Our final day together as five in Austin needed a punctuation, an exclamation point filled with authenticity, beer and lots of cooked meat. It came by way of Franklin Barbecue (@FranklinBbq, 900 E. 11th St., www.franklinbarbecue.com). Open 11 a.m. until it’s gone, the lines are legendary. Thank goodness we had a hook-up, settling ourselves in the back picnic table with local beers and water, unsuccessfully battling 100‑degree humid Texas heat!
Soon, out came a butcher paper-lined cafeteria tray filled with tender pulled pork, juicy smoked turkey breast, perfect smoked brisket (red ring, bark and all), fall-off-the-bone pork ribs and pork sausages. And what is barbecue without sides such as porky baked beans, your momma’s potato salad (with eggs) and thin-sliced crispy coleslaw? Another platter just with local white bread, housemade pickles and thin sliced white onion picked up the rear.
We fearlessly dug into it all. Each bite was a brand-new experience, and then topping each bite with one of the three housemade sauces on the table was another. The sides set off the moment and were great foils for all of that unctuous meat. We did our best to finish it all, but, alas, the meat won.
We were told to save a tiny little bit of room for a selection of pies from Cake & Spoon (@CakeandSpoon). Again we did our best on a Key lime tart, lemon chess pie, pecan pie and my favorite bourbon banana tart, but again the pie won.
The line is worth it at Franklin Barbecue! Just remember to bring an umbrella and hydrate, ya’ hear?