LEXINGTON, Texas — Barbecue is one thing that southerners take special pride in, especially when it comes to debates about what places around the local area, state, and around the south are the best, even if it means planning out an entire trip to a joint as a vacation.
On Sept. 12, Southern Living released their list of the south's top 50 barbecue joints of 2023, and the Lone Star State was represented well, taking 15 of the 50 spots on the list.
However, only one destination can take the title of best barbecue joint, and Snow's BBQ in Lexington was nominated as the best place to get barbecue in the south. They're known for only being open one day a week--something that to any other restaurant owner would be an unheard of strategy.
But as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding; and in the case of Snow's BBQ, the proof is in their world-renowned cooking that takes all week to prepare.
When the news came out that they had been nominated, the restaurant posted on Facebook, saying "We appreciate (the recognition) more than you know. The true MVP is you, our customers, that continue to show up each Saturday, order online, and support us for so many years. We truly love what we do! So from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!"
This isn't the first time that Snow's BBQ has been recognized for their works. They've been nominated as being home of some of the best BBQ in Texas multiple times since 2008, according to their website.
A list of Texas-based barbecue joints that made the list include:
- Snow's BBQ - Lexington, TX
- Louie Mueller Barbecue - Taylor, TX
- Goldees - Fort Worth, TX
- Cattleack BBQ - Dallas, TX
- Tejas Chocolate + Barbecue - Tomball, TX
- Franklin Barbecue - Austin, TX
- Smitty's Market - Lockhart, TX
- Kreuz Market - Lockhart, TX
- Leroy And Lewis Barbecue - Austin, TX
- Killen's Texas Barbecue - Pearland, TX
- Valentina Tex Mex BBQ - Buda, TX
- Burnt Bean Co Barbecue - Seguin, TX
- Blood Bros. BBQ - Bellaire, TX
- Hurtado Barbecue - Arlington, TX
- Truth Barbecue - Houston, TX
Here's what writer Robert F. Moss said about Snow's BBQ on Southern Living:
It's not easy to get your hands on a tray of Snow's barbecue, and it's only gotten harder in recent years as more people from around the world have learned about it. The restaurant is open just one day a week (Saturday), and service starts at the unconscionably early hour of 8 a.m. Eager fans, many of whom have traveled in from other states and even other countries, begin lining up long before dawn, and that line seems to grow longer each year. On my last visit, I stepped into position a few minutes before 7 a.m., and I sat down at a picnic table with my loaded tray at precisely 11:00 o'clock.
It was worth every minute, though, for the barbecue experience is like none other in the South. Recent adjustments have helped make the wait more bearable, like a new merch counter flanked by a short bar with free canned beer and Bloody Marys, which foster congeniality and conversation among the waiting guests. The line now wraps around the open back of the long metal-roofed cook shed, so guests can watch the crew working the massive pits in the gray light of dawn. That crew includes 88-year-old Tootside Tomantez, an international barbecue star, who still oversees the metal-lidded direct heat pits, though pitmaster Clay Cowgill now handles the briskets and ribs on the big offset smokers.
What those pits produce is nothing short of fantastic: firm, coarse-grained sausage with a great snap to the casing, thick sliced brisket with a caramelly sweet fat cap, and hearty spare ribs kissed with a layer of post oak smoke. The best bite of all is the pork steak, a rare find in the heart of Texas beef country. Tender and juicy with a sparkle of salt and concentrated dose of smoke in its mahogany bark, it's a Southern barbecue that's more than worth hopping on a plane, driving through the dark of a Texas night, and waiting hours in line to enjoy.
Click here to read the full list of places that were nominated to the 50 best barbecue joints in the south in 2023 on Southern Living.
Snow's BBQ is located at 516 South Main Street in Lexington.
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