Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: If bacon is a gateway meat, then this brisket is like…an 8 ball I guess?
It is 9:05am in the morning in Austin Texas. It is about 80 degrees and climbing and a slight humidity. I wanted to pretend to be cool and not show up at 9am, wanted to be too cool to show up at 9am on the dot and looking like a crazy person. That changed when I got there and the line was already 20 people deep. Right after I showed up, 10 other people showed up and by 10:30, the line was out to the parking lot as far as I could see. Okay, I did not have my glasses, but the line was very long. This is the typical scene at the line at Franklin’s Barbecue. This may have actually been a toned down line because the UT game was the previous night and otherwise hardcore ‘cue fans were nursing and tired out from an easy UT victory.
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| 10:30am. They open at 11. |
Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue does not have a barbecue generational pedigree story, though his parents owned a barbecue place for a few years. At most, he has a trailer to brick and mortar story, of succeeding. His brisket has been voted, tested as one of the best in the nation. And since no one does barbecue like we do, I will affirmatively say, in the world as well. I was a doubter and thought it was a whole lot of hype but I quickly changed that when I ate there.
I was going to go light because other barbecue was on the itinerary, I was going to go with a half a pound of brisket, but after a quick taste I had to add a couple more slices. A sausage link, and ribs are part of my standard fare. I got a takeout order for my friends that were not as crazy about barbecue as me and lucky for them, I am only an asshole sometimes. MEAT
The brisket, I mean there is not much to say except it is everything that brisket should be and then some. The brisket supranatural that is right, supranatural (step above super-natural). I do not care what church of barbecue you worship, from Carolina to KC, if you cannot appreciate this or see the greatness of this brisket, get zombie Joe McCarthy, because you sir, are a Communist. Hell, even a Communist cannot not like this brisket, if Stalin knew about this brisket, the Iron and Sickle would have a picture of this brisket. The way it just jiggles, just barely hold together. When they cut the brisket in half separating the moist and lean it is like looking into a geo rock that you see for sale at science museum for an absurd about of money. It is just striations of fat and crevasses of meat and other geological metaphors. The fat is beautifully marbled through the meat and it is just a sponge for the juice that barely containing it. It is just that good. I am pretty sure if you eat enough of it, you do reach a point of nirvana, or you know a stroke depending on your health.
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| Your meat dealer |
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| I need to eat this...privately |
The ribs are also very good as well, light spice rub and allows the porkiness to come through and for being in beef country, they do pork well. The sausage is fine though once you eat the brisket; everything else is really just overshadowed. The brisket does not need sauce, but it is available on the side if needed for the other things. The two main sauces are his espresso barbecue sauce and this peppery and smoky sauce. I personally would go with the peppery smoky one. Though I appreciate the espresso spiked one, the espresso seemed overpowering and was heavy on the sweetness, guessing from molasses and sugar. Personally, it needed a bit of acid to cut the sweetness but that is just me. But really, sauce is not needed. I ended with the bourbon banana cream pie because it is just what you get when you have eaten about a pound of meat but secretly, I wanted more brisket.
I cannot think of anything I would wait in line that long for. Always waited to check out restaurants when the crowd died down, hell no for an Apple anything and you are straight dumb for any amusement park ride. My usual limit is an hour tops and that is pushing it. I am saying it now, the barbecue, specifically the brisket, hell just the brisket is worth the wait and getting there at 9am. This is not a tourist trap or a one hit wonder, everyone, from food nerds with lazy friends like me, guys living down the block, people from other states were all waiting patiently for the barbecue. As I always say for doubters and haters places that have long lines and get a lot of press, fine don’t go. That is a shorter line for the rest of us.
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| Banana cream pie |
Franklin Barbecue
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