The best barbecue in Texas? At Franklin’s you’ll queue for hours, but it’s all part of the fun
- Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, is regarded by many as the best in the state and is a bonding experience for meat lovers across the world
- In true beef-obsessed barbecue tradition it is the brisket at Franklin’s that reigns supreme
It is a typically hot summer morning on the east side of Austin. Even in more temperate conditions, mornings tend to be quiet in the Texas state capital.
Still, like most Saturdays, almost 300 people have gathered in front of a low-slung building on 11th Street, lining up for two hours before the business even opens in the hope of tasting one of America’s great cultural treasures: real Texas barbecue.
According to Texas Monthly magazine, Franklin Barbecue serves “the best barbecue in the known universe”, an accolade that the restaurant has plastered on its webpage.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Aaron Franklin, the most famous and arguably best pit master in the United States. He got his start like most barbecue greats: hosting cookouts in his backyard, which he did with his wife Stacy. Their meat was so popular that they decided to open a roadside trailer in 2009, and its popularity rapidly necessitated a larger, more permanent space.
Aside from his namesake, Franklin has also opened Loro, an Asian smokehouse in town, and spearheads The Hot Luck Fest, a local food and music festival. He has also produced a popular barbecue cookbook and made a much loved television show, BBQ with Franklin.
Barbecue in the US is a fiercely regional, fractious and contentious topic of conversation – almost more so than religion and politics. But in Texas’ beef-obsessed barbecue tradition it is brisket that reigns supreme, and Franklin Barbecue serves up what is widely regarded as the very best.