When hype meets expectations- Franklins BBQ

In Austin visiting Diane’s daughter. Always wanted to try Franklins and we did on a rainy Sunday. I am no BBQ expert, had seen all the hype about Franklin and looked forward to it.

Arrived around 730 Sunday morning. We were about 20th in line. We were under the roof - which was good since it was drizzling. Coffee place opened at 8- nice to have. They come around and ask what you might be ordering to get an idea of how much they will have.

The wait was part of the allure for me. Was social and fun.

11am doors open and about 20 minutes later we were at the counter ordering. 2 lbs brisket, 1 lb pork ribs(4 bones) 1lb sausage(5 links) 1/2 lb turkey.

Brisket was amazing - tender,juicy WOW.
Ribs- really good- tender, juicy, flavorful
Sausage- good but next time would skip. Same with turkey.
Would love to try the beef ribs- but they didn’t have them the day we were there.

This was a lot of food for 4- lots of leftovers.

Would do this again in a heartbeat. Very enjoyable morning and the BBQ was fantastic.

Man, do I love some good brisket. Sounds wonderful!

I’ve been a few times, the brisket was always amazing but the sausage was inconsistent. Unbelievable the first time I had it, lackluster the last.

I had a bite of turkey the weekend after Thanksgiving a few years ago and remember being floored by how moist it was.

Thanks Jay, I’ve often wondered whether to make the journey when I’m in Texas, but looks like it may be worth it.

Next time you’re there on a Saturday you should head out to Lexington, TX and go to Snow’s.

Only open on Saturday from 8am
http://www.snowsbbq.com/

Then make the 30 minute drive to Louis Mueller

Tom - I’d say well worth it. Friday’s and Saturdays are crazy - need to be there by 7 from what I heard. Sunday was a good day - perhaps the sprinkles kept the crowds down a bit also.

I am more than a little surprised that the BBQ serves pork ribs, instead of the ubiquitous beef.

I suppose larger cities are going to be more cosmopolitan than old, brick-road towns deep in the state.

Here in Louisiana, it’s pig all day long.

If you ever get a chance to catch Aaron Franklin’s show on PBS you should do so. It shows that he respects and enjoys the full spectrum of BBQ – meats, cooking methods, woods, and sauces.

When is it on Tim ?

Mondays at 3PM on channel 20 in Chicago. I think the episodes are available online as well.

Haven’t been yet, but I bought his book “Meat-Smoker’s Manifesto” and it is really fun and worth the $18 or so in hardcover form from Amazon. Even bought extras to give as gifts to some friends that don’t quite have the gestalt of Q figured out. The book is mostly about that-the spirit of individually finding a path to good smoked meat. He hints that in his opinion, an offset direct flow stickburner is the only form of pit that can render his idea of good Q, but other than that, he is fairly open to the idea that his methods are simply his and that others have equally valid methods of producing great smoked meat.
As to the comment about pork-he covers it. Yes, his customers want pork ribs and pulled pork too. But Aaron Franklin is not the type to carry the torch for traditional Texas fare. He feels he can be a purist by sticking to his methods and striving to make great product irrespective of the type of meat and yet (somewhat inconsistently) he pretty much sticks to salt and pepper rubs and no sauce.

my good buddy was just there today, said the same thing. but said it was worth the wait for the brisket alone. And you can drink in line so it passes the time.

The brisket at Franklin is pretty excellent. Debatable as to wether or not it is the best in Austin or in Texas. I think the best sausage in town is at LA BBQ- the hot guts sausage is just dynamite IMO. Some Texas sausage purists don’t dig though. As Bowden mentioned, Snow’s is also very good. A complete package- though only open one day a week. The beef rib at Louis Muller is also choice.

Good Texas BBQ is one of the world’s great and unique foods. When done right, it’s also among the most satisfying. But it’s so damn hard to do correctly. That’s why places like Franklin and the other top places are such treasures–it’s so much harder to replicate what they do than what your average hyped high-end restaurant does. True artisan food.

My sentimental favorite is Louie Mueller. The brisket is killer, the beef rib is unparalleled, and there is something about the history and going up to Taylor, TX that completes the package. I’ve never been to Snow’s but I need to get there.

(NB: I say this as someone born and raised in SoCal; I’ve only been in TX a few years.)