These days, if you’re devouring brisket at a Texas barbecue joint, you’re probably eating Aaron Franklin-style brisket. Seventeen years after first arriving in Austin, the self-named Franklin Barbecue has gathered accolade after accolade for its impact on the barbecue world. So, don’t be surprised that another barbecue list has named Franklin Barbecue the best in Texas.
Love Food unveiled its list of the Best Barbecue Restaurants in Every U.S. State on Tuesday, September 15, revealing in alphabetical order which smokehouse served the best food across the country. Scrolling to Texas, Franklin Barbecue was named the best spot for all things barbecue in the Lone Star State.
“As part of America’s famous barbecue belt, Texas prides itself on its meat-smoking skills. Most agree that Franklin Barbecue is the best barbecue joint around; here, people gladly wait hours to be served luscious beef brisket with pickles, onions, barbecue sauce, and white bread,” Love Food writes. “Anthony Bourdain described it as the finest he’d ever had – and nothing else on the menu (or in the state) quite compares.”
Franklin Barbecue first opened as a food trailer in 2009 before expanding into a brick-and-mortar in 2011. Since then, fans have lined up hours before opening just to secure a bite of its world-famous brisket, ribs, sausage, turkey, and every other smoked meat it has to offer.
Love Food is far from the first time Franklin Barbecue has been named the best in Texas. The publication also named it the best barbecue joint in the country last year. Meanwhile, Southern Living has ranked it the best Texas barbecue joint for five straight years, and it’s received honors from Michelin, Texas Monthly, and Eater.
Find it: 900 E. 11th St., Austin, TX 78702