[ REGIONAL TRAIL // THE SMOKEHOUSE DIARIES // LEXINGTON HUB ]
DESTINATION: Snow's BBQ
GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 30.4133° N, 97.0097° W (516 Main St, Lexington, Texas) (Saturday only, opens 8 AM)
HISTORIC TRAIL: Kerry Bexley opened Snow's in 2003 in tiny Lexington; pitmaster Tootsie Tomanetz has run the pits for over two decades, and Texas Monthly has twice named it the best barbecue in Texas
CULTURE BEAT: A Saturday-only pilgrimage — a line in the dark, a guest book of distances, the anthem before the doors open, and an owner who thanks every single person who made the trip
The alarm
The night before we were going to Snow’s I was so excited I could barely sleep. I finally fell asleep at 11p and at 2a, when the alarm went off 3 short hours later, my body was tired. I seriously debated on rolling over to fall asleep but the Chief called reveille and reminded me that he knew how sad I’d be if we didn’t go. My heart voted yes at 11. Tired body tried to veto at 2a but reveille won.
I had watched Snow's BBQ on a screen for years, back in Michigan — Tootsie Tomanetz at the pits, this little place in Lexington that only opens on Saturdays. You can watch a place for years. It is not the same as standing in the dark for it.
The line
We were numbers 28 and 29 when they started counting off numbers before opening for the raffle. We didn’t win any prizes but were still so grateful for the opportunity to be standing where we were. There were people waiting there since 6p the day before!
At 4a the line is camp chairs on gravel under a sky Austin never shows me anymore. I found Orion overhead — I love that constellation — and went looking for the dippers and Taurus, and mostly gave up the star app I'd meant to redownload because the conversations around us took over. The mingling was part of the moment. People had come from as far away as Dubai and Austria.
And the silos. Those silos!! My Magnolia moment again here in Lexington, Texas. I have always loved silos — and if I EVER hit the lotto, there will be signs. I would write downwind from Snow's anytime. I would never need a candle on the weekends, just prop open a window and let that post oak scent my spaces.
A little after 5a, I walked around the back of the building to get a better view of the pit room. Clay Cowgill was there managing the pits — I recognized him from his cameo on Chef's Table: BBQ. He gave me a friendly nod, wished me good morning and told me I could take any pictures and videos I wanted. And I listened! That turned out to be the spirit of the whole place. Patient, welcoming and appreciative of our presence.
First light
Before they open for business, they take a moment to play our national anthem. Texans are a proud and patriotic people.
The sight of Americans and others standing with their hats off and their hands over their hearts — in this country that I love so much. Powerful. I love how they still make time to remember that freedom isn't free, that somewhere out there, someone is standing the watch so we can be.
At the door there's a guest book, and visitors sign it with where they're coming from. A ledger of distances, right there at the door — everybody in that line had traveled for this. It means a lot to me that Kerry even does this…I’ve not seen this anywhere else so far and shows me that he truly does appreciate the journeys we make to get there.
The food
I came for Tootsie's chicken and her pork shoulder — the signatures I'd watched for years, but we couldn’t leave without trying a few more things. I tell you…the things I do… ;-)
But let me tell you about the ribs.
They were the best ribs, point blank period, that I've had in Texas. The Chief agreed. I'd take those ribs over a dinosaur beef rib in a heartbeat. If I'd have known how good they were... I would have gotten a whole rack. I won't make that mistake next time.
Hindsight is 20/20, and it stands for tray choices too. My tray size would double!
Snow's does not wrap those ribs — love that texture and bark. The tooth on that is so nice. Not steamed.
I couldn’t stop remarking to Clay as I was sitting next to the pit eating, that the ribs were not only the best bite on my plate but in the state of all the ones I’ve tested. Only after I'd said it again and again did he tell me Gordon Ramsay, someone I deeply respect, had said the same thing. The home judge and the television chef landed on the same rib, independently. I'll take that company.
And Tootsie's chicken: so moist. That's the whole sentence. So moist.
The pork steak had a nice smoke and crust and the brisket sported a nice smoke ring. The sausage had good flavor and snap.
I recognized the woman cutting the meat on the line was the same woman from the Chef's Table: BBQ episode about Snow's the one we watched in Michigan for years. Six years on, same hands on the line. People stay at Snow's. That's not an accident. Cutting that volume of meat is hard work and probably why other places have burly guys cutting meat all day long but those gals were working their tails off running food back and forth and moving the line forward. The whole team with Kerry and Tootsie at the helm, with Clay doing the angel's work is what makes Snow’s the success it is. What makes people want to wait for hours, it’s not only the food.
Even now, as I drink my sweet tea out of my new souvenir cup reminiscing about the whole day, the memory of that meal and that day live on.
The owner is there
Here's what sets Snow's apart, and nobody can copy it off a menu: the owner is there.
Kerry Bexley is there every Saturday morning doing the same thing — calling out the numbers, giving out the special prizes. Snow's runs a raffle just to show appreciation for people who wait hours in line. Kerry thanked everybody for coming out, and I believe he genuinely appreciates people lining up for hours. Kerry being present means so much because he is taking the time to connect with those who make that trip.
After we ate — house custom is photos after the meal — I watched group after group line up with Tootsie and Kerry under the neon Texas sign. Being so close to two people I've watched on screen for so long made my heart happy. #blessed
Getting to talk to Clay was another blessing. Watching him work, seeing the respect he has for the craft and seeing the pride on his face holding those beautiful ribs... he is in the right place, at the right time. I'll look for him every time I go back there to sit next to the pit ,talk BBQ with him and watch him work.
The epitome of Texas in one shot
One of the really fun parts of my day: I spotted a man across the room in a cream cowboy hat and a Texas-map shirt and started taking his picture before I even knew who he was. That hat and that shirt! It was Derik Strelsky of Texas Barbecue magazine — barbecue reporter royalty — there doing his thing beside the pits, paying his respects to Tootsie who stopped what she was doing to say hello, interviewing Clay and working the crowd like the Texas BBQ star that he is. He lit up the room!
At one point he had everybody chanting about Texas barbecue. I wish I had gotten the picture of that, but you can follow him to see it on social. He's worth the follow. Even though I didn't get a picture of that, the memory of those smiling faces, excited to be at Snow's in a line 2 hours after opening, likely hungry from seeing everyone leave with their trays and still happy to be there! A down to earth guy with a smile that’s infectious and the epitome of Texas in one shot.
The quiet road
For me the visit to Snow's was so much more than the food. It was the pilgrimage — to see Kerry, Tootsie and Clay and the gang. The national anthem. Seeing the stars at night. The joy of seeing those silos.
This town reminded me of life back home — rural, quiet country — and I appreciated the solace and comfort it provided in those few short hours. The biggest difference is, back home I had the best burgers and virgin bloody marys (don't tell Tito's) at a little bar out in the middle of nowhere — and tucked away quietly in Lexington, TX is a little place serving world-class barbecue after a magical starry night.
We drove home in the daylight, but the memories I keep are from when the sun still slept.
The stars; people and heavenly.
The place at the end of a quiet road with some incredible BBQ, including the best chicken & ribs in Texas.
And a pair of silos with post oak scent on file to dream about. ❤️
