The History of BBQ in Central Texas and Black’s Role in It

Before the highways and restaurants, Central Texas was cattle country. In the 1800s, German and Czech immigrants settled throughout the area, opening butcher shops and small groceries. Without refrigeration, they smoked leftover meat over hardwood to prevent spoilage. It was practical, but it also tasted good — so good that people began coming in just for the smoked meat.

 

That combination of thrift and skill laid the foundation for what would become Central Texas barbecue. The focus was on simple seasoning, steady smoke, and honest flavor. Over time, the butcher shops became barbecue joints, and smoking meat went from preservation to profession.

The Rise of Lockhart

As the region grew, small towns like Lockhart, Taylor, and Elgin became known for their smokehouses. Lockhart, in particular, gained attention for having several long-running family businesses that built their reputations on consistency and community.

Barbecue is so ingrained in the town that in 2003, the Texas Senate named Lockhart the Barbecue Capital of Texas, a title that still stands today. Visitors began to travel from all over to eat smoked brisket and sausage served on butcher paper. Barbecue had become part of daily life — an ordinary act that had become a lasting tradition.

The Start of Black’s BBQ

In 1932, Edgar Black Sr. opened a small meat market and grocery in downtown Lockhart. Like many shop owners at the time, he smoked unsold cuts overnight so nothing went to waste. Customers quickly started asking for the smoked meats by name.

By the late 1940s, the Blacks had turned the market into a full barbecue restaurant. Edgar and his wife, Norma Jean, ran the business side by side, focusing on three priorities: treat customers right, take care of your staff, and never rush the process.

Setting the Standard

As the decades passed, certain traits came to define Central Texas barbecue — and Black’s helped reinforce them.

• Simple seasoning: salt and pepper, nothing more.
• Low, steady heat: wood-fired pits burning post oak.
• Time and patience: long cooks, often 14 to 16 hours.
• No shortcuts: each brisket, sausage, and rib is cooked start to finish by hand.

These weren’t marketing points; they were the daily routine. The same methods still guide the work in every Black’s BBQ location.

A Family Legacy

After Edgar Sr., the business passed to his son, Edgar Black Jr., and his daughter-in-law, Norma Jean, who ran the restaurant for more than 50 years. Edgar Jr. was a Navy veteran who returned home after World War II to help expand the family business while maintaining his father’s emphasis on quality and hospitality.

Their son, Kent Black, became the third-generation pitmaster and continues the family tradition today. Under Kent’s leadership, Black’s has opened additional locations in Austin, San Marcos, and New Braunfels while keeping the same approach that started in Lockhart: consistent smoke, steady heat, and a commitment to treating people well.

Holding on to Tradition

Central Texas barbecue has changed over time, but its foundation hasn’t. Many techniques used in the 1930s still work just as well today. Black’s pits are still fired with post oak wood. The brisket is still seasoned by hand. And every pitmaster still learns the same lessons: how to manage heat, how to read the fire, and when to call it done.

This approach doesn’t rely on new equipment or modern tricks. It depends on judgment, teamwork, and respect for the process. That’s how a restaurant survives for more than nine decades — one brisket at a time.

Central Texas Barbecue Today

The influence of Central Texas barbecue reaches far beyond Lockhart. From Houston to Kansas City, pitmasters reference the same core ideas that started in these small Texas towns: real wood, simple rubs, and long cooks.

Black’s continues to play an essential role in preserving those traditions. Generations of Texans — and travelers from around the world — have learned what true Texas BBQ tastes like by visiting one of Black’s locations.

It’s not about nostalgia or about recreating the past. It’s about keeping good habits alive: patience, craftsmanship, and hospitality.

Still Smoking After All These Years

Ask Kent Black what’s kept the family business strong for more than 90 years, and he’ll tell you the same thing his grandfather said back in 1932:
“Take care of your customers and your employees, and everything else will fall into place.”

That philosophy has outlasted every trend and challenge the business has seen. The fires that started in Lockhart are still burning today, carrying forward the same values and flavors that helped define Central Texas barbecue.

Black’s isn’t just part of barbecue history — it’s living proof that good work and good people never go out of style.

Visit one of our locations today and see for yourself what Central Texas BBQ is all about.