[ REGIONAL TRAIL // THE SMOKEHOUSE DIARIES // AUSTIN HUB ]
DESTINATION: Franklin Barbecue
GEOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: 30.2701° N, 97.7313° W (900 E 11th St, Austin, Texas)
HISTORIC TRAIL: Aaron Franklin started in a trailer in 2009 and built the most famous barbecue line in America — a James Beard Award in 2015, and a cookbook half the line has already cooked from
CULTURE BEAT: The line is the lobby — lawn chairs, neighbors, and pilgrims who arrive having cooked the man's recipes at home, coming to taste the original
Tuesday — Sans Lines
We flew in that day, straight from the frozen tundra, and our hotel was just a few blocks away. We were excited we made it in time to stop in at all — by the time we got there, around two on a weekday, they were already out of some things but we were able to walk right in and get brisket. I'll call that a win, walking in to Franklin's, sans lines and getting brisket. #IBrakeForBrisket
The tray was simple: sliced brisket, lean and fatty together, a boat of pinto beans, white bread, pickles and onions. And the brisket — the brisket is definitely delicious. I could tell the quality of the brisket was on point. I can see why they say the brisket is king there.
I built my bite the way the tray invites you to: brisket on white bread, sauce, a pickle, an onion. The sauces live at a pump station where the house explains them in its own words — Original, Vinegar, Espresso, Spicy — and they were delicious, all of them. The Espresso was the standout in our opinion.
Dessert was a whole little Bourbon Banana Pie, glossy custard over a crumb crust. I know sometimes desserts are one of the last things to get on a BBQ menu and I was glad to see that Aaron understood the assignment and followed through with bourbon. I will always choose bourbon disguised as a treat!
Then there is the shop, because Franklin's is not just a barbecue joint — it runs a serious general store. Cookbooks stacked on the wall, knives in a wooden crate, bags of their own charcoal, sauces and rubs, hats and beanies. So much great merch, vintage inspired like the theme of the restaurant.
Saturday — The Full Chance
The second time, we decided it was time to give it a full chance, and that meant the famous line, waited in properly.
The line has its own mechanics. Chairs are provided until they run out and you can grab a drink while you wait in line. We chatted with a guy from Australia. A member of the team was coming around to explain the process and the cuts and get an idea of what people are expecting to order to get a gauge for the kitchen. It is a well-run wait, as waits go.
The tray ran fuller this time: the brisket, yes, but also pork ribs with a coarse black-pepper bark, a sausage link and pulled pork — three things January's two-o'clock tray never got the chance to show us. White bread, pickles and onions, three sauce cups lined up in front.
Everything was delicious; sausage, ribs and pulled pork. The brisket was still the king.
This time dessert was the Texas Pecan Pie, packed with glossy whole nuts over a flaky crust, a Lone Star beer to wash it down… #beerpairings anyone? Both desserts were a home run!
Friday — The Beef Rib
The third visit was a wet, grey morning — rain-slick street, the line queued under the awning — visiting with an out of town guest. The chairs stretching the line longer than it appeared but they folded up quickly before opening, and we all moved noticeably closer to the door.
Inside, the menu is handwritten on butcher paper, the whole offering in marker. I had one thing on my mind: the beef rib. It is a weekends-only cut, and we were close enough to the front that they weren't going to run out. That was the whole excitement of the morning.
The tray was the fullest of the three visits. The beef rib stood at one end on its bone like a monument, near-black bark glittering with seasoning. Sliced turkey in the center — good, and moist. Pepper-crusted pork ribs, brisket, sausage link, a boat of yellow potato salad with a tangy mustardy dressing that tasted fresh, pickles and onions, bread.
The beef rib was good, nice smoke and good flavor. Now the fairness part, because it matters: the particular one I got may have been fattier than most I've had on the trail so far. I know that they are inherently fatty, and like brisket or any other cut of meat, it all depends on the slice you get. The next persons rib may have been the epitome of beef ribs. So the rib gets its "good" with my caveat attached, and the caveat is about me and the rib on my tray that day, not about the rib. Will it stop me from ordering it again? Maybe, maybe not but their other offerings make it a solid visit when you are in the Austin area.
And the brisket did what it does: a slice draped over a plastic fork, bending without breaking, juice pooling on the paper. King, still. And the reason that Franklin's has won so many accolades in the barbecue world and is one of a handful of Michelin BBQ restaurants in Austin.
Three Visits In
Three visits: one weekday walk-in that felt like a gift, and two honest lines. I know what I am standing in that line for. The brisket — definitely delicious, the king of the place — the Espresso sauce, and a tray that gets fuller every time I learn how the day works.
Truth is, this was a pilgrimage. I knew Aaron Franklin's fame long before I stood in his line — I'd seen him in Chef and in cameos here and there — and his brisket recipes had already been through my own kitchen: a competition one, and his plain salt-and-pepper rub. I watched his Masterclass on barbecue. So I didn't arrive as a tourist. I arrived as a cook checking her homework. Their barbecue is solid. We're all better off that Aaron was a diligent student of barbecue and grateful he was willing to share his hard won knowledge with us!
The brisket is incredible, the barbecue is great. And the desserts hit — banana pie the first time, pecan the second. I will stand in that line again, and I'll know exactly why.
