes as the baronesses of beef slice your brisket and pork shoulders with their mechanized knife. Â The moist fat glistens and juices seep out. Â Your lips quiver a little. Â This is nothing compared to the catharsis you experience as you take your first bite. Â Each cut has a perfectly seasoned crust and packs a punch of flavoring to knock all your teeth out. Â You don't really need your teeth because the brisket melts in your mouth. Â However, the star of the show belongs to the pig. Â Most of my experiences with pork has been dry and/or doused with sauce to mask the monotone swine. Â Snow's rises to the challenge and made me realize so many restaurants fail miserably at this. Â Is a succulent lining of blubber and savory too much to ask for?!
As Jon Snow of House Stark would say from Game of Thrones, BBQ is coming.
On Monday, I had a dream about eating the best tasting BBQ in my life. On Tuesday, stumbled upon the Texas Monthly article on Snow's BBQ. Are Dom Cobb and co. working for Snow's now?? Regardless, that idea that was planted in my mind grew into a virus and consumed me all week. I dragged my roommate up at 6:15 am (I did not sleep, was too eggcited) on Saturday and made the drive to Lexington, TX after chugging a 5 hr energy.
I try not to overhype things too much b/c I end up being disappointed but man, this stuff is good. Brisket, pork shoulder, and sausage - a real man's breakfast. Pork shoulder was very moist with a nice lining of fat around. The sausage was pretty good as well, but tasted MUCH better the night after for some reason. But its all about the brisket. A line of fat around each slice that was sinful. Every piece was perfectly moist throughout, with the right amount of seasoning; enough to accentuate the meat, not overpower it. You really don't need the sauce. This is a brisket of the gods, my Freuds. Is this reality or am I still dreaming??? I could care less; ignorance (and Snow's BBQ) is bliss.
I'm an agnostic.
I know, tangential. Â But, really, not. Â I kind of want to believe, but don't, Â Went to church for ages, mom taught Sunday school, the whole bit. Â But the closest I've ever come to believing, wholeheartedly and hosannas and all is on Saturdays. Â Longhorn football being akin to my church-- thousands of people united in a common belief, a union, a hope (maybe not last season). Â But even that communion needs an altar, and I'd nominate Snow's for that. Â Bread, sweet tea, smoke, meat. Â Spiritual. Â Except one doesn't need to wear scratchy wool pants or drink bad coffee in the courtyard.
And the brisket. Â I could write several sagas about the brisket, but I'm pretty sure it's as close to perfection as one might find. Â A coating of salt and pepper on the exterior a quarter inch thick, yielding to . . . bliss-- elemental notes of iron, fire, and smoke. Â And the sausage-- coarse, peppery, Texan. Â
Just go. Â Wake up God-awful early, drive to BFE, and thank someone that it's there.
Finally made it out to the famous Snow's BBQ.
Took the family yesterday, they didn't believe me that a BBQ place was out this far from Round Rock, it seemed like the middle of nowhere.
We had brisket, ribs and sausage.
Brisket - fatty brisket was excellent, very flavorful and melt in your mouth. Â Lean brisket was good, but the reviews are right, the way to order is fatty and I usually prefer lean but Smitty's and Snow's are two places where the fatty brisket is a completely different experience than the lean.
Sausage - was excellent, I am not a sausage person, but theirs was excellent with a great smoky flavor, I didn't see any greasiness like others have mentioned.
Ribs - this was the low point, I should have said something when they were being cut, but they were over cooked and parts were downright charred, it was unfortunate as their good parts were quite tasty but he a few other parts were too charred to eat.
Also, their pinto beans were excellent - a great recommendation from the uncle of the owner of this place that was sitting next to us.
The best brisket I've had in Texas, period. Encourage the mope in front of you to get his sliced off the lean end, so that you can get a healthy portion of fat cap for your order.
I can't very well explain it, but there's something different going on here, and it's a cut above the other places I've been (and enjoy).
One early Saturday morn, I made the trek thru the gorgeous countryside from Austin to Lexington -- to the Holy Grail of BBQ.
Man oh woman, am I delighted I made the peaceful trip!!
There by 945, no folks in line, ordered the brisket & ribs.
Went out to the back yard shed, with the pits & sat devouring all in sight.
This is truly a family business, as all the folks working were related.
(Guess what you will be doing every Sat morning, Tiffany)
A line soon formed. Â Folks from all over the region, happily regaling their favorite BBQ quests, as we shared tables.
The lady pit Master was jovial & talkative. Â She seemed to know nearly everyone there. Â Nice folks all round.
Make the nice Early drive to Lexington -- on an early Sat morning & order more for the road home.
Writing this now, makes me want to go again this Sat......Road Trip!!!!!
Hold onto your Texas rosary because I'm about to utter a sacrilege: I don't like brisket. Nope. It's boring. Always dry, compressed, needing barbecue sauce and something to wrap it in to mask the tragedy. It doesn't matter who cooks it or how long it's been smoked it or if that person is considered the damn brisket whisperer, it's never been anything but third choice for me.
Today I drove an hour and a half to Snows at some ungodly hour just to make sure that I could get some of their super famous brisket. And they were actually out by the time we got to the front of the line. We bemoaned our fate, chatting with the dudes in line, flirting as much as my leftover fake eyelashes would allow, and then settled for a sausage sandwich... which was fine. Good, okay, fine, whatever and some potato salad. They have the potato salad just right -- creamy, still crunchy, flavorful, picnic-sinful. And they have the right kind of pickles which is KEY to my bbq experience.
But then the Houston Motorcycle gods offered us some of theirs. Those guys were smart enough to call ahead for five pounds of the good stuff. They shared with us some of the tenderest, richest, finger licking, butcher paper licking, table licking good brisket. As far as I'm concerned, THAT is brisket. The rest is potted ham in comparison. Total bonus is that we got to sit with Charles, an 80 year old dynamo who still travels across Texas, trying new places, fixing up ranches and eating at Snow's when he gets the chance.
Coming here again reminded me of the worldly, gluttonous joy of being one of the members of the "I-enjoyed-BBQ-for-breakfast-on-a-Saturday" crowd.
Leaving Arlington at 5AM, we got to Snow's at 8:10, which we thought was 10 minutes after opening. Â After seeing about 20 people munching down with grins on their faces and 30 people in line, we figured they might have opened a smidgen earlier... should have left at 4AM!
The best part is watching people file in through the side door and walk out the front door to wrap around and eat in the back with a huge smile on their face. Â There is no possible way you can walk out of that front door without a grin and enough food to induce a meat coma.
The carnivorous parcels of joy gave me a reminder that BBQ is often very inconsistent. Â On this given Saturday--which is a bit redundant, as they are only open on Saturday--the pork was actually the worst of the bunch. Â Last time, the pork was easily the best thing...ever. Â This time it was more like a fatty excuse for pork tenderloin. Â This time, the brisket was as smoky as they come, with some hardcore fat dangling off. Â The ribs were solid, as they were last time. Â Once again, the chicken was amazing. Â And as expected, sausage was zippy, meaty, grainy, crumbly, oily, fatty, and all things Texas beef sausage.
Mission accomplished... II.
Had plans to meet a group of friends at Snow's. Â They were driving in from Austin and we were driving from Bastrop. Â It only took them an hour to get to Snow's and we were expecting it to take them 1.5 hours since that's what mapquest said, so by the time my husband and I got there, they were finishing their food.
We waited in line for less than 20 minutes, which I guess is a short wait for Snow's ... it was Lexington's homecoming at the time, which included a bbq cookoff, so perhaps less people were interested than usual. Â
Snow's was out of chicken and potato salad by the time we could order.  The lack of potato salad meant that plates were not available.  So my husband got some brisket and ribs, and I got a sliced beef sandwich and a sausage wrap.  We also ordered some brisket and ribs to-go to take back to my mom in Bastrop, and some iced tea to drink  Total was $38.00, kinda expensive!
We grabbed some free bread, pickles and beans, sat down with our friends, and started to eat. Â We had known that the brisket was fatty, because the employee that sliced it for us was saying that what they had was fattier than usual. Â She had sliced off some of the fat before weighing the meat, but much of it was still there. Â
I hate the texture of almost any fat, but I kept in mind the Texas A&M study about brisket fat being as beneficial as the fat in olive oil, and well, the fatty bits didn't taste as bad as most fat. Â The actual meat was quite good ... tender, salty, and smoky. Â I just never knew when I would get a whole mouthful of fat and have to try to inconspicuously deposit it into a napkin. Â
I think the sliced beef sandwich was a good deal because by weight the meat in the sandwich would have cost more than what I paid for the sandwich. Â My sausage wrap was actually two sausage wraps for the price of one. Â I liked the sausage ... the casing was a different texture from the inside (as it should be) but still not tough, and it was flavorful without being greasy. Â I took half home though to give to my mom ... I don't need to eat two sausage wraps and a brisket sandwich for brunch! Â The free beans were fine ... they tasted enough like meat to be interesting. Â The bbq sauce was okay, maybe a bit vinegary-y for me.
My husband liked his brisket, though he also remarked that it was more fatty than he would like (we aren't lean brisket fans by any means, but there are limits). Â He had no trouble finishing it though. Â He liked the ribs better, proclaiming that they tasted just like the ones at Artz Rib House in Austin. Â Â
My mom ate her food for dinner that night. Â She liked the sausage. Â She said she didn't care for the ribs (so I guess we aren't taking her to Artz), and that the brisket was way too fatty and salty.
I think that my husband and I will go back. Â Maybe the employee we talked to was right and the brisket isn't usually that fatty. Â We also want to try the pork, because some of my friends got it and said that it was really good. Â So maybe I'll be able to add on another star the next time I visit ....
Back during the summer of 2009, I decided I would make it my goal to visit all Texas Monthly 2008 Top 50 BBQ places in one years time. I figure it is only fair to write reviews for them.
This one has been a long time coming. I keep wanting to go back. This place will always be special to me, it was when I finally realized that brisket could be something else other than just great, it can truly be a dining experience that rates up their with the fanciest of restaurants. Despite the fact that I had to wake up early on a Saturday and pray that even at 10AM in the morning on Saturday their was still food left. Thank God there was.
Snows somehow found a way to make super moist brisket that still holds up strong and doesn't fall apart, yet somehow melts once it touches your mouth. Never tasted anything else like it. The smokiness was so strong with great subtle hints of spices, especially pepper. The sausage was just as good. Great smokey flavor, and somehow super moist, despite not being too watery and not feeling like it is covered in a greasy slime. Very clean and tasty. Ribs had alot of flavorful meat and beautiful rub on them. Pork was also good. Had a consistency of perfectly cooked beef, but the tender sweet flavor of great pork.
Sauce was actually decent also. They have them in water bottles on all the tables. Worth taking alittle test of soaking up some in a piece of bread. Free beans also makes this a good experience, even though mine tasted a bit burnt... but hey they were free. The pits out back are a must stop before leaving. You can see they out their tending them if you get their soon enough, and you see where the love comes from. Obviously I wish they were open more, but that kind of makes the adventure more special. Can't wait for another Saturday to visit again.
Rumor has it they have gone down in quality a bit since becoming so famous. If this is true than it must have been the most amazing food known to man before, because right now it is easily in the top 3 BBQ places I have been too, and would most likely slip into top 10 places over all I have been too, even higher if accounting for ambiance and the experience. Either way, just try the place already, it is amazing.
I finally made it out to Snow's with the vaunted Best BBQ in Texas title and I came away extremely satisfied. Â If you're unaware, they smoke the meat for a few days (we called on Friday to make sure they were open Thanksgiving weekend) and they only open on Saturday. Â It gets busy early, and they were running out as we left around 11am. Â They do accept credit cards, which is a plus considering a lot of these small town stores do not. Â If you're not a barbecue fanatic, it might seem crazy to wake up at 9am to go eat BBQ, but I assure you it'll change the way you feel about beef. Â It's got a covered outdoor patio where you can see the meat being prepared, and a warm little shack where you place your order. Â The owner was outside and very friendly as we sat down to our meal, and made sure we had all the bread and sauce that we could want.
Now let's get down to the food:
Beef - I will go out on a limb and say it's the BEST brisket I have ever tasted, and I've had quite a few. Â With sauce or without, it's fantastic. Â Our cut was incredibly juicy, tender and every bite just melted like butter. Â We ordered 3 pounds for 4 people and literally within 5 minutes all the brisket was gone. Â Try it with sauce, try it without, try it with bread, try it without. Â And then go order more. Â We even brought two pounds to eat as leftovers and the cut was so good that it even tasted good after we microwaved it. Â I repeat, FANTASTIC.
Pork - The pork chops are also something you have to order. Â The meat is smoked in such a way that it has a tenderness similar to a good chunk of beef. Â Anywhere else, and the pork chop alone would have made it an awesome BBQ joint. Â Alas, the pork ribs are nothing to write home about. Â They're not bad, but I could have saved the room in my stomach for more of the pork chop or brisket.
Sausage - The beef sausage are also delicious. Â It's not as greasy as some other BBQ joints, but I'd say half a sausage per person is still about the limit unless you're a real sausage hog.
Sides - Really tasty potato salad, not sure what they added to it, but it's nice that they add a little something special to a place where they could just serve HEB potato salad and people would still be happy.
Overall this is now going to be the 3rd place that I've labeled as the Best BBQ in Texas, but I think that speaks more to the quality of BBQ available here rather than my ability to waffle. Â Definitely worth the trip.
When a place is only open one day a week on a Saturday MORNING, no less, you usually wonder if it's going to be worth the hour long drive out from your city to try it. Â Indeed, as we drove from Austin to the most remote part of Texas I've ever been to, we wondered if the hype would match the meat.
Then we saw the brisket. Â And we learned the truth. Â Snow's has a secret stash of genetically engineered cows that grow butter instead of breasts.
You can't find brisket like that anywhere else. Â And that is why they're #1. Â Butter cows.
Believe the hype.
This nondescript little BBQ joint an hour's drive from Austin proper is everything it's been made out to be.
We'd decided to call ahead and reserve a quantity of meats since we were going to be returning to Austin with the booty (in this case literally - pork butt), but headed out early Saturday anyway, being concerned that there might have been a crush of ROT BBQ heads nab our goods. We departed from close to 290E around 8am, and arrived a short 45 minutes later in the tiny town of Lexington. As soon as we exited the vehicle, the audible sounds of the auction house fell upon us, as if a clarion to BBQ explorers.
Per owner Kerry Bexley's instructions, we skipped the formalities of heading inside to order and instead circled around to the back of the small red outbuilding, into a pavilion of wood, smoke and black steel. Kerry greeted us as Pitmaster Tootsie tended dutifully to her art (and, brother, is it art), and then helped to gather our bounty before totalling us up. "It'll be $129.25. Just say it real fast and it won't be so painful." A BBQ vacationer from Atlanta, with whom we'd struck up a conversation while waiting, added, "I've never seen $130 worth of barbecue before." Our vehicle loaded and smelling of oak smoke and 15 pounds heavier with meat, we returned to Austin to share our feast with friends.
I'll attend in reverse order to the items we experienced. Though I had only a small sample of the ribs purchased for my compadre's wife, they were far more moist and delicious than I'd believed they would be from reading the various reports on Snow's. Perhaps we just picked them up at the perfect time. We'd purchased two half chickens, expecting them just to serve as a contrast to the other meats, but it followed that they were the best I've yet had. The yard birds virtually fell apart when they were picked up, and the flavor of smoke, salt and pepper had thoroughly penetrated the juicy meat. The pork steak was unlike anything I'd seen before...a huge 3 lb. butt section that dwarfed any similar cut I've ever known. The meat was, as pork is wont to be, dense and not as moist as the other items, but with its 1/4" smoke ring and plentiful fatty sections was delicious nonetheless.
And the brisket. OMFG. This is what makes Snow's the best Texas BBQ - though the solid and even outstanding performance on other items is no doubt a consideration. When trying to move the first of our two whole briskets from the foil to the cutting board by lifting it with a fork, the meat began to fall in half. Yes -gravity was enough force to split the brisket. Our host had only a semi-sharp knife with which to carve this manna, but it was just as easy to use two index fingers to push the meat apart. The brisket was the most moist, tender and flavorful I've ever had, with a 3/8-1/2" smoke ring all around. Despite being provided a pint of sauce by the crew at Snow's, it would have been a criminal act to use it.
If you have had Texas BBQ from the traditional top five, and believed - like me - that it couldn't get any better, then it's time to get to Snow's.
Is it worth it to drive 2 hours on a Saturday morning to eat at this mecca of Texas BBQ? Â You bet, but you had better start at 8am or earlier. Â They're out of everything by 11am. Â And they're only open on Saturdays.
We took the trek to Snow's to see if Texas Monthly's claim was really true, like so many before us. Â You know what? Â They were right! Â Snow's was out of ribs, pork butt, and chicken by the time we got in line (10am), but we were lucky enough to get 1/2 lb brisket each and a sausage link. Â
Here's the food breakdown...brisket: heavenly beyond imagination. Â The fat on the brisket seeps down during the slow cooking process to produce the most moist brisket I've ever tasted. Â If you're lucky enough to get an end, you get to experience the flavorful rub on the outside of the brisket in a big way. Â Sausage: greasy (like it should be - the flavor of the spices didn't overwhelm the meat, so it was perfectly balanced. Â Potato salad: one of the best I've had. Â Creamy, subtle, cold, and chunky. Â Cole slaw: perfect....crispy, cold, and more vinegar than mayonaise. Â Make sure to get beans too...they're always free & located in a pot right by the sweet tea (also a must).
If you're driving there from Houston, make sure to stop by Brenham on the way back for some hand-dipped Blue Bell ice cream (or DQ for a dip cone...pick your poison). Â It's the perfect way to end a perfect, delicious road trip.
Halfway through my second slice of brisket, I identified Snow's secret ingredient: salt. Either the meats are brined before cooking (my guess) or someone tending the smoker is very liberal with the shaker.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, and these meats are certainly in the stratosphere of Texas barbecue. The crowds have died down and you can now fairly reliably get fed if you show up on Saturday morning by 10 or so.
The brisket wasn't only fork-tender, it fell apart as soon as I touched it with the fork. The smoke ring was a thing of beauty (see photo). Add a splash of the Cajun Chef red pepper sauce on the table and you've got brisket perfection. (The house sauce on the other hand is vinegary and bland.) Ribs and sausage were also fantastic. The sides were all fine and free beans invited a second cup.
So 4 stars for the food and I'm kicking it up one for the value... right now it's just $7.99 for a single meat platter and 8.45 for a pound of brisket and I doubt it's going to go up much because Snow's needs to be loyal to its traditional patronage, who will be coming long after the Texas Monthly readers have stopped making the trek. (Originally, according to my Austin sister, Snow's was a place ranchers stopped by on their way to the livestock auctions, and they're only open on Saturday because the proprietors all have day jobs.)
Here's a newsflash... The yet-to-be-released issue of "Texas Monthly" Magazine rates the top BBQ restaurants in the state and they will name Snow's BBQ as the winner.
Let's just say I know people.
I think all BBQ is good. So it's hard for me to choose my favorite. Snow's does a bang-up job with their pork. The beef, however, was stringy and dry. The sausage links were handmade from Elgin and cooked perfectly... but points lost for importing their links. I enjoyed their sauce, which was both sweet and sour. I can't speak for the sides, as I only had the 'que.
        "Sounds great, oh nappy one. What's the catch?"
They are only open Saturdays from 9am to noon. Which is why I think TM Magazine picked them for their coveted prize. It's kooky and peaks the curiosity. After all, anything tastes good after baited anticipation and a long, hot car ride.
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