Texas's last sauceless barbeque joint now offers sauce after a century
47 replies, posted
https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/kreuz-market-sauce/
For over a century, visitors to Kreuz Market in Lockhart knew where the legendary barbecue joint stood on sauce. Open since 1900, the set-in-its-ways Kreuz Market made its “No Forks,
No Sauce” message a big part of their image, including a sign that hung under the wall-mounted menu:
No Barbecue Sauce (Nothing to Hide)
No Forks (They are at the End of Your Arm)
No Kidding (See Owner’s Face)
That changed last October in a move so quiet, I just heard about it last week.
When non-Texans try to explain our sauce-reluctant barbecue tradition, they often offer a phrase of clarification: “Some barbecue joints in Texas don’t even offer sauce.” The
now-defunct BrisketTown in Brooklyn even used their lack of sauce as a marketing tool that supposedly proved their Texas-style authenticity. The truth is, Texans have had the freedom
to be awash in sauce at every barbecue joint in Texas, except for one single hold out—Kreuz Market. Now there’s not even one.
Keith Schmidt, the owner of Kreuz Market, hadn’t anticipated a need for sauce. But when he opened a second location in Bryan in 2015, he learned that diners outside of Lockhart
expected sauce (and forks). Within two months of opening the joint in Bryan, they provided plastic forks alongside the knives and spoons, and offered a barbecue sauce made from an
old family recipe. But even then, the Kreuz team promised that Lockhart would never offer sauce and forks.
That all changed in October 2017, when the original Kreuz in Lockhart started offering forks and sauce as well. The shift was sparked by the complaints of indignant newcomers. The
huge popularity of Texas barbecue brings barbecue fans into Lockhart from all over the world, but some of them don’t understand or much care about our barbecue traditions, including
the forkless policy at Kreuz Market.
“There were people that had to be asked to leave because they got so irate over not having forks,” Schmidt said. “‘I am not an animal. I am not eating with my hands!’ they’d yell at my
staff.” When a vendor showed him a new plastic utensil carousel, with slots for knives, spoons, and forks, he bought a few. “We’re talking about a piece of plastic,” Schmidt said,
dismissing the groans of a few regulars who have complained about the new tined utensils.
Although Schmidt recognizes the break with tradition, he still takes his stewardship of the Kreuz Market tradition very seriously.Schmidt maintains that the sauce presence shouldn’t
be threatening to any Kreuz Market fundamentalists, as it hasn’t affected the barbecue cooking process. “You don’t have to use it, but it’s there,” he said.
is this what it's meant by people destroying white culture?
Places that dictate what you can or can't do to the food you bought, or how you're supposed to order are fucking stupid. Good riddance. Let people enjoy food how they want.
I think they just didn't serve sauces, not like they were preforming mandatory spot checks on bags
At least it was a smart business decision. Still offer sauce and forks for the customers that REALLY want it but keep it on the DL.
Considering they had a sign that said:
No Barbecue Sauce (Nothing to Hide)
No Forks (They are at the End of Your Arm)
No Kidding (See Owner’s Face)
I highly doubt they weren't assholes about it.
then don't go there
Cooks are artist. You shouldn't be idignant if a painter refuses to use your favorite style of brush or if a filmaker prefers a certain lens.
I'm willing to bet that people not going there was a factor in them starting to have sauce.
The American dream has come to an end.
There's this food truck around here called "Fuzzie's Fries" and he refuses to serve ketchup or even supply it because he's so confident in the quality of his french fries. I once heard a story of someone bringing a ketchup packet there and Fuzzie lost his goddamn mind.
yes
Speaking as a Texan: good meat speaks for itself. Sauce is a crutch, a band-aid for bad barbecue.
Bow down the the superiority of NC style, cowpolks.
Manifest destiny blows westward once again.
But seriously, all of it is good.
Unless you're a damned old fuckin YANKEE who thinks bbq is a verb and is just old dads in jorts grilling behind their lakehouse in which case go straight to heck
Wtf I want an all white ethnostate now
Shield your eyes
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/347/954/019.png
Tbh this would be pretty amazing with some potato mash
It's just so empty and uninviting
If its real barbecue it doesn't need sauce
What it needs is some mixed veggies and mash and it'll be set, maybe gravy
What do you feel about sauce with barbecue on buns tho?
Sauce is fine if that's your preference, but depending on what sauce, and what meat, you may be judged for your choices.
this looks less appetizing than my fucking old high school cafeteria food
Damn, our local, highly praised place is all about their sauces
https://image.zmenu.com/large/17894/20150106042552644187.jpg
They were assholes about it. If you asked for sauce they'd tell you to go eat somewhere else.
If you like to eat your low quality and overcooked meats with sauce, thats cool. Youre wrong but thats fine. Sauces like ketchup and bbq sauce being used on meats is like using whiteout on your term paper; its a sign of a person who sucks at cooking.
Lockhart is off the beaten path and the only reason people every really go to Lockhart is to go to Kreuz.
I know they do a lot of bussiness selling meats via mail, so I doubt their bussiness was dying. They probably just got tired of Austin sissy hipsters throwing fits over having to eat good sauceless meat with their hands.
Right? The other day I walked into a Taco bell and they didn't even have a hotdog, motherfuckers
It really depends on what the dish is. Sometimes a sauce can complement the dish by adding a new flavour. Eg I’ll always have my doner or halal snack pack with a bit of hummus and garlic sauce.
But yeah, for some foods the sauce just overpowers the rest of the items. Eg I cook this kind of fried rice with spices, vegetables, meat, onions and jalapeños. I used to have it with sweet chilli sauce, barbecue sauce or soy sauce depending on my mood. But then I decided to have it without any sauce at all, and with all else equal, there was so much flavour which I never realised was there. I imagine it’s the same for American barbecue foods.
Being a huge BBQ fan, I love both sauce, and sauceless meats. It really is about the quality of the meat, the sauce, and how that works together.
Kansas style BBQ is pretty amazing, so is North Carolina, and Texas BBQ is my next stop for good BBQ so we'll see. I'm sure it's great though.
I agree that good meat doesnt need sauce, but I'd still put sauce on it given the opportunity
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