When I landed in Austin at half past 11pm, the rain had subsided and the temp was hovering aroun 80 degrees. As soon as I stepped onto the jetway, I ran headlong into the wall of humidity. This would foreshadow the climate in the days to come. Next morning, its 80 degrees once again but at 8am in the morning. It will top out at 95 degrees with a heat index of 105 degrees. This is how it started as I began the 3 hour wait for lunch at Franklin Barbecue.
Franklin's has had some of the highest acclaim for their slow smoked brisket. He does other smoked meats as well including pork ribs, turkey, sausage, etc. He started from a food truck and graduated to his current location
A group of people had already amassed by the time of my arrival. Im just glad it wasnt any longer than it already was. Since it was midweek, I would expect this to be shorter than a weekend opening. They are only open for lunch and close when they run out.
There are communal chairs that you can borrow during your time in line. Everyone is pretty amiable and dont bat an eye of you step out of line to get coffee or take a restroom break. The store opens the doors an hour early to let patrons use the restrooms. A coffee stand is located at the back of the premises.
An employee does come out after a while to sell water, soft drinks, and beer. Coolers of beer were present with a number of people in line. They will also have someone come by to see what people are ordering to guage how many will be able to partake in the days offerings. After a point, a warning is advised that they may not have enough barbecue for them. A few minutes before the actual opening, borrowed chairs are returned to the corral. Over towards the back of the line, you can see a fenced in area where they store their oak logs they use for smoking.
Outside seating on the porch is available in the above picture but air conditioned dining is present in the main area. Order your meats by the pound, there are no combos. Order your sides and drinks then pay and stake piece of tabletop.
Peruse the menu as you wait for others to order and have them fulfilled. Everything was wrapped up in a double layer of butcher paper. All the places used the butcher paper in the same way b but others did provide trays to keep the grease off the tables
Half pound of brisket with fatty and lean portions. A pork spare rib and smoked sausage, each a quarter pound. A pound of meat in front of me and I didnt order any sides that would be too much filler. No distractions, just the meat to focus on as this would be the benchmark everything else on this trip would be judged upon. As expected, I dont care for the lean dry brisket. The fatty brisket was not as moist as I was expecting but the flavor was good. The sausage had some peppery heat to in with a thick natural casing. The texture was not to my liking but the flavor is likable. The standout was the tender pork rib. Though its not smoked as long as the brisket, the smokey notes were much more present than anything else on the paper.
Three sauces are on offer at every seating. They run from thin to thick and vinegary to sweet. The runny sauce helps to cut through the rich greasy meats.
Stiles Switch is on the north side while Franklins and some of the other barbecue trucks are on the east side. For comparison, I would order practically the same thing exceot I was swayed by one of the variantions they sold.
They are open for lunch and dinner to give you more smokey goodness for more hours in the day. Clearly delinated dining floor space and lane for queuing up in to place your order
Stiles offer combo plates with a choice of 1 2 or 3 meats and 2 sides. This give you a better opportunity to sample more things especially if you are a lone diner.
Fatty brisket and jalapeno cheddar sausage with coleslow and potato salad. A diiping sauce for the meats as well. This turned out to be the brisket that topped my list. Moist and flavorful and never dried out during the dining experience. the sausage was overly spiced with pepper and the accompanying heat turn me off this menu item for the rest of the trip. The potato salad was devoured and the coleslaw had a nice citrus aftertaste.
Drinks an alcohol is available. With the current standing of the fountain they way it is, why even bother having it? Its even more shameful that it bears the Dr Pepper moniker.
I felt like some dessert for all the rich meat that I have had today. Out of the many options, I settled on the ice cream. Blue Bell is a big thing in Austin. Many places feature this brand. When I asked the cashier what flavor they had, she said "all we have is vanilla but at least its Blue Bell." This is icier than what Im used to and more on the sweeter side and a bit lower in vanilla flavor. Tastey nonetheless
