Today is Sunday and it's 7:00am in the morning. I am sitting in the
line for Franklins BBQ in Austin as I write this. Hopefully the blog
post for this restaurant won't be too far away. The reason I mention
this is Friday morning I tried to make it to Franklins BBQ, they open
their doors at 11am in the morning and close when they sell out (and the
sell out everyday). When I arrived at 9:45am on the Friday I was
already too late, they told me to go home. I couldn't believe it!! How
can a restaurant tell you to go home before they are even open!? This
place was business! I was with my friend I had met in Austin, Kristiana,
a local Austinit who was excited about my own BBQ Adventure and was
keen to join in and so we set of to go find somewhere else that would
satiate our BBQ disappointment.
I decided to pick up my hire car early and upon arrival at the budget place I was met with a very friendly young man. We got chatting and I talked about the idea of getting a mustang instead of the standard sedan I had hired. He smiled and said 'I got you covered'. He looked in the computer and ended up getting me a brand new Ford Mustang for only $20 more a day than I was going to pay! As I started the engine and heard the roar I was really starting to feel like a boss and it was hard not to feel American.
We had been recommended John Muellers BBQ joint just round the corner from Franklins so off we went to check it out. Upon arrival the beautiful smoke was wafting from behind a sea of people lined up to eat the amazing soft meats of joy. The line wasn't too bad and it took us about 30 minutes to get to the front of the line. At this point we were both salivating and super hungry for anything, give it all to me! We spent a while considering the menu before I just said 'One of everything please!'. Lean brisket, moist brisket, sausage, ribs, potato salad and cheesy squash. The pit master DJ was a big man, very manly and made funny jokes about me being Australian and being unable to order in pounds (all meats are ordered by the pound). He was a nice man and made sure he spent a bit extra time explaining all the bits to me.
We got our meat, condiments and sides and sat down. Looking at the feast in front of me I couldn't hide my excitement and I let out a squeal of delight. It was going to be a great day. I took many photos and videos before I put the first piece of brisket in my mouth. There where two types of brisket (both from the same cut of meat) The thickets part is called moist as it is so tender and juicy, whereas the thinner part of the cut is called lean as there is less fat on it, still falls apart but more dense, the closest thing to the lean would be roast beef. I grabbed a huge big chunky piece of moist brisket, smelt the delicious burnt wood, the salty seasoning, got a little bit excited and then placed the whole thing straight in my mouth. It was a feeling of delight and happiness. The crispyness of the bark (the smoke burnt sides of the meat) was gorgeous and the meat itself was so tender and amazing. One of the best briskets I had ever had. I was happy. Life was great!
Up next I grabbed one of the huge pork ribs. It looked like it had been seasoned heavily with pepper corns and other delicious herbs. It smelt heavenly, looked incredible and was thick!!!! I jumped straight in, oh boy, it was a deliciously buttery pork rib, with gorgeous seasoning, thick and yum! I was just a happy man, Kristiana agreed it was amazing. The potato salad was awesome, incredibly made with soft potatoes, small pieces of pickles and paprika seasoning. It was a delicious addition to the meal. The cheesy squash, was as it sounds, squash with cheese. Interesting and I couldn't eat too much of it, but it was a nice addition to the meal.
My only beef (pardon the pun) was with the sausages. I am still struggling to be OK with American style pork sausages. I kind of just wanted my good old BBQ Sausage from home right next to me, put it in a nice piece of bread just to remind me of home. The sausage was lack luster and disappointing. It was absent of flavour and just had no vibe. I didn't eat much of it. I was also looking forward to trying the turkey, especially since the last turkey was so good, this one, not so much! It was dry, yuck and tasted like my own Christmas left overs a week later. It wasn't long before I was so full and almost in pain from the amount of BBQ in my stomach. I had tried to eat slowly but sometimes I am just too excited! Also the lack of anything green was probably not ideal. However I must go on. More meat, in my face. I got back into my mustang and off I drove to lie down for a while.
Overall score -
Brisket - 9/10 Amazing, soft, tender, delicious, packed with flavour, BANGING!
Ribs - 8/10 Super yummy, buttery pepper flavours, moist and amazing.
Turkey - 5/10 Dry, less than ideal
Potato Salad - 8/10 Delicious!
Sausage - 5/10 Also less than ideal, not much flavour, balls up.
BBQ Sauce - 3/10 Tasted more like tomato soup. Not leet.
Conclusion -
A lovely establishment with great BBQ and very fun service. The pit master DJ was totally cool with me taking photos and nosing around and asking questions. I love Austin, such a great friendly city and a city very passionate about it's BBQ! Definitely worth a look when you're in town.
I decided to pick up my hire car early and upon arrival at the budget place I was met with a very friendly young man. We got chatting and I talked about the idea of getting a mustang instead of the standard sedan I had hired. He smiled and said 'I got you covered'. He looked in the computer and ended up getting me a brand new Ford Mustang for only $20 more a day than I was going to pay! As I started the engine and heard the roar I was really starting to feel like a boss and it was hard not to feel American.
We had been recommended John Muellers BBQ joint just round the corner from Franklins so off we went to check it out. Upon arrival the beautiful smoke was wafting from behind a sea of people lined up to eat the amazing soft meats of joy. The line wasn't too bad and it took us about 30 minutes to get to the front of the line. At this point we were both salivating and super hungry for anything, give it all to me! We spent a while considering the menu before I just said 'One of everything please!'. Lean brisket, moist brisket, sausage, ribs, potato salad and cheesy squash. The pit master DJ was a big man, very manly and made funny jokes about me being Australian and being unable to order in pounds (all meats are ordered by the pound). He was a nice man and made sure he spent a bit extra time explaining all the bits to me.
We got our meat, condiments and sides and sat down. Looking at the feast in front of me I couldn't hide my excitement and I let out a squeal of delight. It was going to be a great day. I took many photos and videos before I put the first piece of brisket in my mouth. There where two types of brisket (both from the same cut of meat) The thickets part is called moist as it is so tender and juicy, whereas the thinner part of the cut is called lean as there is less fat on it, still falls apart but more dense, the closest thing to the lean would be roast beef. I grabbed a huge big chunky piece of moist brisket, smelt the delicious burnt wood, the salty seasoning, got a little bit excited and then placed the whole thing straight in my mouth. It was a feeling of delight and happiness. The crispyness of the bark (the smoke burnt sides of the meat) was gorgeous and the meat itself was so tender and amazing. One of the best briskets I had ever had. I was happy. Life was great!
Up next I grabbed one of the huge pork ribs. It looked like it had been seasoned heavily with pepper corns and other delicious herbs. It smelt heavenly, looked incredible and was thick!!!! I jumped straight in, oh boy, it was a deliciously buttery pork rib, with gorgeous seasoning, thick and yum! I was just a happy man, Kristiana agreed it was amazing. The potato salad was awesome, incredibly made with soft potatoes, small pieces of pickles and paprika seasoning. It was a delicious addition to the meal. The cheesy squash, was as it sounds, squash with cheese. Interesting and I couldn't eat too much of it, but it was a nice addition to the meal.
My only beef (pardon the pun) was with the sausages. I am still struggling to be OK with American style pork sausages. I kind of just wanted my good old BBQ Sausage from home right next to me, put it in a nice piece of bread just to remind me of home. The sausage was lack luster and disappointing. It was absent of flavour and just had no vibe. I didn't eat much of it. I was also looking forward to trying the turkey, especially since the last turkey was so good, this one, not so much! It was dry, yuck and tasted like my own Christmas left overs a week later. It wasn't long before I was so full and almost in pain from the amount of BBQ in my stomach. I had tried to eat slowly but sometimes I am just too excited! Also the lack of anything green was probably not ideal. However I must go on. More meat, in my face. I got back into my mustang and off I drove to lie down for a while.
Overall score -
Brisket - 9/10 Amazing, soft, tender, delicious, packed with flavour, BANGING!
Ribs - 8/10 Super yummy, buttery pepper flavours, moist and amazing.
Turkey - 5/10 Dry, less than ideal
Potato Salad - 8/10 Delicious!
Sausage - 5/10 Also less than ideal, not much flavour, balls up.
BBQ Sauce - 3/10 Tasted more like tomato soup. Not leet.
Conclusion -
A lovely establishment with great BBQ and very fun service. The pit master DJ was totally cool with me taking photos and nosing around and asking questions. I love Austin, such a great friendly city and a city very passionate about it's BBQ! Definitely worth a look when you're in town.
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