Kent Black's Barbecue

December 22, 2014

Kent Black's Barbecue

Black's Barbecue is our favorite BBQ spot in Lockhart. We have had consistently good barbecue every time we go. Manager/Pitmaster Kent Black of the Lockhart location recently opened a place with his namesake in San Marcos. Kent is a third generation pitmaster, and his sons Barret and Eric are also helping him in San Marcos. I have been patiently waiting a couple of months to check them out because I wanted to give them some time to find their stride. My wife and I met up with friends here one evening. It is probably not the best time of the day to go judge the quality of barbecue though. Kent Black's is a huge space with a lot of indoor/outdoor seating to accommodate big parties. There is even a bar area.

Amber and I shared a sliced of moist brisket, a pork rib, a ring of sausage, and a little bit of turkey. We got smoked cabbage, macaroni and cheese, and green beans on the side. I had some Franklin Barbecue for lunch at work on this day so I was not hungry. The smoke on the brisket was nice, and the meat was tender. The brisket was dry, and I thought it also could use a lit bit more flavor. More pepper? I thought the pork rib was good. It was juicy, delicious, and smoky. The sausage was the same one they used in Lockhart. The sausage was good and tasty. The texture of the sausage and the snap from the casing were on point. I have yet to run across a German-style sausage that I do not like. The turkey was mostly for Amber, but I had to sample some. It was a smidgen dry, but it was not bad at all. I would not mind putting that between two slices of bread. The smoked cabbage was different but tasted good. I felt healthy while eating it. The macaroni and cheese hit the spot. I dislike green beans so it was all my wife's.

I try to be as transparent as possible with the blog. I am not getting paid so there is no reason for me to not to be. I could not get good pictures of the outside so I stopped by again during the day. I arrived to Kent Black's shortly after they had opened for the day. I could not pass on getting some brisket. The brisket was less dry than the first time. Besides the salty crust, there was not a lot of flavor after that. There was not a lot of fat left on it.

I would go back to Kent Black's Barbecue. I might have gone there on their off days. The prices are very affordable. I would go back and try the baby back ribs or the huge beef ribs. The first time I ever got beef short ribs was at Black's. I had no idea how big they were and ordered three. My wallet was 80 bucks lighter that day. Hays County BBQ remains as my go-to in San Marcos. Grade: B-