The Specialists: Franklin Barbecue(luckypeach.com)
luckypeach.com
The Specialists: Franklin Barbecue
http://luckypeach.com/the-specialists-franklin-bbq/#
26 comments
My friend started a BBQ joint[0] a couple years back, I'll try to add some insight from what I learned talking with him (this is all second hand obviously). (1) Quality of meat, (2) quality of the cooker, (3) wood used, (4) temperature/time spent cooking the meat.
For meat quality, as the article calls out, you want to buy from good suppliers. Franklins gets this right, and I believe Rudy's does as well (they have some of their own farms). Side note: with the explosion of BBQ in Austin and Texas area, prices of meat has been going up (probably screws with quality you can get too).
My friend's joint actually bought Franklins old cooker when he started up. He had a new one built later that can hold more meat for a given footprint. The newer cooker also did better at having more even temperatures throughout the cooker (since the woodbox is at one end, making sure the heat circulates properly can be difficult).
Wood quality is interesting and difficult as called out. For the restaurants outside of Austin (ones in Lockhart), they can get a ton of land for cheap and can dry/season all the wood themselves (they have a year+ worth of wood on their lots out there). Places in Austin will need to either have their own land outside the city or source from different places to get the right kind of wood they currently need.
Temperature is what differentiates places like Franklins (and Blue Ox) from places like Rudy's and restaurants. Franklins will be cooking the brisket they serve for 12+ hours. They cook at a lower temperature, as the final goal is 145 degrees, so they run their cooker at something like 180-200 degrees (I forget what they set it to. Also, this is the temp at the point where the meat is, not the woodbox itself). While places like Rudy's will cook at a much higher temperature so they can have meat ready in 4-5 hours of cook time.
[0] http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-ox-bbq-austin
For meat quality, as the article calls out, you want to buy from good suppliers. Franklins gets this right, and I believe Rudy's does as well (they have some of their own farms). Side note: with the explosion of BBQ in Austin and Texas area, prices of meat has been going up (probably screws with quality you can get too).
My friend's joint actually bought Franklins old cooker when he started up. He had a new one built later that can hold more meat for a given footprint. The newer cooker also did better at having more even temperatures throughout the cooker (since the woodbox is at one end, making sure the heat circulates properly can be difficult).
Wood quality is interesting and difficult as called out. For the restaurants outside of Austin (ones in Lockhart), they can get a ton of land for cheap and can dry/season all the wood themselves (they have a year+ worth of wood on their lots out there). Places in Austin will need to either have their own land outside the city or source from different places to get the right kind of wood they currently need.
Temperature is what differentiates places like Franklins (and Blue Ox) from places like Rudy's and restaurants. Franklins will be cooking the brisket they serve for 12+ hours. They cook at a lower temperature, as the final goal is 145 degrees, so they run their cooker at something like 180-200 degrees (I forget what they set it to. Also, this is the temp at the point where the meat is, not the woodbox itself). While places like Rudy's will cook at a much higher temperature so they can have meat ready in 4-5 hours of cook time.
[0] http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-ox-bbq-austin
The end goal temperature of the brisket may be 145, but that's after resting. It's going to come off the smoker somewhere around 190-200. Many people swear by 203. The reason brisket and pork shoulder are the cuts of meat used for barbecue is their high amounts of connective tissue. If you pulled a brisket from the smoker at 145, it would be nearly inedible, as the tissues really only begin to break down around 160.
http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm
http://www.scienceofcooking.com/meat/slow_cooking1.htm
Yep, Rudy's was great 15-20 years ago, but their quality has plummeted as they've expanded. (Now 37 locations, according to your link.) As Aaron explains in the article, it's difficult to source the best brisket in high volumes.
I haven't eaten at Franklin's since they became really popular (standing in line for 2-hours isn't my thing) but Aaron's success is well-deserved and I'm happy for him!
I haven't eaten at Franklin's since they became really popular (standing in line for 2-hours isn't my thing) but Aaron's success is well-deserved and I'm happy for him!
I've been disappointed by the Rudy's in CO Springs every time I visit. The brisket's good, but it seems like they changed the experience to suit a different expectation of barbecue than I was used to getting in Austin. It's hard to describe my issues. Maybe it was as simple as seeing cobbler available?
One of the things I like about BBQ is that it does not lend itself to chain stores in malls and stuff like that. The US doesn't need any more of those things.
I haven't had a chance to try Franklin's, but man, his YouTube videos really made me appreciate the work that goes into a good BBQ: https://www.youtube.com/user/BBQwithFranklin
I've had Franklin's, but it was a couple hours old by the time I had any. Let's say I don't have memory of it being good or bad. Stiles Switch on the other hand, left a really good impression on me with their brisket.
Stiles is the most underrated joint in town. Glad to see them getting more and more respect lately.
Those Texas Frito Pies... Oh my
Those Texas Frito Pies... Oh my
Franklins is tasty but what made it the mega-hit it is today is the wait times.
"I waited 2 hours yesterday."
"I waited 3 hours and they ran out of brisket!"
"I got up and in line before dawn and wasn't even 15th in line!"
People talk about the incredible wait times they or a friend have experienced and certainly someone else in the conversation or nearby has a similar story to share. It fuels a Frankslin's must be the absolute best kind of mythos.
"I waited 2 hours yesterday."
"I waited 3 hours and they ran out of brisket!"
"I got up and in line before dawn and wasn't even 15th in line!"
People talk about the incredible wait times they or a friend have experienced and certainly someone else in the conversation or nearby has a similar story to share. It fuels a Frankslin's must be the absolute best kind of mythos.
While I've not eaten at Franklins due to time requirements when I've been in Austin, I have made the short trek to Lockhart, Tx and had the best Bar B Que experience of my life at Smitty's. Post Oak smoked burnt ends were like buttery ambrosia of the gods. (I live in Fort Worth, have eaten at Rudy's, Blacks, Saltlick, etc.)
Yeah, I waited in line for 2 hours one day to taste the holy Franklin sacrament - lo and behold, no better than Salt Lick.
And as a bonus, no hipsters.
And as a bonus, no hipsters.
I'm...surprised.
I've done several BBQ tours on my monthly trips from Houston to Austin, and Salt Lick consistently requires a fork.
The half-dozen times I've had Franklin's BBQ, I've witnessed the brisket slab wobble like jello, and can't help but describe the moisture as butter-esque. Seriously, that stuff is so rich you can't eat it often at all.
Still, I've found that even in Texas everyone argues over which bbq is better. Some argue against any sauce, any forks, or anything to imply the meat is less than perfect. I've even had pitmasters argue that tearing at a rib bone with your teeth because the meat is dried on is "correct", and fall-off-the-bone is over/undercooking.
At the very least, Franklin's is different from Rudy's is different from Salt Lick is different from whatever.
It's all preference, but one thing you can bet on is good BBQ will have a good line :)
I've done several BBQ tours on my monthly trips from Houston to Austin, and Salt Lick consistently requires a fork.
The half-dozen times I've had Franklin's BBQ, I've witnessed the brisket slab wobble like jello, and can't help but describe the moisture as butter-esque. Seriously, that stuff is so rich you can't eat it often at all.
Still, I've found that even in Texas everyone argues over which bbq is better. Some argue against any sauce, any forks, or anything to imply the meat is less than perfect. I've even had pitmasters argue that tearing at a rib bone with your teeth because the meat is dried on is "correct", and fall-off-the-bone is over/undercooking.
At the very least, Franklin's is different from Rudy's is different from Salt Lick is different from whatever.
It's all preference, but one thing you can bet on is good BBQ will have a good line :)
Salt Lick and Franklin have fundamentally different approaches to brisket. Totally cool if you don't have a preference, but it's sort of like saying programming language X is no different than language Y.
Franklin dudes have been grinding for years and I'm so stoked that they are starting to get national recognition outside of foodies and chefs.
Franklin dudes have been grinding for years and I'm so stoked that they are starting to get national recognition outside of foodies and chefs.
Can you elaborate on their differing approaches to brisket? I've been to Salt Lick in Driftwood - though it's been a while - but not to Franklin.
I'm not an expert, but I've had both (and dozens of others), I smoke my own brisket, and I feel like I have a decent understanding of it. Salt Lick mops their brisket with a mustard based sauce. They smoke their meats indoors over a direct heat, open pit. Franklin uses a "domino rub" of just salt and pepper (for brisket). They're dry smoked (no sauce) in closed, indirect heat, offset smokers (the wood is in a chamber to the side of the grills). Franklin can control the temperatures of his smokers MUCH better than Salt Lick can. You can taste the meat and smoke better on a Franklin brisket. Salt Lick has a lot more sauce flavor though, and the mopping does add moisture but not tenderness. I have a very strong preference to Franklin's. I think his is the best brisket I've ever had, but that being said, it's not so much better that I want to wait in line for 4 hours (It's a guaranteed wait of 4 hours whether you show up at 7AM or 10AM, but show up after 1, and they're sold out) more than once a year or so.
Try La Barbecue, smaller queues and now rated higher than Franklins
They're on my list for sure.
Consider dropping the silly hipster-bashing when commenting. It shouldn't have a place on HN. And your comment could go an extra step to explain the reasoning behind why you think that way, otherwise it's not contributing much.
I think you should give Blacks a go. Lockhart isn't too far of a drive.
Black's opened a second location in Austin on Guadalupe near the University of Texas. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm curious.
I believe that's actually their third location. The one on Riverside has been open for a couple months as well -- and even (surprisingly?) annoying neighbors with BBQ smoke[0].
Took a coworker from out of town there back in December, did not disappoint. [0] http://kut.org/post/council-member-wants-limits-barbecue-smo...
Took a coworker from out of town there back in December, did not disappoint. [0] http://kut.org/post/council-member-wants-limits-barbecue-smo...
Perhaps they will follow In-N-Out's trail and keep up a slow expansion.
1. Real deal Texas barbecue: slow-smoked over oak. Served by-the-pound on butcher-block paper with all-you-want white bread and sometimes Texas-style sauce on the side.
2. http://www.rudysbbq.com/page/locations/all