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Franklin's BBQ?

MCnParker

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With all the chat about brisket over the last week in different threads it made me start to think about the people who wait for hours on end in Austin to get a chance to have some of the BBQ they make. Would any of you do it? I know it is hard to say without having tried it, but what would be the longest you would wait to get some? If you have tried it, what are your thoughts?

If you don't know what Franklin's is than don't worry about, just move along this thread is not for you.
 

Mandelon

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We went way early to Salt Lick, to avoid the long wait. So good. Ribs, and the Pecan Pie... MMmmmmm.

I could wait an hour maybe.... if I planned ahead and knew about it.
 

Joker

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With all the chat about brisket over the last week in different threads it made me start to think about the people who wait for hours on end in Austin to get a chance to have some of the BBQ they make. Would any of you do it? I know it is hard to say without having tried it, but what would be the longest you would wait to get some? If you have tried it, what are your thoughts?

If you don't know what Franklin's is than don't worry about, just move along this thread is not for you.


Heading to Austin tomorrow. Thanks for the lead
 

TX Foilhead

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:DPlenty of room at the Salt Lick and you can bring your own beer so who cares if you have to wait.

Now if you bring beer and lawn chairs @ 6 in the morning to wait in line for Franklins then you’ll probably get run off pretty quick.

I believe Franklins has a way to bypass the wait by ordering online these days. There are hundreds of BBQ joints in the area so waiting for Franklins is more of a hipster thing for people with no cars in my opinion.

Just remember that BBQ is a lunch thing here, the Salt Lick is the exception, if it’s around for dinner it was left over from lunch and usually very over cooked.
 

LHC30

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I have their book....from what I have read and the pics I have seen, I would have to wait at least once.....
 

bowtiejunkie

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I'd wait maybe an hour if I had to stand.

Whether the hype is worth the wait, I'll never know. I just don't enjoy standing around or in line waiting hours for something, especially a meal. If you could punch in an order and go wander the city, I'd be ok with that. But, that's not how it works at Franklin's or most any other good BBQ joint.
 

Joker

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They are usually closed by 3pm, the sell till its gone so let us know what you think...

We’ve got 4 days to try it[emoji1303]


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teded

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4 of us got in line at 5:45 am at Franklin BBQ, we were 1st in line. Gets crowded fast. The wait is not bad, kind of a party. CVS Pharmacey next door so you can get beer or whatever, they have lawn chairs people have left. It was worth the wait.


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Tackleberry

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Has anybody even eaten at Bludsoe’s BBQ in LA ?
Didn't know they moved, used to hit the Compton location frequently. Looks like the prices went up at the new location, the $125 family tray used to be $70
 

Sandlord

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when I was there, I always got the brisket.
Franklins, Salt Lick, Rudys, Boeing Cafeteria, County Line, etc.
Its all good, Franklins might be at the top, but any Texas BBQ is still better than BBQ in any other state.
For what its worth, the Rudys in AZ might be the same recipe as the Rudys in TX, but its not the same brisket. Its still good though.
 

Xring01

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With all the chat about brisket over the last week in different threads it made me start to think about the people who wait for hours on end in Austin to get a chance to have some of the BBQ they make. Would any of you do it? I know it is hard to say without having tried it, but what would be the longest you would wait to get some? If you have tried it, what are your thoughts?

If you don't know what Franklin's is than don't worry about, just move along this thread is not for you.

No
Because my briskets are better.
 

shunter2005

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I have a friend who lives near Austin and frequents Franklin's when his son come to visit. Knowing him for over 40 years, it's hard for me to believe that he will wait in line, 3-4 hrs, since he is the most impatient son of a bitch I ever met, other than me. He also says that brisket is strictly for tourists, but he waits and eats that Franklin brisket. He raves about it.
 

Boat Bling

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Waited about 1.5 hours at Pappy's in St Louis. Made friends with a few people in line and joined their table, worth it.

Planned my travel day around that visit. Only spent 2 min to take a pic of the arch on my way out of town a few days later, shows where my priotities are haha.

-Zack

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MooreMoney

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Franklins is is worth the wait in my opinion. Last time I was at franklins they had a coffee stand and chairs. People were drinking in line too. It’s Texas people don’t mind a open container as long as you are acting normal.

If you are ever in houston Texas go to Gatlins bbq. I think it’s the best bbq I have ever had.
 

pronstar

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Legit BBQ places in Austin that are worth a visit:
Terry Blacks (line moves fast, it’s cafeteria-style where you grab your own grub before you sit down)
La Barbecue (prolly our favorite, and you can call-in orders so don’t have to wait)
https://apps.statesman.com/austin360/eats/restaurants/70/la-barbecue/

One of our all-around faves is a badass Japanese restaurant called Kemuri Tatsu-Ya. They take reservations. Amazing place.
https://apps.statesman.com/austin360/eats/restaurants/229/kemuri-tatsu-ya/


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rvir4us

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Best brisket in the the world is at franklins.I’m from the central Texas (Taylor) and franklins is worth the wait. Don’t miss coopers bbq in hill country or blacks in Lockhart or even southside market for hot guts in Elgin. Yes hot guts. Below is the order I had in May at franklins. It’s a big party while waiting in line. And yes I make my own brisket on a reverse offset. The last pic is my brisket I made last week.
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Xring01

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Being from texas, born and raised..

Every family i knew bragged about who had the best brisket.. Like High school football teams.. religion...

In between Bandera and Fredricksberg where two roads crossed..

Under an oak tree... no town for 15 miles.. was an old man, truck towing his smoker..

Best freakin brisket on the planet..

Why, that old man didnt have a tooth in his head.. but could eat his brisket.. melt in your mouth tender... sold by the pound, with a loaf of white bread per lb.. thats all he sold..

That dude had to be 75 when I was 10, I remember him there when I was 22 when I was on leave from the Navy.... under the same tree. Selling brisket..

Fame, popularity... nope he didnt have that.. way to small, no businees or marketing skills.

But the best brisket i have ever had.. spent the last 25 plus years trying to figure what that toothlees bastard did.. because i still havent figured it out..

Hate that fucker.. he died and didnt pass on his secrets.. yes i am jokng on that last part.

Moral of this story.. Brisket is religion in texas.. dont focus on the big names and marketing.. find that no name place... get wowwedd..

Uvalde, Helotes, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Catulla, i can keep going.. all of these places have brisket that can compete with Franklins or any others.

Its almost impossible to find bad brisket in Texas, can you find bad pasta in Italy?
 
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rvir4us

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Xring I appreciate your opinion and yes finding mouth watering central Texas brisket in small towns and cities cooked up by unsuspecting characters is part of the fun.

See I grew up in the shadow of vencil mares at Taylor cafe and bobby mueller. Both central Texas bbq legends and brisket experts. They didn’t need big banners, commercials or even write ups in Texas monthly to gain a following. It was all word of mouth.

Who helped franklin in the beginning? Oh that would be John mueller.. hell franklin bought his first big offset from and who owns la barbecue in Austin? Well another mueller family member. Ask any of them who makes the best and they will all point a finger towards E 11th street. Aaron franklin perfected the Austin style central Texas brisket period.

Guaranteed that old man west of 35 was smoking with mesquite which seems to be the big draw in that part of Texas. Franklin uses post oak which the majority of Austin, Lockhart and the likes use now. The big names were all once small names as much as the no names could be someone’s by the time it’s all said and done.

The big names are the legends of bbq in Texas and have lead the renaissance of today’s bbq giants. Vencil and bobby, the blacks and the smittys of the world.

It’s actually really easy to find bad brisket in Texas. I should know I used to own a shop in llano lol
 
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kevin1988

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Has anybody even eaten at Bludsoe’s BBQ in LA ?

I went to the Compton location a few times while it was still open. Being a white guy from Murrieta, I got a few uncomfortable looks. They took your order behind bullet proof glass. Had to eat on the tail gate of my truck in their parking lot as they didn't have tables in the dining room. So worth it though. Food was fantastic!

Their new location on La Brea is good, but the Compton location was better. and wayyyy cheaper.
 

charlyox

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I would wait a few hours. I had to go to Phoenix last week and the wife noticed a Rudy’s BBQ. We went there and grubbed out. Great stuff.
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brianwhiteboy

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Going to Austin next month for F1 so some good bbq will be in order. Keep the suggestions coming! :cool:
 

EBT531

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Dont forget La Barbeque in Austin. If you know 3 days in advance, you can order online and skip the wait. No minimum order
 

Old Texan

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Those questioning a wait in line do not understand Texas. If Texans are in a line at any hour in front of what looks to be a purveyor of BBQ and hints they serve cold beer, inside or out, you're likely to miss an excellent social gathering prior to lunch or early dinner.......Slow down and enjoy face to face with a few Texans:D
 

shunter2005

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If you are going to the Austin area and have a little time and a vehicle, slide down to Luling, TX for lunch at the City Market. You will not be disappointed. Killer Q, ribs and sausage are my faves, but the brisket ain't too shabby either, even though I am not a brisket guy, unless it's top plate. Pintos, sweet mix and sweet onion slices go pretty dang good with the Q. Their sauce is some of the best ever, IMHO.
 

farmo83

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I’ve lived in Texas pretty much all my life and I can’t bring myself to wait at Franklin’s. As has been mentioned before I have had so much other what I consider really good bbq I just don’t see Franklins being worth an additional 6 ish hours of my day. I’ve been to Coopers, Blacks, Killians, more Rudy’s then I care to count, Salt Lick and many others. There actually used to be a County Line on Lake Austin and we used to go by boat.


I waited in line at Killians for about 45 min which is about my limit. They had free beer during the wait as well.


My father in law loves Franklins and BBQ in general. He bought the book and watched Franklins you tube channel several times and we had a “Franklins” brisket cook off where we tried as best we could to duplicate Franklin’s taste. As I mentioned before I’ve never been but my FIL said we got extremely close. As such I’ll be following the recreation method.


As far as BBQ in the Austin area, not having been to Franklin’s I recommend Salt Lick.
 

Old Texan

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I’ve lived in Texas pretty much all my life and I can’t bring myself to wait at Franklin’s. As has been mentioned before I have had so much other what I consider really good bbq I just don’t see Franklins being worth an additional 6 ish hours of my day. I’ve been to Coopers, Blacks, Killians, more Rudy’s then I care to count, Salt Lick and many others. There actually used to be a County Line on Lake Austin and we used to go by boat.


I waited in line at Killians for about 45 min which is about my limit. They had free beer during the wait as well.


My father in law loves Franklins and BBQ in general. He bought the book and watched Franklins you tube channel several times and we had a “Franklins” brisket cook off where we tried as best we could to duplicate Franklin’s taste. As I mentioned before I’ve never been but my FIL said we got extremely close. As such I’ll be following the recreation method.


As far as BBQ in the Austin area, not having been to Franklin’s I recommend Salt Lick.
You my fellow Texan have been traveling past some good times. And with all due respect, I read into a couple lines of the above and sense a bit of a Brisket snob. Just an observation and personally seen perspective based on similar experiences around the BBQ palaces of our great state and other regional subcultures of the process......:cool::D
 

Joker

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IMG_1109.jpg


Had an amazing meal today [emoji1303]


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JBS

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I’ve lived in Texas pretty much all my life and I can’t bring myself to wait at Franklin’s. As has been mentioned before I have had so much other what I consider really good bbq I just don’t see Franklins being worth an additional 6 ish hours of my day. I’ve been to Coopers, Blacks, Killians, more Rudy’s then I care to count, Salt Lick and many others. There actually used to be a County Line on Lake Austin and we used to go by boat.


I waited in line at Killians for about 45 min which is about my limit. They had free beer during the wait as well.


My father in law loves Franklins and BBQ in general. He bought the book and watched Franklins you tube channel several times and we had a “Franklins” brisket cook off where we tried as best we could to duplicate Franklin’s taste. As I mentioned before I’ve never been but my FIL said we got extremely close. As such I’ll be following the recreation method.


As far as BBQ in the Austin area, not having been to Franklin’s I recommend Salt Lick.

Your post about sums it up for me. My wife is from Corpus and we go to Austin a couple of times a year. I will not wait in line. Salt Lick is great and rarely a long line.

There are some decent places in Corpus but not like SL.

In Phoenix we have Little Miss BBQ. The owners trained at Franklin's. It is good but again lines.
 

farmo83

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You my fellow Texan have been traveling past some good times. And with all due respect, I read into a couple lines of the above and sense a bit of a Brisket snob. Just an observation and personally seen perspective based on similar experiences around the BBQ palaces of our great state and other regional subcultures of the process......:cool::D

Lol I won't deny I've had some great brisket in my times, cook offs, bbq joints, etc. I don't mind some what of a wait, it's no different then any other place to eat on a weekend night after all. I also for the record love BBQ( my wife often complains I could eat it every day of the week). I get it's more of a social thing, I actually met a few friends I keep up with waiting in line for Killians ( in the rain I might add). The thought of getting up at 5am to go wait in line for lunch isn't something I've brought myself to do( at least yet).

Hopefully we'll meet in a reasonably length BBQ line at some point in the future fine sir. If we do I'll for sure have a beer fo ryou or buy you one!
 

rvir4us

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If you won’t wait in line at franklins .... go wait in line at snows bbq in Lexington. I’ll just leave that morsel of knowledge right here :)
 

rrrr

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I take a pass on Austin BBQ and head down to Lockhart. Kreuz and Smitty's are my favorites.

There is fantastic BBQ in almost every town in a 50 mile radius of Lockhart. It's just part of the DNA of Central Texas.

Don't be fooled by lackluster reviews of the brisket at either place. There are trolls that post their exalted opinion just so they can look like BBQ experts.
 

Motor Boater

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My neighbor is from west Texas and is a BBQ god. He studies and reads all the time. He’s been to Myron Mixons class and has one of his smokers. He pretty much studied Aaron Franklins videos, books etc and cooks that style brisket. It is nothing short of amazing. The thing I like about his food is he doesn’t use mesquite at all. So many people think that bbq means mesquite and it is such a harsh wood with super strong horrible smoke profile.
 
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brianwhiteboy

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Bumping this to the top. Heading to Austin later this week for F1.

So many good suggestions here and looking for more. Not looking to wait in a long line like Franklin’s.

I’m likely to traveling to San Antonio and Houston as well. Any other go to places around those areas? :cool:
 

Joker

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Bumping this to the top. Heading to Austin later this week for F1.

So many good suggestions here and looking for more. Not looking to wait in a long line like Franklin’s.

I’m likely to traveling to San Antonio and Houston as well. Any other go to places around those areas? :cool:

Terry Blacks was great and the line went quick.
 

Shlbyntro

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With all the chat about brisket over the last week in different threads it made me start to think about the people who wait for hours on end in Austin to get a chance to have some of the BBQ they make. Would any of you do it? I know it is hard to say without having tried it, but what would be the longest you would wait to get some? If you have tried it, what are your thoughts?

If you don't know what Franklin's is than don't worry about, just move along this thread is not for you.

It's a lot of hype and though I've had it and it's pretty good I like my place a hell of a lot better.

"It's All Good BBQ" off of hwy71 in Spicewood. Just outside of Austin on the NW side.
 

sintax

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Bumping this to the top. Heading to Austin later this week for F1.

So many good suggestions here and looking for more. Not looking to wait in a long line like Franklin’s.

I’m likely to traveling to San Antonio and Houston as well. Any other go to places around those areas? :cool:

I'd suggest checking out La BBQ in Austin, its just a couple blocks away from Franklins. Last time I was out in Austin, Franklins was too busy so we went there. I was just as impressed.
 

rvir4us

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2m smokehouse in San Antonio is fantastic and if you go about 60 min north east of San Antonio you will end up in Lockhart Texas. Blacks , kreutz, and smittys are about 3 min from each other .
 

rvir4us

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2m smokehouse in San Antonio is fantastic. Quick stop in Luling between San Antonio and Houston right off 10 you can hit up luling bbq or city market. Quick 15 min trip north from there you can hit the Capitol of bbq in Texas in Lockhart. Blacks, smittys, kreutz.
 

shunter2005

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Stopped in the new Black's in New Braunfels last month. It was ok, but I have had much better at the original in Lockhart. In their defense, it could be the new pits and may take a while to season up. I really wanted the HUGE beef rib they are famous for, but I settled for brisket and sausage.

We were in Georgetown (north of Austin on I35) last week and happened on a hole in the wall joint, called Hello Sweetie BBQ. It was a tiny place, but there was a lot of traffic in and out. We had brisket and jalapeno sausage. It was much better than I expected when we drove up. The owner also had some nice soul food sides, including collard greens, fried cabbage, yams and the other usual BBQ sides. I had the cabbage and it was very good. Pinto beans were also excellent with plenty of chopped brisket in them.
 

pronstar

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I'd suggest checking out La BBQ in Austin, its just a couple blocks away from Franklins. Last time I was out in Austin, Franklins was too busy so we went there. I was just as impressed.

Call a day ahead (there’s a pickup window on the side of the building) or go at off hours.
The line at La Barbecue can be just as long/slow as Franklins [emoji106]


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sintax

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Call a day ahead (there’s a pickup window on the side of the building) or go at off hours.
The line at La Barbecue can be just as long/slow as Franklins [emoji106]

Very true, The only saving grace with La BBQ is they let you drink in line, and they are attached to a pretty impressive liquor store.
 

Duffster

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Here’s Salt Lick last week out in Austin. I hit it up everytime I’m in town visiting family but I think they are getting too expensive compared to some of the others for what you get. It’s cool that you can bring your own cold beverages in.

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