Snow’s BBQ in Lexington Only Opens on Saturdays — Here’s How to Plan Your Visit

Most barbecue joints in Texas want your business six or seven days a week. Snow’s BBQ in Lexington asks for just one morning. If you want a taste of what many folks consider some of the finest smoked meat in the state, you’ll need to plan your Saturday around it, set an early alarm and show up hungry.

Here’s what to know before you make the drive to this little Lee County town, from when to arrive to what to order once you reach the front of the line.

A small town with a big barbecue reputation

Lexington sits in Lee County, in the rolling farm and ranch country between Austin and the Brazos Valley. It’s a town of only about 1,200 to 1,300 people, roughly an hour’s drive east of Austin and around two hours northwest of Houston. On most days it’s quiet. On Saturday mornings, though, cars with license plates from all over Texas and beyond start lining up along Main Street before the sun comes up.

The reason is Snow’s BBQ, owned by Kerry Bexley. The joint landed at the very top of Texas Monthly’s 2008 Top 50 barbecue list, a ranking that turned a tiny Saturday operation into a pilgrimage stop almost overnight. It has shown up on the magazine’s Top 50 list several more times since.

The pitmaster who made it famous

Much of the attention around Snow’s centers on Tootsie Tomanetz, the longtime pitmaster who has tended the fires here since the early 2000s. She helped design the pits and became known for cooking over direct heat with a shovel and a mop, keeping things simple and steady. For years she also worked a weekday job in the Giddings school district, then spent Saturdays at the pits.

Her story reached a national audience through the Netflix series Chef’s Table: BBQ in 2020, and she was named a James Beard semifinalist in 2018. Texas Monthly reported that she was still working the pits before dawn in 2024, well into her eighties. If seeing her is part of your reason for going, keep in mind that schedules change, so don’t count on any one person being there on a given Saturday.

Saturday only, and only until it’s gone

This is the part that trips up first-timers. According to the official Snow’s website, the restaurant is open Saturdays only, starting at 8 a.m., and stays open until the meat sells out. There’s no Friday or Sunday service to fall back on.

“Until sold out” means exactly that. Texas Monthly has reported that brisket often runs out around 1 p.m., and on busy weekends it can go earlier. Plenty of visitors arrive well before opening to get a decent spot in line. A Texas Monthly writer who showed up around 5:30 a.m. in 2024 still counted dozens of people ahead of him. If brisket is the main event for you, plan on arriving early, and treat anything after late morning as a gamble.

A few tips for making the morning go smoothly:

• Leave home early enough to arrive before 8 a.m., especially in spring and fall when road-trip traffic picks up.
• Bring a folding chair and a jacket on cool mornings. You may be standing around a while.
• Eat a light snack before you go. Barbecue for breakfast is the whole point, but waiting on an empty stomach is no fun.
• Bring your patience and a friend. The line is part of the experience, and folks tend to be friendly.

What to order at Snow’s

The Saturday menu is short and focused on the meat, sold by the pound so you can order as much or as little as you like. You’ll find brisket, pork spare ribs, pork shoulder steak, turkey breast, chicken, and two kinds of sausage: original and jalapeño. Sides keep it classic with potato salad, coleslaw and pinto beans, and drinks are iced tea, water and sodas.

Brisket is what put the place on the map, and it’s the first thing most people ask for. The pork shoulder steak is a little less common on Texas barbecue menus and is worth trying if you’ve never had one. If you’re feeding a group, ordering a little of several meats is a good way to sample the whole lineup.

Texas Monthly has noted that recent additions include free beer and cocktails at the bar and a separate building with restrooms and merchandise, which makes the wait a bit more comfortable than it used to be.

Can’t make it on a Saturday?

If your schedule just won’t allow an early Saturday drive, Snow’s offers its meats online with flat-rate shipping, according to its website. It’s not quite the same as eating brisket fresh off the pit in Lexington, but it’s a handy option for gifts or for folks who live too far away. Check the official site for what’s available and current shipping details.

Making a day of it

Since Snow’s wraps up early, you’ll have the rest of the day free. Lexington is an easy jumping-off point for exploring Central Texas back roads. Giddings and Rockdale are each a short drive away, and Austin is close enough to head back for an afternoon in the city. Some barbecue fans like to pair Snow’s with a stop in Lockhart or Taylor on the same trip, though that makes for a very full stomach.

Hours, dates and prices can change. Check the official website before you head out.

A morning at Snow’s is a little bit of a commitment, and that’s part of its charm. Get there early, bring a friend and a chair, and enjoy a true small-town Texas barbecue tradition the way it’s meant to be had: one Saturday at a time.