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Franklin Barbecue – For the Brisket (Only), It’s Worth the Wait

February 11, 2022 By WooPigFoodie 4 Comments

This is not an “I hate Aaron Franklin” post. I like the guy. I have both of his books, first edition, day of publication. I’ve watched his whole series on PBS. I’ve watched his Masterclass. He’s a cool, smart dude.

This is also not an “I hate the wait at Franklin” post. Truly it is long, but man, they do everything they can to make it a smooth process. Free water. Free bathrooms. Free chairs. Free communication as to what ‘cue is left and how long the wait will be to get it.

So what is this post? This post is honesty: Franklin has really dropped the ball on everything but the brisket. Hard pass the rest.

But let’s talk brisket. Franklin’s is as near to perfect as there is. Juicy, smoky, peppery, and it gives all the soft jiggles you want from it.

sliced brisket

And if you’re lucky enough, you just might get a burnt end or two while you wait in line.

burnt ends

The line does take a while, and those last 30 minutes from your entry through the door to arriving at the counter are full of anticipation and great smells. There’s lots of camaraderie among the crowd. There’s also a great selection of hats and shirts at good prices.

long lines at Franklin barbecue

long line at Franklin barbecue

Don’t worry about the tables. By the time you get up and through the line, enough will free up. Spend this time looking at the menu and thinking about what you want to order.

Franklin Barbecue Menu

When you sidle up to the front, it’s quite a show. So much slicing going on.

slicing Franklin brisket

Check out this beast!

brisket sandwich at Franklin barbecue

After our 3 hour wait in line, we ordered everything they had left: fatty and lean brisket, turkey breast, sausage, coleslaw, potato salad and plenty of cold, cold beers.

the full spread at Franklin barbecue

We grabbed a table outside, and dug in. The brisket is beautiful. It’s all the adjectives. At least every good one.

Franklin brisket

The big disappointment here were the sides. They lacked correct seasoning. They lacked attention and care. They were, well, boring. Not worth the money. Certainly not worth the wait in that long line.

No doubt the Franklin brisket is beautiful. It’s right up at the top of any brisket I’ve had. But that line is a killer. And since the rest of the options just never got the same type of careful attention as the brisket, there’s a solid argument for just passing Franklin by. Without naming names, there’s closely equivalent (or perhaps equally equivalent) brisket within a couple of blocks, from similarly cool, pleasant folks, and without the long wait.

Filed Under: BBQ, Restaurant Reviews

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Comments

  1. Ron Dickstein

    September 26, 2022 at 7:56 pm

    the pulled pork was excellent. the pork rib very good. the brisket was life changing

    Reply
    • WooPigFoodie

      February 24, 2023 at 10:37 pm

      Totally. That brisket is so killer!

      Reply
  2. Ralph D Mandel

    March 16, 2023 at 7:47 pm

    Saltlick nearby is highly recommended.

    Reply
    • WooPigFoodie

      March 17, 2023 at 7:37 am

      I really like Mickelthwait too!

      Reply

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