The Best BBQ in the Country?!

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 

Hillbilly Scotch - A Conversion

This post’s topic includes a poor attempt at an explanation for my long hiatus, some highlights of my pilgrimage to Bourbon country, condemnation of hipster douche bags, the corvette of bourbons, a spelling test, and some really bad food. 

My Extended Hiatus.  As both of the readers of this blog have observed, I haven’t posted in quite some time.  I posted less than 10 blogs in all of 2013.  Why?  I’ve been busy with other things and blah, blah, blah.  Actually, I just wasn’t feeling snarky, and the WF can’t write if there’s no snarkiness. 

A Pilgrimage to Bourbon Country.  A few months ago, Huey (my frequent companion in juvenile frivolity) asked me if I would be interested in going to Kentucky for a bourbon trip.  My response was something akin to “Just say when,” “Hell yes,” or perhaps a manly “I love you!”  It was not hard to convince me.

So we did.  We decided to hit as many distilleries as possible, which is hard because they are fairly spread out.  We decided to hit Jack Daniels, Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Willett, Jim Beam, and Woodford Reserve.

A few words on Jack Daniels.  It’s not bourbon, and it’s not particularly good.  However, we decided we had to go.  It’s an historic site which must be seen.  Beautiful, and a really cool tour. Check out the first photo.  Look familiar?  However, they are awfully proud of their whiskey, which is surprising since it’s kinda crappy whiskey. And I don't care if Frank Sinatra loved it!  The only thing good there is their single barrel whiskey, which tastes like a decent bourbon.  Did I mention that Jack Daniels is located Lynchburg, which is in a religiously dry county?  What the hell is wrong with those people?!  That’s just downright un-American.

Onto the good whiskey.  Maker’s Mark isn’t the best bourbon around, but it’s a solid every day bourbon.  It’s also located in an absolutely beautiful location.  Like stunning “wow I could totally live and work here” beautiful.  Did you know that every MM label is made with the original hand operated presses?       

As you drive near the distillery, you see these large black buildings in bunches.  At first, I thought they were prisons.  But, no…..  Those are barrel houses holding up to 30,000 barrels apiece. Oh lord…..  Hold me…..

Buffalo Trace… and why do you care?  Well, let’s start with the fact that Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery is part of Buffalo Trace, along Blanton’s and a number of other small batch fabulous bourbons.  And now you care.  It’s also beautiful, though different than Maker’s.  Imagine a little Pittsburgh grittiness mixed with a lot of Kentucky.  Very cool. 

Jim Beam.  Wait a minute, WF, that’s some cheap ass whiskey and not any better than Jack Daniels.  You’re correct.  However, what you may not know is that they also make Knob Creek, Bookers, Basil Hayden’s, and other very good small batch bourbons. Plus, how could I not go to Jim Beam?  I could totally lose my white trash man card if I didn’t!

Woodfords Reserve.  I think this was the most visually stunning of all of the distilleries and my favorite tour.  They ferment their mash in traditional wooden containers, and triple distill the whiskey in traditional copper stills.  Very old school, and that’s by design. Woodfords is not my favorite whiskey, but it is a very and approachable whiskey and definitely one you should have in your bar at home. 

The Angels’ Share.  So…. What’s with this ‘Angels’ share’?  First, those American white oak barrels aren’t entirely water tight.  They have small little leaks here and there.  Also, as the barrels go through the seasons exposed to hot summers and cold winters, the bourbon expands and contracts within the barrel.  This expansion into the wood is what gives the whiskey it’s amber hue and most of its flavor.  It also evaporates.  The distillers say they lose about 5% each year.  See the last photo.  This loss is called the Angels’ share as it evaporates up to heaven.    

And it smells intoxicating.  My absolutely favorite part of the trip was walking through the barrel houses and taking in the aroma.  I swear.  If they made an Angels’ share perfume, I’d buy it by the gallon for the Red and we’d probably never leave the house.   

A complete conversion?  Yes, I’ve become a white trash scotch lover.  Frankly, I almost never drink scotch anymore.  The only problem with being a bourbon lover is that bourbon has become a cool thing.  There are some whiskeys which are almost impossible to find, such as Pappy’s 20 year.  But, there are many others which the hipster douche bags haven’t discovered and made impossible to find, such as anything Michter's.  Their basic bourbon is great, the 10-year is fabulous, and the 20-year is so good that you’ll forget about this whole ‘Pappy’s’ craze.  Having had Pappy’s and Michter’s 20 year multiple times, I’ll take the Michter’s any day.  Take that, hipster douche bags!

And for the record, Pappy’s is awesome bourbon. As I type this, I’m wearing my Old Rip Van Winkle t-shirt.  It’s just not as good as the hype it’s received.  Nothing is.

The Best Mere Mortal Bourbon Available.  Blanton’s.  You can find it for about $45 or so per bottle, and it’s worth every penny.  Call it the Corvette of Bourbons (most bang for the buck).  I am never disappointed when I buy some.  Here’s a little fact for you – Colonel Albert B. Blanton was the first distiller to ever take a single barrel and bottle it, rather than blend it.  This was long before other distillers, including Scotch distillers, started doing this.

Whisky vs. Whiskey?  Here’s a general rule of thumb:  if there’s an ‘E’ in the name of the country (United States and Ireland), it’s usually spelled whiskey.  No ‘E’ (Scotland, Canada, etc.), it’s usually spelled whisky.  And I personally couldn’t care less, but some take this very seriously.  They must have more free time than the WF.  

Food in Kentucky.  As I’ve admitted in the past, I was raised as a young child in the heart of the South, and I love Southern cooking.  Kentucky is ostensibly part of the South, or at the very least South-adjacent.  Naturally, I was excited about the food before we left. 

Well, I’m sorry to report that food in Kentucky generally sucked.  Like so bad it’s not even worth writing a snarky, holier than thou review.  Like worse that Outback Steakhouse bad.  Bland and generally overcooked, and lord knows I tried to find some decent places!  But, at least most restaurants had a good bourbon selection….

I hope to post more frequently now.  Time will tell......

Happy cooking and drinking.  

WF