(For some reason that escapes me, your fearless restaurant blogger has failed to dine at Franklin in Austin. It's this year's biggest BBQ sensation and I'm not one to miss something like that. Don't worry, I'll get there. My friend Wes Kitten has been there twice and writes about it for us today. He graciously let me borrow this photo and text from his blog. The photo shows folks waiting in line for the privelege of scarfing some Franklin barbecue.)
I first heard about Franklin from a friend. He said that you have to get there around 9 a.m. for their 11 a.m. opening and they sell out in an hour. He said a certain publication named it not only the best BBQ in Texas, but the best BBQ in the U.S.
Now, I’m not one to say some place is the best or this place is superior to that place, but I know what I like and I’m the one eating it so that’s the only thing that should matter. Still, I will take into consideration what reliable sources say. Shortly after my friend told me these things a couple friends of mine were talking about going down to Austin to eat there before a David Crowder concert. At the time I had forgotten the name Franklin, I just wanted to go down and hang out in Austin. The day comes and we get to Franklin around 12:30.
Like most who probably visit this place, we don’t know to get there early. This was a weekday, if it was a Saturday, there would be no doubt that no Franklin BBQ would have been had. We enter the building and the line is to the door. We are told they will probably sell out by the time we get to the front to order. We think it won’t be that long to get up there so we just chance it. Thankfully there is enough.
After experiencing this and seeing all the articles about them pasted on the wall, I text my friend and ask if the place he was talking about was Franklin BBQ. He said it was and I immediately got more excited. We procede to order. I order a brisket sandwich and beef ribs. I think it was beef ribs, I’m only unsure because they didn’t have them the second time we went. I remember them being pretty long and the guy serving was pretty excited they had them so we got them. I could be wrong, they might of been pork ribs, it’s so unlike me to not take a photo of my food.
Anyway: the brisket sandwich. So much brisket — around half a pound. I had to eat half of it with a fork cause the sandwich was too big for my mouth. I’ll critique the brisket when I write about the second visit in the next paragraph. Beef ribs. Who likes beef ribs? I did, if they were in fact beef ribs. They had to of been, I remember being very surprised. They were excellent. Can’t say too much more about them since that was about seven months ago.
Now for the second visit. My good friend Timmy is leaving Waco for New Orleans and he wanted one last hoorah Texas style. He knew about Franklin and how much we loved it. We also planned to visit a couple breweries. This time around, the trip was on a Saturday. We pulled out of Waco around 7:45am and we arrived at Franklin about 9:30am. There was quite a line already but not long enough that would keep us from that meat.
Since we knew about the wait, we brought chairs and beer. We got our place in line, took a seat, opened a cold PBR, and proceded to wait. Knowing we had to wait for 2-3 hours made it a lot better. We had a good time with good conversation. When they opened the doors at 11 we gradually moved up in the line and brought our chairs along. Once we got close to the door, the chairs went back in the car and we ended up standing for only about 45 minutes, a total wait time of three hours. I think this made it sweeter, smelling all the BBQ for that long and finally getting to eat it. The photo with this blog is right before getting into the door. When we got in line, it was back where that white truck is.
Looking at the menu, we all knew what we wanted. The “Two Meat Plate w/ 2 Sides.” We get to the counter to order and the owner, Aaron Franklin, is taking our orders. He’s a really nice guy and slices with authority. Here’s an action shot of some brisket slicing.
Finally, sitting at the table. My food is in front of me and before I begin I must document it.
I can finally eat! First the brisket. I requested burnt ends. I was told they don’t make them “Kansas City Style” or even purposefully make them but they still gave me some. First bite was a burnt end. Wow. So much flavor. The “bark”, as the outside is called, had so much flavor, the perfect amount of burn. I can’t name the specific flavors, but it was so good. I opted for fatty over lean. It was the perfect amount of fat. It wasn’t chewy but just melted in my mouth. Now for the ribs. Wow. So tender. I’ve never seen ribs separate from the bone like this. Not only is there nothing left on the bone, all the meat comes of like it’s a sleeve and it was never attached to the bone.
I don’t know how long they smoke these ribs but it’s long enough for that to happen. Also the bone is soft — soft enough to feel it give between your fingers. The flavor is amazing as well. The pork ribs are the best BBQ I have ever had. Since I was also documenting the food, I had my left hand clean and my right hand covered in sauce and grease and meat. I was able to eat my entire meal with one hand. That’s how tender it was.
Amazing.
I didn’t realize how big of a deal this was until afterwards. As for the sides, nothing special. I don’t even want sides, it gets in the way of that meat. Now, the sauce. They have a typical non-sweet sauce, a vinegar sauce, and an espresso sauce. My go to sauce is vinegar and this didn’t disappoint. The non-sweet sauce was good as well. I didn’t use much on the meat, as the meat was so good without it. Used more by dipping the bread in it.
But wait, the espresso sauce. Now, this might sound weird, but I wouldn’t use this on meat. It’s just not the kind of flavor to pair with it. I dipped a lot of the bread in it though. The flavor is amazing, very complex. There’s the obvious coffee flavor and then there’s something else, I couldn’t figure it out but I loved it. I just want a big bowl of it and eat a whole loaf of bread with it.
In summary. Great brisket. Extraordinarily awesome pork ribs. Ok sides. Good sauce. Long wait. Worth it. BBQ food baby nap afterwards.
