Franklin Barbecue

Austin, TX (The Joy of Food) — For many, Franklin is barbecue mecca, the promised land where you’ll find a magical pot of brisket, pork ribs, and other delicious delights at the end of a double rainbow.

For a long time, Franklin has been considered the best, since 2009 really when Aaron Franklin, its founder, launched the restaurant in a trailer about barbecue joints. The brisket has sold out every day since its establishment, sourced from Meyer Angus beef that’s rubbed only with salt and pepper, proving that simple is always better.

Meats at Franklin are seasoned and then slow-smoked using oak wood in smokers located behind the restaurant. The brisket, pork ribs, and pulled pork are tender, moist, and fabulous. The brisket is the star with fat that’s evenly distributed and marbleized throughout the entire cut, giving each piece a flavor profile that’s unparalleled.

Everybody’s heard about the line. It’s the law of supply and demand that rules supreme here. Franklin Barbecue is open six days a week (closed Mondays) 11 a.m. – sold out, amounting to roughly three hours of lunch service per day. This leads to an I’ve-gotta-have-it frame of mind and daily ensures that the perimeter of the restaurant looks like a feeding line at the local soup kitchen.

By the time you get to the front, you’ll be staring at the meats with I’m-not-deranged-just-drunk-and-starving eyeballs. There’s a bit of a tailgate setup with coolers, snacks, frisbees, and lawn chairs to make the long, arduous journey more bearable. You wait for about as long as it will take you to digest what you’re going to eat here. How’s that for a visual?

Humorously, there are always a few Ubers dropping off late-comers, mouths opened and stunned, clearly disappointed that this won’t be quick like the Jack in the Box drive-thru.

Finally, the moment of reckoning. Once you get to the end of the rainbow, you’ll encounter a friendly leprechaun (yes, singular) hand-carving cuts of beef, pork, turkey, and other meats for you by the pound and placing them on a cafeteria tray lined with butcher paper. Napkins double as plates, quickly soaked through by drippings from some of the moistest brisket I’ve ever seen. On the side are also piles of pickles and onions, along with a stack of wet naps, which you’ll definitely be needing.

Like everything else, the rest of the menu is very simple and offers a handful of sides: pinto beans, potato salad, and slaw. A few desserts sweeten the deal at the end, including little pies baked by Cake and Spoon, a local purveyor of sweet treats and pastries in the Austin area.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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