Kreuz Market
Like the other factoryesque place (Southside), once you get inside, it gets better, with real wood rails and lots of old machinery from BBQs past. As one of the heavy hitters of the Lockhart scene, I was anxious to taste what Kreuz had to offer. I made the mistake of going wacky on my order. I was dazzled by the array of meats on offer, so I went for the smoked ham, a sausage, and some ribs. I’m very picky on ham and this was just okay, the sausage was greasy, and the ribs were good You order your sides separately from the meat, and they were the highlight of my visit, with potato salad done dry and very flavorful. I need to go back and try some brisket it seems.
The Lake Lap
I was bummed on my first trip to not be able to make it out to Llano or Mason to try Cooper’s BBQ (they have two locations), which I’d only heard good things about. So when I hooked up a ride my next time out with a long-time resident who knew the back roads, I was beside myself. Turns out that local (Warren) happens to be familiar with Coopers, and likes to go every few months.
I can’t say I know every route we took northwest of out Austin to get there, but I know that 962 and 1431 (on either side of Lake Travis) were involved. Though this area is actually lower than the one I detailed in the last section, it feels like highlands for some reason. It seems even the wide roads are constantly climbing and looking out on expansive vistas.
Lake Travis is the Beverly Hills of Austin, so everything is beautiful and well cared for on the major roads, but even the little towns you roll into have an antique feel to them, rather than broke down. There’s an old general store at Cypress Mill that was closed when we arrived, but quickly opened up by the owner who noticed us loitering and taking pictures. Despite shelves full of vintage goods and old gas pumps outside, the store is just an event hall now. An antique store that is the antique, not a place to buy them.
Died and Gone to Heaven
A complete canvas of the area’s meat offerings would almost certainly cause this reporters blood vessels to rupture in a spectacular manner, so I didn’t even try, hitting only 10, and gazing longingly at another six or so. So this is not a complete list, but I’ll certainly try to complete it if I ever get the chance. Thanks again to Victory for hooking up the bikes, and to Star who flew me out for something unrelated one of the times. B