When Pat Sharpe at Texas Monthly declared it the best bbq in Texas, Texans sat up and took notice. He was operating out of a trailer at the time. Pat is in Les Dames d'Escoffier with me: when I asked her if it truly was the best she had ever eaten, she said it was.
I haven't been. I hate lines. But one of these days I'll have to break down and go. I'll report back. However, I can't imagine keeping up that kind of a standard if you are growing your business....I may have missed that window of opportunity to taste the best bbq in the world.
Her piece might have added to the lines, but, trust me, they were already plenty long before any official press hit.
Not only is the brisket the best I've had, but what makes Franklin remarkable is its consistency. You haven't missed any window of opportunity. It's always good. They basically have the same hours now as they did at the trailer... at the trailer they'd run out of meat by 1:00 or so and now it's 2:00 or so. They initially added a new Franklin-built pit at the new location, only he wasn't happy with the results, so they ditched it. There is some variability with the pork ribs, which are as good as I've had, and he's mentioned that they tend to be the toughest thing to consistently nail.
Consistency is key, right? All the places in Lockhart, Taylor, etc. can put out great 'cue. But they can also put out garbage. Sometimes I'll get in line two, three times at these places before getting something worthwhile. (Brisket, that is. Sausage is obviously pretty consistent.)
Had some brisket and ribs from Franklin yesterday. I didn't wait in line, thankfully, but with SXSW... it was a 3 1/2 hr wait.
Say what you will about the ten commandments, you must always come back to the pleasant fact that there are only ten of them.
--H.L.Mencken
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Sissies and wastoids
