If a road trip had a flavor, Texas would taste like Smitty’s Market. Where else do you step past live-fire pits and feel history warming your cheeks before the sausage even meets your plate? However ...

Don’t bother going in the front door. You’ll end up in the parking lot behind the boxy brick building anyway, doing the Smitty’s shuffle: At peak hours, the lines invariably stretch out the back door.

It's a classic for a reason. Lockhart is officially recognized as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas,” thanks to its dense concentration of iconic smokehouses. Beyond barbecue, downtown Lockhart is worth ...