"The Texas smoke-house meat of choice -- fat-ribboned brisket, oozing juice and edged with black crust -- is here shown atop a pit-cooked pork chop with a sausage ring behind. With that bread at the far left and a couple of tall sweet teas, it's a perfect meal."
Michael Stern
"In the foreground, briskets bask in the smoke of slow-burning logs. In back, one of the pit men severs a few pounds for a hungry customer."
Michael Stern
"The old bench-tables against the wall are no longer in use; but in their day, many tons of good meat were eaten here."
Michael Stern
"Smitty's is in the location where the estimable Kreuz market used to be. Kreuz -- still wonderful -- has moved to the edge of town, and Smitty's maintains the tradition as though nothing has changed in decades.
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Michael Stern
"A master barbecue man shows off beef sausage rings cooking in the wood-fired pit."
Michael Stern
"The Sausage Ring has long been a specialty of barbecues in this area. It doesn't have the velvet-smooth class of brisket, but its succulence is awesome. To bite into this plump baby and feel your teeth release its juices is a sensual experience beyond words."
Michael Stern
"Rosy slices of prime rib from the pit. The outer rim is punchy and smoky, the pink center is beefy, juicy, and tender. "
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"Towards the upper right you can see the back door opening. As you enter you practically wade through fire and ashes to reach the order counter. This is a scene we could not even remotely imagine back east, what with regulations and agencies and insurance concerns and all."
Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle
"After selecting and buying your meat in the adjoining pit room, you carry it into this air-conditioned dining room and dine at these long tables."
Michael Stern
"No side dishes, no appetizers, no desserts to worry about. Just two questions to ask: which meat do you want, and how much?"
Michael Stern
