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It’s time for Bluebonnet-area barbecue to share the spotlight with its supporting cast, from potato salad to poblano spaghetti
Story by Eric Webb * Photos by Sarah Beal
Picture a plate of barbecue. Maybe you see brisket with peppery bark guarding a glistening streak of fat. Perhaps there’s a shiny link of sausage, the casing ready to snap and reveal the juiciness inside. Don’t forget the beef rib as big as you think your appetite is.
When you’re talking Texas barbecue, meat always gets top billing.
But where would Batman be without Robin, or Brooks without Dunn? Solid co-stars are essential to Texas barbecue, and no trip to the pit would be complete without the supporting cast of side dishes.
Most barbecue joints in the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative region rely on the classics — potato salad, pinto beans and coleslaw. A few restaurants are shaking things up with a fresh take on side dishes.
Barbecue pros know that the side of the plate is valuable real estate, where nostalgia and creativity can be equally delicious. We toured the Bluebonnet service area and stopped at more than a dozen spots to sample side dishes and learn their backstories.
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS MEAT
The Bluebonnet region is home to Texas’ oldest barbecue restaurants, and the oldest of all is Southside Market & Barbeque in Elgin. The business opened its first store in 1886 on Central Avenue.
Hands-on, meat-only dining was the tradition there for decades, even after Southside was purchased in 1968 by the grandparents of current owner and CEO Bryan Bracewell.
Another of Texas’ oldest barbecue businesses, at 208 S. Commerce St. in downtown Lockhart, started serving smoked meats in the late 1800s. In 1900, Charles Kreuz Sr. bought that business and sold to-go barbecue. By the 1920s, Kreuz Market added tables for diners.
At the oldest barbecue spots, meats had only simple accompaniments — onions, pickles, whole jalapenos, slices of cheddar cheese, and crackers or white bread. This tradition lasted for decades. There were no forks at Kreuz Market, and butcher knives were chained to the tables.
In Elgin, Southside Market’s roots as a meat market with a small grocery section set the stage for those early garnishes. Customers would pick items from the dry goods section, then walk down the hall to the barbecue area for their meat. Eventually, the garnishes were moved to where the meat was served.
Another longtime spot, The Original Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, today at 215 N. Main St., has been owned by the Black family for more than nine decades. Edgar Black Sr. founded it in 1932 as Northside Grocery & Market, and the restaurant first began smoking meat to avoid wasting unsold cuts. Like other early barbecue joints in the region, Black’s served meat on pink butcher paper with the traditional bare-bones garnishes.
PASS THE BEANS AND POTATO SALAD
In 1992, Southside Market & Barbeque moved to its current location at 1212 U.S. 290 in Elgin. The restaurant was a spry 110 years old before the first side dishes were added to its menu.
Barbecue businesses are often passed down through generations, with side-dish recipes plucked off the family tree. Adrene Bracewell, owner Bryan Bracewell’s grandmother, started using recipes passed down from her German-Texan family to make batches of pinto beans and mayonnaise-based potato salad — simple, budget-friendly options for families.
Coleslaw was added to Southside’s menu around 2000, and it was another decade or so before macaroni and cheese, garden salads and baked potatoes were added to the menu.
It also took decades before side dishes made their way to the Kreuz Market menu in Lockhart. The restaurant at the old Commerce Street location changed hands in 1948 when the Kreuz family sold it to longtime employee and butcher Edgar ‘‘Smitty’’ Schmidt.
Fifty-one years later, in 1999, the restaurant was renamed Smitty’s Market by Schmidt’s daughter, Nina Sells.
The first side dishes made it to Smitty’s menu in 2001: potato salad and pinto beans, according to owner Sells. The beans, made from a Schmidt family recipe, take four hours to cook. Schmidt’s grandson, John Fullilove, brought a simple approach to the beans — only chili pods, bacon and salt are added for flavor.
Today, Smitty’s also offers coleslaw, green beans, creamed corn and macaroni and cheese, their most popular side dish.
Another Schmidt sibling, Edgar Schmidt’s son, Rick, retained the Kreuz Market name for his barbecue restaurant that opened in 1999 at 619 N. Colorado St. in Lockhart. Sides were introduced there in 2001.
‘‘We started with beans and German potato salad, and it has evolved from there,’’ said Rick Schmidt’s son, Keith Schmidt, the current Kreuz Market owner. Today, those two sides and coleslaw are staples. The pinto beans are anything but a tray filler, thanks to big chunks of jalapeno, a spice blend and a not-so-secret ingredient from the pit: well-cooked chopped brisket.
Macaroni and cheese is the most popular side at Kreuz’s. Another side, sauerkraut, harks back to Kreuz’s German roots, with caraway seeds adding a traditional flavor to the fermented cabbage. Homemade banana pudding is a closing complement to the smoky, salty meats.
At Black’s, the first side dish was introduced in 1937 — pinto beans crafted by second generation co-owner Norma Black. The beans served there today still follow her recipe. Other sides followed in the 1970s, all made from family recipes. ‘‘It was a practical decision. My mother was a great cook. More and more people were eating out, and they wanted sides,’’ said Kent Black, third-generation pitmaster at the restaurant.
In Brenham, Nathan’s BBQ has been located at 1307 Prairie Lea St. for almost 15 years. Manager Cyndi Murski said their sides are prepared from recipes that originated with founder Nathan Winkelmann’s grandmother. The recipes evolved over time. Traditional potato salad joins coleslaw and baked beans on the menu, and Nathan’s creamy macaroni and cheese is its most popular side.
About 13 miles east of Nathan’s is Chappell Hill Sausage Company, 4255 Sausage Lane. Frank and Clara Cone bought the business in 1968 and for decades produced sausage in bulk for regional stores. In the 1990s, the Cones and their children added a retail store, and in the early 2000s, they opened a restaurant on site. The business still sells sausage in bulk.
Tricia Cone said Chappell Hill Sausage Company’s vinegar-based coleslaw and mayonnaise-based potato salad are made using family recipes her parents made at home. She and her siblings make the same dishes in their own homes today.
If you grew up in Texas, both taste like good memories.
THINKING OUTSIDE THE PIT
Some barbecue spots across the region stick with only the classic sides while others, like Outlaws BBQ at 1380 N. Main St. in Giddings, offer both traditional and unique side dishes.
Outlaws is a popular spot for locals and travelers. They sell coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni and cheese, green beans and pinto beans along with fan-favorite “Outlaw corn” on Fridays and Saturdays only.
Co-owner Shane Hoffman is primarily the pitmaster. Jason Heuerman is “the side guy” who adds Velveeta, cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese and jalapenos to the corn for a unique twist, Hoffman said.
Luling’s City Market offers its own take on the traditional side duo of beans and potato salad. Its beans are made fresh daily with bacon and salt, and pair well with potato salad and smoked meats, said Joe Capello, City Market’s pitmaster and manager.
Another Luling barbecue joint, Luling Bar-B-Q at 709 E. Davis St., was founded in 1986. Co-owner Ken Blevins strives for crowd-pleasing tastes for the restaurant’s typical mix of lunching locals and urbanites driving in for a day. The pinto beans are seasoned with cumin for a Southwestern twist. The potato salad packs a lot of flavor and texture into one bite. Two of the restaurant’s most popular sides are broccoli salad and au gratin potatoes.
In Burleson County, Matus Bar-B-Q keeps things simple but soulful. This family-run spot at 304 W. Buck St. in Caldwell has been a local favorite since 1995. Robin Matus and her daughter Renee Matus co-own the business and open the doors on Saturday and Sunday only from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Regulars know to get there ahead of the crowd because the restaurant often sells out of barbecue by 10 a.m. “We call it barbecue for breakfast,” Renee said.
The sides are a modest but meaningful trio: pinto beans, green beans and potato salad. Both beans are made fresh in-house each day and cooked with bacon, because “bacon just makes everything better,” Renee said. What they lack in frills, they make up for in heart — and food that keeps customers coming back.
Renee’s daughters Ember, 11, and Kennedy, 10, also work each weekend. Ember sells homemade bread that’s become a staple of the Matus experience. Renee’s son, Marshall, 16, cuts wood for the barbecue pit and takes care of the landscaping.
New generations bring new flavors to tradition. Barbs B Q, a women-owned barbecue restaurant founded by Alexis Tovías Morales, Haley Conlin and Chuck Charnichart, is one of the newest names on the Central Texas barbecue scene and it is a bona fide phenomenon. The barbecue joint at 102 E. Market St. in Lockhart has made several best-of lists since opening in 2023. In November, the restaurant earned a prestigious Bib Gourmand from the inaugural Michelin Guide Texas, an award given to exceptional restaurants that offer good value.
The sides at Barbs B Q are part of the reason for the acclaim. The restaurant serves boats full of black beans instead of pinto, and each bite is a flavor bomb. Sometimes you get a smoky slice of sausage, a salty crumble of queso fresco or a fresh note of cilantro.
Stew might seem like an unlikely addition to the regional sides lineup, but Barbs B Q ladles a golden mixture of corn, squash and pork over a bed of white rice.
The “green spaghett” is another side that has become a trademark: Creamy poblano sauce clings to slurpable noodles, with a flavor as vibrant as the color and a bit of spice in each bite.
Merritt Meat Company in Fayette County also has adventurous tastes. Just steps away from Royers Pie Haven and nestled among vintage boutiques at 197 Henkel Circle in Round Top, Merritt makes yet another case for Bluebonnet-area barbecue.
Merritt Meat Company was originally the Round Top Smokehouse and was renamed in honor of the late Lee Ellis, the former owner whose middle name was Merritt. The new owners, Abbie Byrom-Botello and Leonard Botello IV — who also own Truth BBQ locations in Houston and Brenham — wanted to build on Ellis’ legacy, including his menu, which featured some Asian-inspired dishes.
Vegetables get their share of the sides spotlight at Merritt. Oaxacan-style Brussels sprouts are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, drizzled in tangy, spicy sauce and tossed with a few kicky peppers. The traditional, crisp Texas-style coleslaw is light, with mustard seed-dotted strands of cabbage cutting the heaviness of the rest of the tray — we’re looking at you, pulled pork.
Slow down in Washington County, or you might miss the corrugated metal structure that houses Truth BBQ at 2990 U.S. 290 in Brenham. It’s worth a U-turn for adventurous eaters. Truth’s corn pudding blends fresh, slightly decadent flavors for a comfort food that is soft and gooey, with a few caramelized pieces of gold studded throughout. It’s like eating kernels fresh off the cob and a homey Thanksgiving stuffing at the same time.
Truth BBQ’s cooks know their way around cheese. The curly noodles of the restaurant’s hearty macaroni and cheese have a pleasantly chewy bite and cling to a zingy sauce. Breadcrumbs and cheese on top add texture and a layer of toasty flavor. Then there’s the tater tot casserole, tasting like a salty bag of potato chips smothered in a blend of cheese and cream.
Top it all off with Truth’s seasonal cake flavors, available now through the fall: triple chocolate, strawberry, coconut, banana and caramel.
Just down the road in Brenham, Matt Cummins, one of the lead cooks at LJ’s BBQ at 1407 W. Main St., has been handling the sides for a couple of years. There’s a practical purpose to traditional sides, he said. Simplicity in cooking means you pay attention to every single thing.
Take, for example, the macaroni and cheese, LJ’s most popular side. Developed by pitmaster Corey Cook, it takes four to five hours to cook, Cummins said. They start the macaroni at 5:30 a.m., a low-and-slow process requiring constant stirring.
Street corn salad, a more recent addition to LJ’s menu, is one of Cummins’ favorites. Smoky corn, charred poblano peppers, mayonnaise, sour cream, cotija cheese, Tajin seasoning and cilantro go into this side.
All these creative twists on traditional sides at barbecue spots across the Bluebonnet region beckon old-timers and newcomers alike. Still some folks prefer to stick with tastes that have withstood the test of time.
Adrene Bracewell is 94 now, so she doesn’t come into Southside in Elgin much. The family brings the restaurant’s food to her.
“She never tells me the recipes aren’t right, but I know I need to check on things if she asks me, ‘So who made the potato salad today?’ or ‘Who made the beans today?’ ” Bracewell said. “She’s too nice to just say it’s not right.”
He pays attention to her gentle hints. Who wouldn’t want to keep their grandmother happy? n
— Sara Abrego and Kirsten Tyler contributed to this story
What’s your sides story?
Barbecue in Texas is a must-have, but the plate isn’t complete without the side dishes. We want to hear your sides stories! Do you have a favorite barbecue joint side dish or a fond memory associated with one?
Leave a comment in the barbecue story post on Bluebonnet's Facebook or Instagram for a chance to win a $50 gift card to your favorite Bluebonnet-area barbecue spot! The deadline is July 20, 2025. The winner will be contacted the following day.
Check out this story as it appeared in the July 2025 issue of Texas Co-op Magazine
Bluebonnet and LCRA representatives present a $19,869 grant to the Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department for new protective equipment. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, from left, are Kyle Ward, Mike Santucci and John R. Ertz, firefighters; Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA board member; State Rep. Stan Gerdes; Matthew L. ‘Matt' Arthur and Margaret D. ‘Meg’ Voelter, LCRA board members; Debbi Goertz, Bluebonnet Board member; Mark Mayo, LCRA board member; Elizabeth Ehlers, LCRA regional affairs representative; Roderick Emanuel, Bluebonnet Board Vice President/Vice Chairman; and Josh Thomas, Bluebonnet’s Bastrop-area community representative.
Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department will soon purchase additional protective equipment to increase the number of firefighters who can safely respond to emergencies with the VFD, thanks to a $19,869 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The community grant, along with $5,159 in matching funds from the VFD, will equip four additional firefighters with gear such as special jackets, helmets and boots to fight wildland, vehicle and structure fires. Having more firefighters can help speed up response time and mitigate potential property damage, injury and loss of life.
“Without this grant, we would only be able to properly equip one of our four trained volunteer firefighters,” said James Lewey, Heart of the Pines VFD treasurer. “When something like a fire happens, our goal is to ensure that every trained first responder is able to quickly jump into action, and frankly new equipment can be very cost prohibitive.”
Heart of the Pines VFD provides emergency assistance to a 35-square-mile area in eastern Bastrop County. The department also provides mutual aid to other area departments and participates in Bastrop County wildland fire task forces.
“Because we are entirely made up of volunteers, there are times when our department receives emergency calls and not everyone will be able to respond,” Lewey said. “It’s vital that we have as many firefighters as we can that are properly equipped, and thanks to this grant we will be able to continue the training of four firefighters that will be able to respond.”
This is one of five grants recently awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Grants program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/grants.
Bluebonnet and LCRA representatives present a $50,000 grant to the Rockne Community Recreation Center for new baseball field lighting. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, from left, are Elizabeth Ehlers, LCRA regional affairs representative; Josh Thomas, Bluebonnet’s Bastrop-area community representative; Matthew L. ‘Matt’ Arthur, LCRA board member; Roderick Emanuel, Bluebonnet Board Vice President/Vice Chairman; Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA board member; State Rep. Stan Gerdes; Marty Mercer Sr., recreation center president; Margaret D. ‘Meg’ Voelter, LCRA board member; Josh Almendarez, recreation center field commissioner; Paige Cox, recreation center vice president; Mark Mayo, LCRA board member; Al Bauer, recreation center member; Stacy Kazmir, recreation center secretary; and Gabriella Almendarez, recreation center treasurer.
The Rockne Community Recreation Center will soon upgrade its community baseball field with new durable light poles and LED lights, thanks to a $50,000 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The community grant, along with $21,888 in matching funds from the recreation center, will pay to replace damaged wood poles and add energy-efficient LED lighting to increase safety at the fields, which host a number of community leagues and events throughout the year.
News of the grant comes at a good time for two reasons. First, the center is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary. And almost as important, the center needed to find a way to stop area birds from damaging wood poles at the field, creating a concern that heavy winds might cause the poles to topple.
“Some of the existing wooden light poles are more than 40 years old,” said Al Bauer, Rockne Community Recreation Center member. “Woodpeckers have actually pecked holes in the existing poles, which have caused a few to break off. Replacing them with metal or concrete poles will ensure the improvements we make are longer lasting.”
The center hosts both youth and adult baseball/softball leagues, as well as an annual BBQ cookoff, a fish fry, Easter egg hunt and other events.
Paige Cox, community center vice president, said the improved lighting will allow the organization to extend its playing hours, which is needed as interest in outdoor recreation and league play continues to grow.
“Our fields have seen generations of families participating in community leagues, and as we approach our 50th anniversary in 2026, receiving this grant feels particularly meaningful,” Cox said.
“These improvements will ensure future generations can enjoy the same sense of community, pride and tradition that RCRC has built over the past five decades.”
This is one of five grants recently awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Grants program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/grants.
Bluebonnet and LCRA representatives present a $27,690 grant to the Delhi Volunteer Fire Department for a new helipad. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Grants program. Pictured, seated, from left, are Greg Guillot, David Reininger, Betty Platt and Joyce Rodgers, VFD supporters; Joyce Smith, EMT-B; and Rachael Guillot, VFD supporter. Standing: Joe Johnson and Cheryl Reininger, VFD supporters; Ray Rodgers, firefighter; Victor Bastien, VFD supporter; Eric Bastien, assistant chief; Cindy Woolley, treasurer and firefighter; Danney Rodgers, chief and EMT; Matthew L. ‘Matt’ Arthur, Margaret D. ‘Meg’ Voelter and Melissa K. Blanding, LCRA board members; Milton Shaw, Bluebonnet Board member; Mark Mayo, LCRA board member; Jo Anna Gilland, Bluebonnet’s Lockhart-area community representative; Josh Thomas, Bluebonnet’s Bastrop-area community representative; Elizabeth Ehlers, LCRA regional affairs representative; and Roderick Emanuel, Bluebonnet Board Vice President/Vice Chairman.
The Delhi Volunteer Fire Department will soon build a concrete helicopter landing pad next to the fire station near Rosanky, thanks to a $27,690 grant from Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and the Lower Colorado River Authority.
The community grant, along with $7,386 in matching funds from the VFD, will pay for a 40-by-40-foot helipad to provide transport helicopters with a safe, permanent landing location with aviation lighting.
“We average about one air transport every eight weeks, and a lot of those transports are happening at night,” said Danney Rodgers, fire chief. “Our department services a pretty remote and rural side of Caldwell County, and we’re often responding to situations that require emergency transport via helicopter. With a growing population in the Delhi VFD service area and no additional trauma centers being constructed in proximity, the landing pad is a needed addition to enhance the safety of our community.”
The new landing pad will enable the department to make arrangements for air transport providers in advance, and emergency responders will have a flat, level walkway from the parking area to the landing pad, providing a safer transfer to the helicopter.
Rodgers said current conditions are less than ideal for emergency evacuations.
“Recently we had a landing that ended up being aborted due to poor ground conditions and another that was severely delayed due to lack of suitable clearance,” he said. “The permanent concrete landing will greatly improve response times for patients, regardless of weather or time of day.”
The Delhi VFD serves eastern Caldwell County.
This is one of five grants recently awarded by Bluebonnet and LCRA through LCRA’s Community Grants program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund eligible capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. Bluebonnet is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.
Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/grants.
News releases
Bluebonnet buildings, vehicles and employees go pink in October to support the fight against breast cancer
For the 13th consecutive year, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative's buildings, vehicles and employees will be illuminated in pink during October to raise awareness of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Throughout October, Bluebonnet's member service centers in Bastrop, Brenham, Giddings, Lockhart and Manor will glow pink at night. Bluebonnet field crews will wear pink hard hats and service trucks will display pink ribbon decals.
Members can visit Bluebonnet's member service centers to receive a pink ribbon pin.
“Bluebonnet is proud to be one of the many organizations across Central Texas that participate in raising awareness every October,” said Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s general manager. “We encourage everyone to learn more about early detection, preventive measures, and signs and symptoms of breast cancer. It could make the difference in your life, or the life of someone you love.”
To learn more about breast cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute’s website at cancer.gov, the American Cancer Society at cancer.org, the National Breast Cancer Foundation at nationalbreastcancer.org or the Susan G. Komen Foundation at komen.org.
Director Jurk earns NRECA Gold credential
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Board member Russell Jurk earned a Director Gold credential from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents more than 900 of the nation’s electric cooperatives. Jurk has served as a Bluebonnet director from District 4, Lee, Milam and Williamson counties, since 2011.
To earn this certificate, Jurk completed two other certifications — Certified Cooperative Director and Board Leadership Certificate — and three courses. He will complete three continuing education courses every two years.
The Director Gold credential recognizes directors who have demonstrated a commitment to continuing education and who understand the responsibilities of board leadership to meet evolving industry demands while upholding democratic values.