Overall Rating and is it worth a visit: 10/10. Yes, get there anyway you can. Full disclosure, any time I see a place on multiple travel and food shows, I typically already have a leery eye about it and usually develop a healthy degree of skepticism on how good the food really is. More often than not at those places, I leave slightly disappointed by the experience for not being nearly as good as it had been portrayed. Based on my previous experience and the fact that Franklin’s had been on multiple TV shows since they opened in 2009, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. That said, I was all too happy to have my perceptions shattered upon having my first bite of Franklin’s brisket. This place is absolutely worth the visit and worth whatever amount of time you end up waiting in line. This is the holy grail of barbecue, the Mount Everest, the pinnacle of the salt and pepper game. Come early, come hungry, and be prepared to feel like you’re rediscovering your tongue for the first time, as Franklin’s delivers on every one of it’s lofty promises and reviews as being the best BBQ in the land

Date Visited: 1/29/2021

Address: 900 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702

Day of the Week: Friday

Time of Day: 9:41 AM. Open at 10:30 AM. During COVID it was pick up only though

Owner: Aaron Franklin

Website: https://franklinbbq.com/

Number of Years in Business: Open in 2009 (12 years)

Number of People in Line: 3 cars ahead of us, was pick up only for our time slot of 10:30 AM that we placed a week previously. Took it back to eat at our hotel room 10 minutes away

Regional Style of BBQ: Central Texas

Total Cost: $152 for 2lbs of brisket, 1lb of ribs, 1lb of pulled pork, a side of coleslaw, baked beans, and one sausage that sadly ended up not being included in our order

Type of Wood: Post Oak

Type of Smoker: Custom Built Offset

Type of Seasoning: Salt & Pepper

Best Dish: Brisket

Best Sauce: Didn’t try any, none of the meats needed them

Best Side: Baked Beans

Interior Description: Interior dining was closed due to COVID when we went, but you can order ahead of time for a 30 minute time slot window to pick up. They cut your meat fresh and wrap it up when you arrive. Saves a ton of time, but from everything I’ve heard about the lines before COVID, you are looking at anywhere from a 2-5 hour wait depending on day and time that you arrive

Pro Tip: Beef Ribs on Saturday only. Get there early if you’re planning on waiting your turn for meat nirvana, or if you’re not feeling the lines, I believe you can still do a pick up order with a 3 lb minimum order of meat, where they give you a 30 minute window of when it will be ready

Brisket

0/10 Ranking: 10/10

Seasoning: Salt & pepper

Description: Best brisket of my life. The lean and the fatty cuts are both fantastic. The lean is moist all the way through and I could easily eat multiple pieces of the fatty slices, something I almost never can do with other briskets before the richness overwhelms my appetite. These were trimmed perfectly however, and both had the best blend of salt and pepper bark that I’ve ever had, leaving me in awe of how they produce this magical flavor with only salt, pepper, and smoke

Burnt Ends – Not made here

Pork Spare Ribs 

0/10 Ranking: 10/10

Seasoning: Salt and pepper

Description: Not to be repetitive in life experiences, but the ribs were also the best I’ve ever had during my 31 years on this earth. Melt in your mouth and fall off the bone texture, with the simple blend of salt, pepper, smoke, and maybe a dash of tender loving care from the pit master, they pack all the flavor you could ever want in a rib, with not a drop of sauce needed for enjoyment

Pulled Pork

0/10 Ranking: 9.5/10

Description: Delicious and moist, it had a great smoke flavor running through it from beginning to end. While this was the first meat from Franklin’s that wasn’t the absolute best I’ve had in my life, this was easily a top 3 pulled pork with no sauce needed to enhance it

Sides – Baked Beans

0/10 Ranking: 9/10

Description: As with the meats, these are some of the best baked beans I’ve ever had. They put a little bit of brisket trimmings into the beans, along with some onions that give it a smoky and delicious flavor. Would 100% order again

Interior & Menu Photos

Follow Up Review – Leftovers

Ended up having the brisket, ribs, and pulled pork as leftovers 5 days later, and amazingly the brisket and ribs were still relatively moist and were almost just as good as the day we picked up our order. Once again, no sauce needed even after reheating on low in the oven. Whether it’s the day of ordering or a week later as leftovers, Franklin’s slaps 24/7 with it’s flavors