Finishing our I-10 BBQ roadtrip in Lockhart was never the plan. We pulled away from our fourth stop, Family Tradition Bar-B-Q in Waelder, without a destination in mind.

Jeff and I headed west on Hwy. 90 toward Luling, where we had started the day with a 10:30 am BBQ breakfast at City Market. Passing through town we saw the sign: Lockhart - 17 miles. You gotta do what you gotta do.

We headed north up Hwy. 183 and were in Lockhart in no time. Carl Ellis, a former Dallas Morning News sports editor who now lives in Lockhart, had told me about Chisholm Trail, the fourth and least famous of Lockhart's famous BBQ joints.

Carl and I were talking BBQ one day when he came back to visit the DMN. He was raving about Chisholm Trail and asked if I had been there.

"The tourists go to Kreuz, Smitty's and Black's," Carl said. "The locals go to Chisholm Trail. Just as good but costs less."

I put the joint on the top of my must-visit list from that day on. After four joints in six hours, this would be the icing on the cake of our BBQ daytrip.

We stepped up to the counter and ordered a half pound of brisket and a ring sausage, there wasn't much room left in the tank at that point.

We had previously agreed that our last stop at Family Tradition Bar-B-Q in Waelder was the best overall of the day, but the meats at Chisholm Trail were nothing short of spectacular. Both the sausage and brisket were perfectly cooked, making us wish we had a little more room for meat.

We split a peach cobbler with Blue Bell vanilla on top as a nightcap, then headed back to San Antonio.

Five joints in seven hours, 225 miles roundtrip from San Antonio. Just another little BBQ roadtrip, as we continue searching for the finest smoked meats in the greatest state in the union......

Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Q, 1323 South Colorado Street, Lockhart, TX, (512) 398-6027. Open daily 8am-8pm.

Photos by Jeff Haynes & Chris Wilkins