#25 - FRANKLIN BARBECUE - A Celebration of Texas BBQ

The world-famous Franklin Barbecue was my 25th stop on my visits to Texas Monthly's top 50 BBQ joints in Texas.  My first trip to Franklin Barbecue was in 2016, on a Saturday morning after watching the Foo Fighters at ACL.

My alarm went off at 6:00 am, and I struggled to pull my dehydrated husk out of bed to get in line at Franklin.  What I found was my first true Texas BBQ scene.  I was the 20th person in line.  The man at the front was celebrating his 70th birthday.  Three enterprising kids behind him were being paid $50 apiece to hold spots for other customers.  Next was a group serving V8 and vodka, followed by some folks from San Marcos, a producer from LA and a group of UT students slamming breakfast beers until they passed out.

It was quite a scene.  We got to know each other, traded BBQ stories, talked about politics, football...whatever was necessary to burn 4.5 hours.  Around 9 am, a Franklin employee took our order so they could estimate how much meat they'd have for the day; another came by handing out cold beer.  The restrooms opened early too, which was smart considering how much liquid was being consumed in the line.  They also sold T-shirts and other Franklin memorabilia.  Anticipation was high and everyone patted themselves on the back for being at the most talked about BBQ restaurant in Texas.

The doors opened at 11 am.  Aaron Franklin himself was standing by the cash register and I must admit I fan-boy'd a bit.  When it was my turn, I ordered brisket, sausage, beef ribs and turkey to go (about $200 worth of meat).  I was salivating to get my first taste.  I pulled back the brown paper wrapping and picked up a delicate slice.  It was lightly smoked with a thin dark bark on the outside.  It was so moist it fell apart in my hand...always a good sign. I took a bite and waited for the fireworks. There weren't any. No choir of angels either. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it.  It was great, smoked meat, nothing more, nothing less.

So when I picked up my Texas BBQ Passport and realized I had to go back to Franklin to get it stamped, I wasn't excited.  I had fought the crowd, eaten the 'cue and lived to tell the tale.  Would I eat it again?  Sure, if someone else stood in line to get it.  But now I didn't have a choice.  I developed a plan that would get me to Franklin at one of the slowest times of the week...10:30 am on a Wednesday, to be exact.

When I arrived, I found the exact same scene.  I was 20th in line again but there wasn't anyone behind me.  The guys at the front were downing breakfast beers (I'm pretty sure they were from Heim BBQ!), an elderly couple was in deep conversation in their lawn chairs, the folks in line shared notes about their favorite BBQ meals.

This time, however, the line went much quicker. I had shaved 4 hours off my wait, left with my passport stickered and 2 lbs of brisket and 1 lb of sausage -- no sides, no sauce -- flight-ready in less than 1.5 hours.

To be fair, I wish I had gone to Franklin Barbecue in the early years when it was just a food trailer.  I would have enjoyed focusing on the meal, not the scene.  But after two trips to Franklin, I think I've figured it out.  It's a Celebration of Texas BBQ....a Holy Land for BBQ Lovers.  Those in line with me estimated that more than half the people in the restaurant were from outside Texas.  They were excited to be there and they didn't care how long it took to order and eat. Everyone knew the history of Franklin Barbecue and they were well educated on the BBQ scene in general.  In other words, you don't stand in line at Franklin Barbecue unless you're a committed meathead, a dumb local trying to get a sticker in a BBQ passport, or both.

How did the brisket hit me this time?  It was, of course, fantastic.  Moist, with a perfect bark and very flavorful. I think the main difference between Franklin and many other BBQ joints is the intensity of the smoke.  Franklin's brisket didn't leave me feeling like I had brushed my teeth with a charred log.  On the contrary, it was perfectly smoked and buttery.  The sausage was pretty fantastic too.  In other words, it lived up to the culinary hype that built the global reputation for Franklin Barbecue.

After making my way through the line, I triple-wrapped my beefy bounty, tucked it inside my luggage, and headed out the door to Bergstrom Airport.  I knew I would make a drug dog happy, but the biggest surprise was going through the TSA Checkpoint.  As my bag went through the X-ray machine, a voice called out. The exchange went something like this:

TSA Agent: "Sir, do you have brisket in your bag?"

Me: "Yes, is that common?"

TSA Agent: "Sir, this is Texas."

Thank you, Aaron Franklin, for building the Taj Mahal of Texas BBQ and for delivering a quintessential Texas BBQ moment.