Smitty's Market oak wood pile & the Caldwell County courthouse. (Photo ©Chris Wilkins/Texas BBQ Posse)

On our way back to Dallas from our recent Houston-area barbecue tour, all 6 Posse members on the trip listed their top 5 joints in the state, in no particular order.

Specific criteria probably varied from person to person, but these would be places we'd drive across the state to eat at or recommend to good friends that they do the same.

Since then, we've been asked to run each person's top 5. Those lists are below.

Three joints mentioned by each of us: Killen's Barbecue in Houston, Pecan Lodge in Dallas and la Barbecue in Austin. Only 3 of us listed Franklin Barbecue in Austin, generally considered the best joint in the state.

Others receiving at least one mention: Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, Miller's Smokehouse in Belton and Snow's BBQ in Lexington.

Reviewing the lists now, a bigger revelation than the lack of unanimity for Franklin, is the total absence of any joint in Lockhart. Five years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. Then, Smitty's, Black's and Kreuz Market demanded a pilgrimage.

That's more evidence that Lockhart is no longer the barbecue capital of Texas.

Gary Jacobson
Snow's
la Barbecue
Franklin
Pecan Lodge
Killen's

Tom Fox
Killen's
Louie Mueller
la Barbecue
Pecan Lodge
Snow's

Daniel Goncalves
Snow's
la Barbecue
Killen's
Louie Mueller
Pecan Lodge

Jim Rossman
Killen's
Pecan Lodge
Snow's
Franklin
la Barbecue

Chris Wilkins
Snow's
Killen's
la Barbecue
Miller's Smokehouse
Pecan Lodge

Phil Lamb
Killen's
Franklin
Pecan Lodge
Louie Mueller
la Barbecue