Luling, home of best BBQ and watermelon
In this week's Texas RoadTrippers segment, Steve Campion and Pooja Lodhia head to Luling, the land of BBQ and watermelon!
First stop: the legendary City Market in Luling. City Market is often ranked as the best BBQ in the country. The simple business model has worked since 1958.
"We only have three kinds of meat: brisket, ribs, and sausage," said co-owner Ray Bell. "That's all we've ever fixed. We do it the same every day."
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Luling is a city of just over 5000, but the BBQ has a worldwide reach. In fact, Bell is a celebrity.
"We were on a bus going to the Hoover Dam one day on a tour and a man I didn't even know recognized me," he explained. "He said, 'Are you from Luling?' He said, 'I've been in there eating barbecue before.'"
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About ten years ago, Bell tried to clean the walls. It didn't go well.
"The regular people came in and said, 'oh the BBQ isn't going to be the same now!'"
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City Market is cash only, but you can buy more than your fill for about $10 a person.
And, before you leave Luling, you have got to try the watermelon.
There's even a watermelon thumping festival every year, with seed spitting contests and a Thump Queen pageant.
