If you walk down Barton Springs Road in Austin, you’ll see a line of people snaking around a building, sweating under the Texas sun for a taste of post-oak smoked brisket. Most of them think they are standing in line for a man named Terry Black.
They aren't. Not exactly.
Terry Black is a real person, sure. He’s the patriarch, an accountant by trade, and the man who unwittingly became the face of one of the most aggressive, smoky, and litigious family feuds in the history of American barbecue. But if you're looking for the guy at the pits, you're looking for the wrong generation.
The Family Beef That Split Lockhart
To understand who Terry Black is, you have to look at the town of Lockhart. It is the "Barbecue Capital of Texas," a place where the air smells like a campfire and the local economy is basically built on grease and salt. For decades, the Black family ran The Original Black’s BBQ. It was a monolith.
But families are messy. Especially when there’s money and brisket involved.
In the early 2010s, a rift opened up. Terry Black—the son of the second-generation owner Edgar Black Jr.—found himself on the outside. Depending on who you ask in Lockhart, it was either a business disagreement or a "palace coup" involving a fax machine. Terry's twin sons, Mike and Mark Black, weren't about to let the family legacy go.
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They wanted to open their own spot in Austin. They wanted to call it "Black's Barbecue Austin." Their uncle Kent, who still ran the original shop, said absolutely not. He hit them with a cease-and-desist.
So, the twins pivoted. They named the restaurant after their dad. Terry Black’s Barbecue was born out of a legal necessity, a middle finger wrapped in butcher paper.
More Than Just One Terry
Here’s where things get weird. If you Google the name, you might stumble upon a "Terry Black" who has nothing to do with brisket.
- The Canadian Teen Idol: In the 1960s, a kid named Terry Black from Vancouver was a massive pop star. He had a hit called "Unless You Care" that featured Glen Campbell on guitar. He eventually moved to Toronto, joined the cast of Hair, and became a staple of Canadian music history before passing away in 2009.
- The Hungarian Performer: There was another Terry Black (born Károly Rácz) who was a famous transvestite performer and activist in Hungary. He was a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights in Eastern Europe and lived a life that couldn't be further from a Texas smokehouse.
- The Baylor Basketball Legend: If you're a sports fan, you might remember Terry Black the "human pogo stick." He played for Baylor in the early 2000s and was known for dunks that looked like they defied physics.
But in the context of 2026, when people ask "Who is Terry Black?", they are almost always talking about the Texas BBQ brand.
The Man Behind the Logo
The actual Terry Black isn't a pitmaster. He’s an accountant. He grew up in the business, yeah, but his contribution to the current BBQ empire is more about the "back of the house." He’s the guy who handles the numbers and the logistics.
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Honestly, it’s his kids who did the heavy lifting on the branding. Mike and Mark took the Lockhart style—simple salt and pepper rub, no sauce required—and brought it to the masses. They turned their father’s name into a lifestyle brand. You can buy Terry Black’s hats, shirts, and even their vacuum-sealed briskets shipped to your door in New York or Seattle.
The "real" Terry is often described as a perfectionist. His hobby? Fixing things around the restaurant. His family jokes that he’ll take a 20-minute repair job and turn it into a two-hour masterpiece. That level of obsession is probably why the restaurant actually works.
The Feud That Won't Die
The rivalry between the "Original" Black's and Terry Black's is legendary. It’s not just talk. There have been lawsuits over billboards. There was a famous incident where a sign was allegedly cut down with a saw.
When the original Black's got into some hot water over a $230,000 tip-pooling issue a few years back, the Terry Black's side didn't hold back. They put up a marquee that read: “Another 230,353 reasons why you should eat at Terry Black’s BBQ.”
Petty? Maybe. But in the world of Texas BBQ, where everyone is fighting for a spot on the Texas Monthly Top 50 list, it’s just business.
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Why This Matters to You
If you're planning a trip to Texas, you're going to face a choice. Do you go to the "Original" or do you go to "Terry's"?
Kinda depends on what you want. The Original Black's in Lockhart feels like stepping back into 1932. It’s gritty, it’s historic, and the sides are... well, they’re traditional. Terry Black’s (the Austin, Dallas, and now Lockhart locations) is more of a "machine." It’s efficient. The sides—like the Mexican street corn and the mac and cheese—are actually good, which is a bit of a heresy in old-school BBQ circles where the meat is supposed to be the only thing that matters.
Actionable Insights for the BBQ Hunter:
- Go early, but not too early. Terry Black’s is built for volume. Unlike some places that sell out by noon, they usually have meat until dinner.
- Check the Lockhart location. If the Austin line is two hours long, remember they opened a massive spot back in their hometown of Lockhart. It’s often less crowded.
- Don't ask for sauce first. Taste the brisket plain. That’s how Terry (and his sons) intended it.
- The beef rib is the "showstopper." It’s expensive—sometimes $60 or $80 for a single rib—but it’s a literal pound of meat that looks like something out of The Flintstones.
Terry Black might have started as a name on a legal document to bypass a family feud, but today, he’s the face of a BBQ revolution that proved you can scale "authentic" smoke without losing the soul of the craft. Just don't expect him to be the one slicing your turkey at the counter. He’s likely in the back, making sure the math adds up.