Franklin Barbecue

I spent two and half hours waiting in line for Austin's Franklin Barbecue yesterday. After debating with classmates over the past few days about who possesses the superior barbeque (Texas or Kansas City), I was persuaded to give Franklin a try. Bon Appetit magazine ran this article making the claim, "Today, his bricks-and-mortar restaurant serves what we're calling the best BBQ in Texas, if not America. Let the debates begin." My Texas friends quickly jumped on the bandwagon saying, "Bon Appetit called Franklin the best barbeque in America!" Unfortunately, that statement is false. Bon Appetit wrote, "the best BBQ in Texas, if not America." The phrase "if not America" means that they claim it might be the best barbeque in America. They were not confident enough to claim that it is actually the best barbeque in America.

With all that being said, here are some thoughts about Franklin Barbeque.

1. It was good barbeque.

2. It's not worth waiting over two hours to eat it.

3. I spoke with the owner, Aaron Franklin, and he claimed, "Kansas City overcooks it's barbeque." I sincerely disagree.

4. Franklin spells barbeque wrong. It's not spelled with a "c", it's spelled with a "q". Since when did you ever see barbeque abbreviated "BBC"? It's abbreviated "BBQ" because it's spelled with a "q".

5. Texas barbeque is very different from Kansas City barbeque. They hardly use seasoning on the meat which makes it taste more like what you'd find at a church potluck. They do an excellent job cooking the meat to the right tenderness, but it lacks the flavor that you'd find in Kansas City.

I honestly don't believe any Texas restaurant can beat the Z-Man Sandwich or the burnt ends at LC's, but I'm willing to try out the best restaurants in Texas. My next stop on the Tour de Texas BBQ will take me to Snow's BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Hopefully it will live up to the hype.

- Joel