Coronavirus. Back in January, any normal American would have thought it was the morning after effects of a few too many cervezas and tacos. Fast forward four months and you would be hard pressed to find anyone not familiar with the term. While all of us have been directly impacted to various degrees, two areas of my life have been most affected: food and travel.

We all know how difficult it’s been to just go out and grab a quick meal and cold beer. With a global lockdown essentially in full swing, traveling anywhere for such experiences has been out of the question. While I acknowledge that I have been relatively lucky during this pandemic – I haven’t missed a paycheck and haven’t had more than occasional seasonal allergy induced sneeze – I realize that many Americans haven’t been so lucky.

The pressing issues of today continue to weigh down on all of us and regardless of our current situations and many of us are desperately in need of a break from the reality of every day life. We are longing for a time when we can enjoy a quick weekend away or even the simple pleasure of sharing great food with loved ones at a favorite restaurant.

While I can’t travel these days and search out new places to experience great food, I can share a previous travel adventure with you. For this blog, I’m going to dig deep into the BaconMedic vault and travel back to 2016 when I took a solo trip to Central Texas.

Central Texas? I know what you are thinking, “In the middle of a pandemic, you are going to take us to Texas? Why not some place exotic?”

Trust the BaconMedic.

In times like these, comfort food is key. And Central Texas is home to the best barbecue trail out there. Nothing says comfort food, family, and summer to the BaconMedic like barbecue. That’s why I headed there in 2016-and why I’m taking you back there with me now.

If you’ve been a longtime follower of the BaconMedic, you may have seen bits and pieces of this story show up on my Facebook page (if you aren’t following me there, what are you waiting for?), but I’ve never presented it to you completely in one place. So, without further ado, welcome to my barbecue journey through the Lone Star State. I hope you’re hungry.

The flight to Dallas was quick and (thankfully) uneventful. I made my way over to the rental company to pick up my boring old midsize rental car when I was met by an employee in the parking lot who made an amazing offer…

“Sir, would you like to upgrade your rental to that Mustang convertible for $10 a day?”

Gee, let me think.

“Are the keys in it?” And with that, I was on my way, top down and Texas breeze flowing over my weary body and mind. Do you know what else was on my mind? Lunch.

This trip was a bit of a spontaneous jaunt meant to escape from the stress of work, school, and every day life. This meant I hadn’t had a ton of time to do my own research prior to landing, so I let others do the work for me and relied on the wisdom of scores of BBQ lovers before me and set the GPS for Cousins BBQ in Crowley.

Stop 1: Cousin’s BBQ, Crowley, TX

Cousins is rated as one of the best BBQ joints in the DFW area. Don’t let its location in a strip mall scare you off. One whiff of the smell from this unassuming restaurant hit me square in my taste buds and I was drooling before I even stepped inside. Perhaps it was the fact I was only running on a couple of packs of Southwest Airlines peanuts, or maybe it was the aroma that promised a great meal; whatever it was, I practically ran into the restaurant and immediately ordered the 3-meat combo plate.

Now I need to stop right here and let you know that, until this point in my life, I was incredibly underwhelmed with BBQ beef brisket. Everything I had tried in other areas of the country was dry and chewy. Not here.

Cousin’s BBQ. While the BBQ is amazing, make sure you leave room for the incredible banana pudding.

Nothing could have prepared me for the amazing melt in your mouth brisket these folks fed me that morning. I was a ‘point’ guy, the side of the brisket that is a bit more fatty and therefore tender and juicy, as opposed to the ‘flat’ which is more lean. Along with the brisket came incredible ribs and a truly spectacular jalapeño cheddar sausage.

Of course, what’s BBQ without sides? Cousin’s gave me a heaping portion of smoked ranch beans and surprisingly good broccoli rice casserole (no, that's not a typo). The sweet tea, a true southern staple, was on point, as was the banana pudding. Actually, this banana pudding was by far the best I have ever eaten. You can save your ‘death by chocolate’ creations, when it comes to desserts, anything banana is the straw that stirs my drink.

Happy and full, I set off for my hotel and a quick nap. Refreshed from my nap, I headed off to investigate something else Texas is famous for—football. Let’s be honest, when you visit Dallas, one of the first things that pops into your mind is the Dallas Cowboys. While I’m not a fan of America’s Team (I bleed Patriots Red, White and Blue), as a football fan, I had to visit the monstrosity known as AT&T Stadium.

A group tour of this technological marvel included the luxury boxes, the locker rooms and a walk around the field. As impressive as it was, I couldn’t help but notice some of the ‘records’ posted on plaques outside of the Cowboys locker room were now out dated thanks to my Patriots being as successful as they have been in recent years. Walking around the stadium and the field worked up an appetite.

Fortunately, I made good use of my time at the hotel prior to the tour and managed to come up with a plan for the rest of the day. Not only had I purchased a ticket to a Texas Rangers game later in the evening, but I decided on my dinner choice. Coker’s Pit BBQ is conveniently located close to both the football and baseball stadiums and seemed to be the perfect place to eat before the game.

Stop 2: Cokers Pit BBQ, Arlington, TX

Beyond this unassuming entrance are delicious pork ribs!

I walked into this very traditionally decorated BBQ joint (imagine all classic Coca Cola décor) and I immediately realized I was in heaven. All you can eat BBQ? Challenge accepted!

The waitress approached me before I could decide on my initial course, so I rattled off the first few items I saw on the menu. Within minutes, an overflowing plate of amazing food arrived in front of me.

First, the pork ribs: some of the best I have had, which is rather surprising considering Texas BBQ isn’t known for pork as much as it is for beef and sausage. These pork ribs were perfectly smoked, juicy, and tender. The sausage? Truly outstanding and clearly made with love. The chopped beef brisket was also very good but not as good as Cousin’s this afternoon (that’s not in any way a knock, by the way, each place specializes in its own items). I even had the smoked bologna, which was, in a word, deeeeee-lish.

Unfortunately, not everything was to my liking. The hot link sausages were too spicy compared to flavor and the pulled pork didn’t compare to what I was used to - I do think mine has spoiled everybody else's for me.

The sides were fantastic: fried okra, Mac & Cheese, Pinto Beans, southern style (meaning cooked in bacon fat) green beans, and Texas toast.

The sides steal the show on this plate. The ribs didn’t last long enough for a picture.

Then…just as I was ready to contemplate the dessert choices..disaster struck. The meat sweats set in. I hit my wall. My brain said, “go ahead, try some peach cobbler, it looks delicious!”. My body quickly gave that a hard pass and I skipped dessert.

Maybe – and that’s a hard maybe – I could have done it, but evidently the folks at the ballpark sell beef brisket nachos. I think its an obligation for anyone to try the food when at a game-especially when at a new stadium. First pitch was just over an hour away, would my body recover in time? (I think we all know the answer to that! No, I didn’t regret it, and yes, it’s a must try).

My ticket for brisket nachos….and a baseball game.

As much as I love sports, baseball isn’t my favorite, and with two teams playing that I didn’t particularly care about (Rangers and Orioles), I decided to listen to my stomach’s plea for mercy and skip the post game fireworks. So with two innings left, I headed back to the hotel to rest up for the big day I had planned tomorrow.

Morning came quickly. Surprisingly, my body had pretty much fully recovered from the meat sweats of yesterday and I was feeling hungry. I was ready for another day of meat gluttony! I skipped the free hotel breakfast and started towards the famous Ft Worth Stockyards for some touristy time and, of course, lunch.

Fort Worth Stockyards—look both ways for cattle before crossing.

The stockyards themselves are exactly like one might picture them to be. This national historic district is loaded with traditional ‘cowboy themed’ saloons, restaurants and shops.

And cattle. Lots of cattle.

In fact, one of the biggest draws for visitors is to catch the twice a day cattle drive through the streets. As luck would have it, I caught the 1130 drive, snapped a few pictures, and then moseyed on over to my lunch choice (this is Texas, so you absolutely have to mosey). Perched a little away from the action, Cooper’s is just a short hike across a lawn. As is the case with most great BBQ restaurants, if you can’t see it, just follow your nose.

Stop 3: Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ, Ft. Worth Stockyards

Having purposely missed breakfast meant I was starving. So, I ordered up 4 meats to try at this meal. The food here is encased in salt for cooking, but the ever present Southern staple sweet tea counters it perfectly. Of course, I wasn’t here for the sweet tea, I was here for the meat. And the meat? Wow. Just wow.

I started with smoked prime rib and beef brisket (the point, of course), both were amazingly juicy and flavorful. The beef rib, a true Texas BBQ delicacy, often only served on weekends, was huge, delicious, and also juicy (a nice surprise because dry beef ribs are common for people not knowing how to cook them). But the real winner here was the sausage. This sausage was so far the best of my first three meals.

On to the sides. One of my staple side dishes at any BBQ joint is Mac & Cheese. While Cooper’s offers the traditional Mac & Cheese, they also have a jalapeño & bacon version-this was a welcome and delicious change. I made an attempt at dessert: a pecan cobbler. As delicious as it was, it was way too sweet to eat more than two bites.

Stick with the meat and sides here-skip the dessert.

After lunch, a quick walk around the streets and shops of the Stockyards had me contemplating the merits of buying a pair of Cowboy boots and a Stetson hat, but I thought better of it and jumped in my pony car for my journey down to Austin. After all, I had dinner plans at one of the most famous barbeque restaurants in Texas.

Google maps will tell you that the drive from Ft Worth to Austin is just a tick under 3 hours; many people might consider that the time to beat. With a white Ford Mustang convertible and wide-open Texas style highways, 2 hours and 53 minutes seemed like child’s play. Now I’m not going to say I was speeding; however, I will say that I arrived in the little town of Driftwood much earlier than my stomach had anticipated for dinner.

Wine selection at the Duchman Family Winery

As I started to explore the area, I made an interesting – and amazing – discovery. Texas has a pretty incredible wine industry. I passed a number of small, family owned vineyards before I pulled into the Duchman Family Winery for a quick tasting. Now I would never pretend to be a sommelier, but I do know what I like. I liked this wine very much. The wine here is made from Texas grapes, which create a truly special and unique flavor. I loaded up my 3 bottles of purchased wine into the Mustang and headed off into the sunset—or rather headed off towards dinner.

Stop 4: The Salt Lick, Driftwood, TX

Anyone who has watched a show about BBQ restaurants is probably familiar with the Salt Lick, as it is one of the heavy hitters of the Texas BBQ scene. It’s reputation is well deserved and it did not disappoint!

Pulling into these hallowed grounds causes an instant reaction; it’s not like so many other great places – converted gas stations, road side stands, strip mall restaurants. Dining at the Salt Lick is as much a sensory experience as it is a culinary one. The grounds are stunningly beautiful, lined with beautiful oak trees. There is plenty of room for outdoor seating under the trees, and a stage for live music. A wine tasting room is onsite for you while you wait to be seated (and there is a good chance you will wait during peak hours).

Of course, the most famous part of the Salt Lick – aside from the food – is the open, stone walled circular BBQ pit located inside the main dining room. A trip to this meat mecca isn’t complete without posing in front of one of the most photographed pits in the world, and the staff is more than happy to help you out.

But really, it’s about the food, and I went with the family style all you could eat dinner. For a mere $29 per person, the food is brought to you on ‘family style’ platters. So far, the brisket was the best I had tasted, while the ribs & sausage were also amazing. The German potato salad was a very pleasant surprise considering I’m not much of a potato salad guy. The beans were a nice mix of sweet and savory with a touch of smoke. The real surprise here are the home-made pickles. It would be hyperbole to suggest that they overshadow the meats (come on, they are just pickles), but doggone it, are they ever great pickles.

Don’t skip the pickles here, they are ALMOST as good as the meat. Almost.

So far, between the food and the sheer ambiance (this is a great place to take a date), the Salt Lick has been my favorite of this trip. With a full belly making me sleepy, I ventured back to my hotel in downtown Austin for a good night of sleep and digestion-after all, I had a big day planned tomorrow. Tomorrow was going to start early with the grand daddy of all Texas BBQ joints, one that would require waking up early and a lot of waiting. Would it be worth it?

Stop 5: Franklin BBQ, Austin, TX

I’m not going to lie here. This is the big one for me. Pitmaster Aaron Franklin’s brisket is consistently named the best in the world – not just in Texas, but the world. Because of this, people start lining up as early as 6am every single day. Every single day. It’s a good bet that if you aren’t in line by mid-morning that you very well might miss out-once its gone, its gone. The fact that people are willing to wait hours in the hot Texas sun just to get their hands on this tells me all I need to know, but I still need to try and judge it for myself.

I planned on arriving by 7am, unfortunately my meat intoxicated body had other ideas. I rushed out of the hotel at 815 and arrived a few minutes later to find over 150 people already waiting in line. As much as I didn’t want to wait, I also know I had no choice in the matter if I wanted to sample this legendary meat. Fortunately, the weather cooperated as it was in the 60s and overcast with a light breeze. The people waiting also made the line more tolerable as the entire experience was a festive, tailgate like atmosphere.

The dynamic of the experience was interesting, a gentleman – I presume the manager – came out and greeted us all around 10am. Someone then came down the line asking each of us what we intended on ordering. The gentleman behind me gave his order – like so many places in Texas, you give it in weight – and the person writing it down let him know that if everyone orders what they stated they would, that he may not get any smoked turkey as they will just be running out when they reached him. Lo and behold, when it came time to order, they had just run out. I was impressed with how precise they were when it came to the day’s inventory, but I was also impressed at how well they knew the flow. I was informed that, based on my position in the line, I should be eating at 1250, sure enough, at 1250 I was placing my order.

Finally, the moment I had been waiting for, not only for the entire trip, not only for the past 4 hours of standing in line, but for a number of years since I had heard about Franklin mania. Was all my waiting worth it?

First, the brisket. Man oh man. It was not overrated one bit—the fans and judges everywhere were correct. It was moist, flavorful and perfectly smoked. It truly melted in my mouth with a perfect meld of Texas beef and post oak smoke. It was hands down the best to date. Just thinking about it makes me wish I had it in front of me right now.

The pork ribs were incredible, as was the pulled (but you know, not better than mine); again, surprising considering Texas isn’t known for its mastery of smoked pig (according to Aaron Franklin in his Meat Manifesto, he loves pulled pork so he was going to make great pulled pork).The sausage link was also top notch.

It was at this moment that I realized I was running a marathon and not a sprint. If I was going to continue to eat Texas BBQ for the next couple of days, I needed to slow down and not gorge myself. I passed on the sides: coleslaw, potato salad and Pinto beans. I wrapped up the remainder of my culinary gift from God and returned to my hotel for a quick recharge.

I awoke from my meat induced coma a little bit concerned. I thought after 5 straight BBQ meals and waiting for almost 5 hours in line this morning that I had hit my wall. I was ready to take a break tonight. I walked around the SoCo district of Austin , popping in and out of shops and art galleries feeling a bit disappointed in myself.

Rain broke out and I ducked into a pizza shop and had possibly one of the most mediocre slices I had ever tasted. Running between the rain drops, I hopped in the pony car, feeling pretty dejected, ready to return to the hotel. I was mostly angry that I had just wasted valuable tummy space that should have been reserved for meat on mediocre pizza I could have gotten anywhere. I tried to formulate a game plan, and decided to at least do a drive by of Black's BBQ, one of the most legendary places for ‘Que in the country.

Cue the Rocky Music. I quickly found my inner beast. Burgess Meredith was shouting at me. Eye of the Tiger, Mark... Eye of the Tiger! So without further ado...

Stop 6: Black's BBQ, Austin, TX

For starters, I must confess, I went a bit light, but it was enough to keep the streak alive. Brisket, single pork spare rib, plus banana pudding and sweet tea. Starting with the brisket, it was indeed very good, and in lesser BBQ regions (cough, cough New England), it would be unreal. But this is Texas.

So far, it was in 3rd Place behind Franklin & Salt Lick, certainly nothing to be ashamed of at all. The rib? Again, if it were New England, it would be amazing but here it's in 4th place. The banana pudding was good but a little sweet, think banana Laffy Taffy. Cousin’s was way better. And with that, knowing tomorrow was truly going to be an adventure, it was off to the hotel for beer & tacos in the bar. Yeah, you read that right. The kid was back on his game!

For most people, Mondays cause a fair amount of angst, but for those of us headed to the little town of Lockhart, it’s a level of excitement rivaling the first day of a long awaited vacation. You see, Lockhart isn’t just a little southern town of 14,000, it's also the BBQ capital of Texas.

I ate my leftover Franklin BBQ for breakfast. It wasn’t much, but darn, it was amazing. I hopped in the pony car and started my way down Rt 130 and ended up driving right through Lockhart and ended up in the little town of Luling, population just over 5,000. I would love to say this was intentional, however sometimes when you are in a souped up convertible muscle car with Sirius XM blasting out 80s hair metal, you lose your train of thought and forget about your GPS. I motored into this tiny village and pulled into a parking spot on the main drag and was immediately hit with the intoxicating smell of smoked meat.

Right next to me was a tiny place called Luling BBQ. Remembering that the best way to plan a road trip is to have flexible plans, I decided to give it a try. It was exactly 11am and I was the first customer of the day. It was pretty small but certainly a neat atmosphere, exactly what you would expect a small town Texas BBQ restaurant to look like inside.

Stop 7: Luling Bar-B-Q, Luling, TX

Sausage won hands down here, and so far it was the best of the bunch. The brisket was very good, and the rib was flavorful, but a wee bit overcooked (funny how the more places I eat, the more picky I was becoming).

I had two sides; the usual Mac & Cheese, which was good but nothing special, as well as pea salad, which has always been a personal favorite of mine. It was very good, but like any amateur chef will attest to, their own recipe is always much better. And to drink? I changed it up from my usual southern drink of choice, sweet tea, and traveled back to my childhood vacations in Louisiana and ordered a Big Red, something that can only be described as – sweet, cold and red... And it was just as awesome now as it was when I was ten.

Make sure you get the sausage here. You won’t regret it.

After lunch, or perhaps I should say after my first lunch, I did what the Luling Chamber of Commerce website suggested: I walked around the quaint downtown. 20 minutes later I can confirm quaint is actually a synonym for really small.

But I did learn Lulingites (is that a name?) are obsessed with watermelon and there seems to be a pretty huge local election going on among local high school girls for the (I assume coveted) title of 'Thump Queen' of the Watermelon Thump at the end of June. The competition looked fierce, and I think some girl with the last name Cruz was in the lead based on sheer number of signs. Interestingly enough, and I’m only guessing here, Luling is probably the only town in America with what appears to be a watermelon seed spitting stadium. Note to self: as a lover of insane and silly things, I vow to return to Luling some year to partake in all things watermelon (last weekend in June).

Roughly 30 minutes after my last bite of deliciousness at Luling BBQ, I was ready for my next stop-it must have been all the walking around.

Stop 8: Luling City Market, Luling, TX

The best thing here was ordering IN the smoker.

One of the more well-known places on the BBQ trail, this was on my original list even prior to my unplanned detour. Now I have to say, City Market is a pretty cool place simply because to place your meat order you have to walk IN to the smoker where a bunch of gruff old coots take your order.

Unfortunately, the coolness ended when I took dug into my meats served up on butcher paper. The brisket was flavorful but very dry, the sausage (which I was stoked for because of Luling BBQ) seemed very over smoked, and the rib was good not great. Perhaps that’s the cost of spending more time in a smoky environment that needed, but its worth the trip simply to order inside a smoker.

Next, it was back up the road a click or two to Lockhart. At half past noon, it was still lunch time and I had already partaken in two meals. While comfortable, I was not yet full and had a whopping 15 minutes for my stomach to do its thing and create some space. I took that time to consider the wisdom of me taking on this challenge, considering that I had already had more BBQ in one weekend than many have in a year.

To answer some of the questions that readers may have right now: No, I did not have a scheduled cardiac catheterization. No, I had not yet outgrown my clothes. No, I did not have chest pains yet. But I did decide to take another walk, this time around Lockhart. I was curious if watermelon was as popular here as it is 13 miles down highway 186.

Lockhart itself is a beautiful place, typical of anything you might picture when someone mentions small southern town. The downtown businesses are surrounded by the large and very European (and thus, somewhat out of place) historic Caldwell County Courthouse. After snapping a bunch of pics, I headed straight to the very famous Smitty's Market.

Stop 9: Smitty’s Market, Lockhart, TX

Smitty’s Market is easy enough to find if you follow your nose and it’s another cool place that you walk into the smoker; however, with infinitely better food than the Original City Market.

Surprisingly, the rib here took top honors. It was meaty and perfectly smoked, bursting with flavor. The brisket was also excellent, but doesn’t come close to the brisket at Franklin or Salt Lick. The sausage was very tasty, way better then City Market but Luling BBQ was still better. I skipped the sides but they did provide me with half a sleeve of Saltines. Oh, and another Big Red to drink. Diabeetus in a bottle if you will.

Smitty's trivia: they don't have forks. They want you to feel their meat in your hands. Fair enough...consider their meat felt. Overall, it was worth the trip to Lockhart.

At this point, I need to offer some clarification to my route because I am certain that there are some readers out there that are reading this and listing off places I should have tried while in the Lockhart area. I know. This route was part of my ultimate plan, as I had what I believe were some well justified concerns about the sheer amount of ‘Que I could consume during lunch time in this area; I also wanted to give each place a fair review and trying to force more brisket into my pie hole while ready to vomit probably wouldn’t allow for a fair evaluation.

I had eaten at the famous Black’s in Austin the night before and had skipped eating at the original Black’s located just a few blocks away in Lockhart for this reason(I did visit in order to at least check it out and purchase a tee shirt). I also needed to make the same decision regarding another of Lockhart’s gems, Kreuz Market. For reasons unknown to me now, I made the decision to travel two hours up the road to the ‘not original location’ Kreuz Market in Bryan, Texas. I’m well aware that, regretfully, I missed a number of other local gems, such as Lockhart Chisholm Trail BBQ. Looking back, this area needs to be at least a couple of days in order to fully take in the Texas BBQ Trail. Live and learn, as this is a trip absolutely worth repeating.

The drive to Bryan was peaceful and allowed for some serious digesting to take place. Aside from dodging a couple of Texas afternoon thunderstorms, there wasn’t much to do but enjoy some good music and great time behind the wheel. After checking into my hotel, I was sufficiently prepared for my last meal before heading home. I plugged in Kreuz Market into the GPS and within minutes was walking into a spotlessly clean restaurant. This was not what I expected after coming from the land of walk in smokers earlier.

Stop 10: Kreuz Market, Bryan, TX (sadly, the Bryan location is no longer open, but you can still get their food at the original location in Lockhart.)

Now to this point, I have always started my reviews by talking about the meat, but this time I can't. You see the nice young lady here made me try the warm German potato salad with brisket in it. Whoa! That just shot right up the list to #1 best side dish this trip. It was absolutely amazing, and this from a guy who doesn’t love potato salad.

Ok, now I’ll talk about meat. The brisket was outstanding. It was juicy, flavorful and perfectly smoked. It didn't beat Franklin, but did just squeeze by the Salt Lick. The sausage was very good, as well, #2 behind Luling BBQ. The banana pudding was a close second to Cousin’s.

Overall I’m definitely glad I stopped in, but it also made me regret not trying the original location when I had the opportunity. Next time!

I thought briefly about looking for another BBQ place to sample in the area, and while I’m sure I could have found one, I had hit my wall, hard. As much as I love BBQ, I felt like Rocky Balboa after going head to head with Apollo Creed. My brain and my body were spent. I headed back to my hotel for my last night in the Lone Star State before I headed back to reality and what I now know to be especially mediocre brisket.

I was asleep in my hotel within moments of my head hitting the pillow, oblivious to the thunderstorms raging around me as well as the tornado warning. The trip back to Dallas in the morning for my flight home was fast – just a hair over 2 hours in my pony car, but that still gave me plenty of time to reflect on my new love affair with Central Texas and everything it has to offer. I’ll be back and I’ll be bringing my appetite.

Click here to read my tips for planning your own Texas BBQ trip