I could hear the cows bawling in the background as I stepped out of the truck. Just down the street is the old sale barn where every Saturday for decades now ranchers have been bringing their cattle to market. Off to my right, about the only lights on in  town seem to appear from an old work shed. It’s 2:45 a.m., and as I look closer, I can see a couple of people scurrying back and forth from one place to another. At this time in the morning, it’s hard to see any signs except one and if you know anything about Texas Barbecue it’s a big sign in the form of a little lady. With a somewhat cult following, this woman is often referred to as the First Lady of Texas Barbecue. My senses are alive knowing I’ve arrived at Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas and just a few yards away, moving from pit to pit, is the famous Pit Master, Tootsie Tomanetz.

With her barbecue roots going back to 1966, Tootsie started working at City Meat Market in Giddings, under the guidance of Pit Master Orange Holloway. Tootsie’s  husband, Edward was already enjoying a career at City Meat Market and told her of a  part time job that became available and she went to work! It didn’t take long to notice her work ethic and soon they moved her to a full time position. Tootsie and her husband  continued to work together there for the next 10 years. In 1976 they bought City Meat Market in Lexington and continued that business for 20 years. It was during this time period that she honed her skills as both a Pit Master and a butcher. In those early days, brisket hadn’t caught on as it has today, and sausage was the big seller, remembers  Tootsie. 

Today, Tootsie works alongside the owner of Snow’s BBQ, Realtor, ex-Rodeo Star,  Bullfighter and Funny Man, Kerry Bexely. Together since 2003, they’ve been making  some of the best barbecue in Texas, meaning, of course, the world! Since then, they’ve been named Texas Monthly’s #1 Barbecue joint twice, the first time in 2008 and then  again in 2017. Today you can drive up to Snow’s BBQ at 4 a.m. and see a line of people  lining up across the property. Later in the morning the line will loop around into the alley, turning  that corner into the street and back around the block. All the while, the air is filled with the smell that defines a great Texas barbecue! This barbecue is that good!

I asked Tootsie about what she thought about the rise in popularity of barbecue in the  world today and she said it was great to see but she wasn’t sold on how long everyone would stay in business. She said, “You have to love what you’re doing, and you can’t just learn it overnight. It takes years to gain the knowledge and experience needed to  make good barbecue.” I also asked her about the types and grade of briskets the  competition cookers are using to win in these BBQ cook-offs. She kind of laughed and  said, “It really doesn’t matter, you just need to know what you’re doing and make sure you give each brisket some TLC.”

Later that morning, I had some friends that flew all the way in from Australia just to come eat here at Texas Monthly’s #1 pick and together we tasted what is truly some of the best brisket in the world. We also experienced something we found to be unique. This phenomenon occurs when your first bite of brisket triggers an involuntary loss of muscle control, causing your eyes to roll back in your head and your brain to send mixed signals  to your mouth. We were trying to eat and say words like “oh” and “wow” and then we made noises and grunts like, “ummp” and “mmmm.” We couldn’t believe some of the sounds coming from our table indicating what a wonderful experience we were having! 

As I walked through the pit room with Tootsie, I realized that I was walking with a true  Texas barbecue celebrity. I was with a truly historic woman and I will be telling this story about Tootsie for years to come. She is a little woman standing around 5’3” but Tootsie is a  giant among Barbecue Pit Masters! Of course, all the praise is well deserved of this 2018 Barbecue Hall of Fame Inductee but please don’t take mine or anyone else’s word  for her magic touch. Swing by Snow’s and let Tootsie’s Texas barbecue do all the  talking for itself!