Miss Tootsie and Snow’s BBQ

Yesterday the Mrs and I took a road trip to Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, just a bit north of Giddings on 77 if you haven’t been there.

In 2008 Texas Monthly declared Snow’s the #1 BBQ joint in Texas. I had never heard of Snow’s, never been to Lexington. What prompted the visit for us was a Netflix episode of Chef’s Table — in a series dedicated to barbecue — featuring Snow’s and 85 year-old pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz. (I don’t know if “pitmaster” is her official title, but it seems fitting to me.)

Snows BBQ | Voted Best BBQ in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine

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Snow’s is only open on Saturday from 8-12 — or until they run out of food — so the lines can get pretty long. We left Katy at 6:00 and got there a few minutes before 8, and the line was already very long. As you approach the place you can smell the meat cooking before you see it. I like meat.

We got in line at 8 and finally got to order at 10:45 but the wait didn’t seem anywhere near that long.





The first thing I wanted to do is make sure that the star of the show was present. Another guy was next to me taking pictures, said he and his wife had just seen the Netflix episode and had to drive up as well. There were some guys from Michigan in line next to us so we chatted it up with them for a bit. They said they were working in Texas for a short while and saw the Netflix show, and had to get over here for some of Miss Tootsie’s brisket





If you don’t want to stand in line the whole time they have folding chairs you can borrow, so anyone can sit while they wait. Every so often the line moves so you pick your chair up and scoot up a few feet. There are also umbrellas in the ground along the line to provide some shade if needed. The weather was perfect on this day, with a cool breeze keeping things comfortable the whole time we were there.

My wife went to get us something to drink while we were waiting and came back with two Bloody Marys and a Sprite. The girl at the drink stand said the drinks were all free, they just work for tips! We had a second Bloody Mary a little later and tipped generously, of course.









Once you’ve made it to the front of the line, you step inside the main building and order here. We both got a plate of brisket, sausage and ribs, plus a whole brisket (vacuum sealed) to bring home for Sunday dinner with the family. I did not bother with potato salad or cole slaw because it would occupy stomach space that was specifically reserved today for meat.



I’ve had better sausage but this brisket was something else. It was so tender that it barely stayed on the plastic fork, it just falls apart. I ordered the fatty cut because it’s the most flavorful. The ribs were excellent as well, tender and delicious, but the brisket is the star of this show.

We got to chat briefly with Miss Tootsie and the owner, Kerry. Super nice people. It was a great day.

 

Awesome report!!!

 

Thank you. I had to tell somebody about it!

 

I just found this 3-minute video on Miss Tootsie and Snow’s. Good stuff.

 

Been to Snow's twice. Looking to go again this year. Advice: Go early and avoid Holiday's. Wife and I showed up on Memorial Day a few years ago at 7:30 am. Line was down the street. We moved on to Lockhart and Luling. (Would have been our third trip to Snow's)

If you are a BBQ fanatic, you have to go to Snow's. From the Metroplex it might be out of the way, but it is worth it.

I did get a picture of the wife, Miss Tootsie and me.

 

If you ever come again shoot me a message. I live about 20 min west of Lexington toward Taylor just off FM 112. Funny thing is I've never been there although everyone says it's awesome. I just can't bring myself to get in line for BBQ that early, but to meet up I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

NOWhere but Texas.

 

You have been to Louie Mueller's though, right? Still one of my top BBQ joints in Texas. For those who may not know, Louie Muller's is in Taylor and has great que.

 

There's a BBQ Belt that runs about 15-60 miles East of I-35 and parallel to I-35 from San Antonio up to around Temple-Kileen. Lockhart has got to be the capital, although it's a bit South of the dead center of it.

 

The DFW Metroplex and the City of Austin keep stepping up their BBQ game as well.

 

I've never been to Snow's, though I have been to all the Lockhart BBQ joints, Luling, and a few others in that vicinity.

In those German/Czech areas of the State, sometimes there's the question: 'Is this place a bar-b-que or a smokehouse"? My distinction--> focus on smoked sausage = smokehouse; focus on smoked brisket = bbq. Nothing at all wrong with that smokehouse German sausage though. Yum.

 

As a newcomer to Lockhart (having lived in town a mere 23 years) I will still recommend any of the SIX bbq joints in town to our visitors. I will also recommend you don't move here, please.

 

I will not move there, but I have told all of my friends in New York and California that is where they need to move to.

 

Gee, that's very thoughtful of you.

 

That's like asking a cat if he purrs. That's much easier to get, but I've gone to smoking my own stuff instead. It's a time investment, but I can feed 15-20 people for what I pay for my family to eat BBQ these days.

 

nods approvingly

 

Of best barbecue joints in the South, No. 1 is in Texas, ‘Southern Living’ says

 

It mentions Valentino's in that article. All I can see from other online sources is, slow service coupled with sky-high prices and meh food. I'll take a hard pass on those guys, but Burnt Bean catches my eye.