My trip to Franklin BBQ

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gruene smoke

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Did a BBQ crawl in and around Austin this past Saturday (Franklin BBQ, Louie Mueller in Taylor, Southside Mkt in Elgin, and Salt Lick in Driftwood) Highlight of the day was Franklin's

We arrived at 7:30 AM to get in line for the 11:00 opening and there were about 75 people ahead of us. About 830 they come through asking everybody what they are going to order so they have an idea of when they will run out and let those people behind that point know they might as well leave. Told us we'd get to the counter about 12:45 and were spot on. We were belly up to the counter at exactly 12:45- 5 hrs and 15 minutes after arrival.

IT WAS WORTH EVERY MINUTE- We ordered brisket, turkey, sausage, and ribs. The meat cutter gave us a sample of burnt ends and OMG!! As soon as we tasted it we doubled the amount of to go brisket we had ordered.

Brisket tasted like it was made by angels. I have NEVER had brisket this good. Melts in your mouth. I mean I'm good... DAMN GOOD, but I'll admit I cant make a brisket as good as Aaron Franklin. Turkey was right up there too. Good ribs but not the best of the trip. Not impressed with the sausage.

I would get in line again in a heartbeat for the brisket. If you are considering a visit to Franklin's and you love BBQ it's definitely worth the time commitment
 
I love BBQ, but I'm not sure I'd wait that long. But now that you went Ill try to convince myself I should. Great post, its good to know the real scoop.
 
silverfinger said:
If I'm ever up that way you will find me in that line. And I do not do lines.
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I hate lines too, and have to be convinced that the thing at the end of the line is worth waiting for. But I would absolutely be willing to roll the dice on this and have planned to visit Franklin's when I'm in Austin.

Thanks for the report, OP.
 
...thats why i learned how to master brisket and do it at home...Glad you enjoyed it!
 
If you go in knowing you'll be waiting in line and adjust to it it's all good. I spent the time catching up with my little sister and meeting Gore. Anyway, all I need is something to read and somewhere to sit and I'm good for any amount of time anywhere.

Southside Market is also a great spot. I'm looking forward to checking out Louie Mueller's one day and the Salt Lick is more about the fun than great BBQ IMO.

You should check out John Mueller Meat Co. next time you're in Austin - fanfarkingtastic place. I'll give the edge to Franklin's for the mind-blowing brisket, but I may prefer John Mueller's for the overall experience, side dishes, etc. but yeah, I'd do the line thing at Franklin's again, esp. with some fun folks to hang out with. I generally hate lines too btw, and it's usually something that will keep me from going somewhere, but in this case I make the exception.
 
The line in itself is an experience, Bring a chair, a stocked cooler and everybody is really friendly. I was with a group of old fraternity brothers (Some came in from Dallas) so we spend time catching up but also made friends with those around us too. Time really flies.

We would have gone to John Mueller's on 6th but its only a few blocks from Franklin's I'd been there before. When you do a BBQ crawl you have to build in some time between stops to digest what you just ate.


Salt Lick is about the experience, but they had the best ribs of the trip. I've been there several times but most of our group hadn't so they wanted to end there. Which was a wise choice. After a day of standing in line at BBQ joints it was good to sit inside at table and have a waitress take the order and fill my tea.
 
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gruene smoke said:
The line in itself is an experience, Bring a chair, a stocked cooler and everybody is really friendly. I was with a group of old fraternity brothers (Some came in from Dallas) so we spend time catching up but also made friends with those around us too. Time really flies.

We would have gone to John Mueller's on 6th but its only a few blocks from Franklin's I'd been there before. When you do a BBQ crawl you have to build in some time between stops to digest what you just ate.


Salt Lick is about the experience, but they had the best ribs of the trip. I've been there several times but most of our group hadn't so they wanted to end there. Which was a wise choice. After a day of standing in line at BBQ joints it was good to sit inside at table and have a waitress take the order and fill my tea.
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And the view at the Salt Lick ain't so bad either. They grow 'em nice in TX. :thumb:
 
Wow - that must be some BBQ to wait that long and say it was worth it! I'll have to give it a try next time we're there. Do they do take out? :wink:
 
woodsider said:
Wow - that must be some BBQ to wait that long and say it was worth it! I'll have to give it a try next time we're there. Do they do take out? :wink:
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If you want to order in advance, they're about 5 weeks out I think. :shocked:
 
So the question is - any tips for making the trek? Wife and I will be out in Austin just before Vet's Day in November. Want to try Franklin's but she and I both have very little patience for lines. I keep hearing it's worth the wait...but I just have a hard time justifying wasting 4-6hrs in line when we're only in a new city for 2-3 days.
 
^^^Maybe you can order to-go ahead of time. I'd go ahead and contact them if I were you. You have to order weeks in advance. As to eating there, the wait is long, but I'd do it again - but then again, as long as I have a chair and a book I'm good just about anywhere. I really dislike lines, but Franklin's is an exception and IMO worth it.

Franklin's is amazing, but it's not the only place in Austin to get amazing BBQ. John Mueller's is incredible, and I've heard very good things about La Barbecue and Stiles Switch. Lockhart isn't far away, and Elgin is also close by (Southside Market and Meyer's). There's also Taylor, TX.

This blog is a great guide to TX BBQ joints. You really should take a look at it.
 
Thanks gtr. I'll look into the pre-order. Seems they're already sold out for all of Sept/Oct and wont' start taking preorders for November until 10/6. I'm setting a reminder on my work computer to call that day.

If we can swing the pre-order @ Franklin's, we'll most likely make our way to a couple other spots through the long weekend (I'm thinking Mueller's and LaBarbecue...subject to change).

I'll check the blog link - I very much appreciate the reply!
 
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