This post’s topics include the ‘alleged’
best BBQ in the Country, my new precious, and my first man crush. That I’ll admit to… Don’t judge me!
Restaurant Review – Franklin BBQ,
Austin, Texas. For those of you who know barbeque, you've probably heard of
Franklin Barbeque in Austin, Texas. Bon Appetite and other publications
have declared it the best barbeque in the country.
Come on, now. Let's not be hyperbolic.
The best in the country?! In Austin?! Not Kansas City, St. Louis, or Memphis, but
Austin? I’d like some of what your
smoking! See what I did there? I crack myself up.
Naturally, it's been on my list to
try for, well, since it's been open, though I was a bit skeptical. In my experience, the food rarely lives up to
the hype. I like to judge these things for myself.
The WF clan recently did a short
family vacation in Austin (the Red's little sister lives there). The only
thing I truly wanted to do was to go to Franklin. The planning for the rest of the trip sounded
like “noise, noise, noise.”
So we went to Franklin. The line to even get in is worth a few words.
It starts early in the morning. We got there at 8:30 or so, and
this was how the line looked. Keep in mind that the
restaurant doesn't open until 11! Seriously - am I really waiting in line
for four hours for barbeque? While on vacation?! What kind of a
loser does that?
So the Franklin staff starts
bringing beer early. It's 9:30 in the morning... why, yes, I would like a
beer, and don’t be gone long!
At about 10 or so, one of the staff
members walks through the line getting an idea what everyone will order.
They're trying to determine how long into the line they'll run out, which
they inevitably will, even though they make 1,800-2,000 pounds of meat each
day. She tells us that we will get to the front of the line about 12:30.
We got our food at 12:35. That
woman's got skills.
The restaurant itself was everything
I want in a barbeque joint. Simple and worn but also warm and welcoming.
Also, they only serve barbeque. If you want fried chicken or a
burger, go somewhere else.
As we got our food, we briefly chatted
with Aaron Franklin. Check out the photo with the clan! No pretense with him. Just a genuinely
nice guy with a ready smile. Happy to take photos and chat about barbeque
with anyone and everyone. Frankly, it was a bit surprising. By the way, I also own the t-shirt he's wearing, so I've got that going for me. Which is nice.
So....., onto the food. We ordered two pounds of brisket (some lean (from the
flat) and some fatty (from the point), and 1/2 pound each of turkey, pulled
pork, spare ribs, and sausage links. If I'm waiting in line for 4 hours,
you can be damn sure I'm trying everything. And we got some beans so we could
claim we got at least one side.
Let's face it, I'm not here for beans.
The review? Well, the brisket
is nothing less than the best piece of barbeque I've even eaten.
There. I said it.
The most surprising part is that
there’s nothing fancy about it. It had a
simple salt and pepper rub on a brisket which was smoked low and slow with post
oak, and sliced fresh for each customer. I think the last part is the
key. The brisket doesn't have a chance to dry out. It's sliced
fresh for you while you taste the Scooby snack they just cut for you. I
suppose it also helps that the slices are quickly dipped in something which
looked very close to clarified butter.
Damn that brisket was magical.
I had a moment. Great beefy flavor, which was accentuated and not overpowered by the salt and pepper. Nice mellow smoke flavor.
However, what really set it apart from other briskets was how succulent
it was. The fat had rendered perfectly and the meat was almost, well,
buttery.
I ate it mostly with no sauce the
way God and Aaron Franklin intended. But, I should point out that they
also make a Texas-style sauce with espresso which is awesome.
The ribs were also very good, and
they also had primarily salt and pepper, with a few other minor spices. A
little over cooked in my opinion, but still very good.
Pulled pork - one of the better ones
I've ever had. The salt and pepper really highlighted the pork perfectly,
and it wasn't dried out like so much pulled pork you get. Then again, the
clarified butter (or whatever it was) doesn't hurt.
Turkey - awesome. Who knew?
Also rubbed with salt and pepper, but moist and succulent. Great
with their sauce.
Naturally, I talked my way into a
tour of the pits. I didn't come this close to the barbeque mecca without
seeing the pits. Check 'em out. Nothing fancy here. As near as I can
tell, these are old propane tanks which he made into enormous pits.
In short, I am shocked to admit that
the wait and hype were completely worth it. I seriously doubt I will find
another brisket which even comes close to Franklin's. That man is a
barbeque god, and I will gladly wait in that line again the next time I'm in
Austin. Strike that. Every time I’m in Austin.
I think I have my first barbeque man
crush, and I’m not afraid to admit it.
My New Grill/Smoker. My
family has suggested that I may have a grill issue. If I’m honest, when it comes to grills and
smokers, I’m like a girl with shoes. We
don’t need to discuss how many I may or may not have.I recently got a new one. I ordered it on December 11. I received via truck in late May. I’ll save the description for a future post, but here’s the photo.
So pretty….
Happy cooking.
WF
