Well, it's in the books so to speak. Didn't eat near enough 'Q but I did cross of #1 and #4 from the 2013 Texas Monthly Top 50 list. The trip started with a great birthday gift of bbq gear and Aaron Franklin's book from my in-laws and then kicked off with a drive on our way to Austin through Taylor and the famous Louie Mueller BBQ (#4 on said list).
The line was only 20 or so deep, the place is steeped in history and smoke stained walls - very cool atmosphere. I really felt the tradition of Central Texas barbecue, more so than I have anywhere else. The food was really really good. I am going to make a semi-bold claim here...I know we all take pride in our passion and skill as barbecue nerds and obsessives...but the brisket here was something I have NEVER seen replicated from a backyard or 99% of bbq joints. I'll address Franklin in a second. Mueller had really good lean brisket, but the moist/fatty brisket was AMAZING. They are heavy on the pepper, but it works. The ribs were great, the sausage had wonderful flavor but needed more snap in the casing. The pork was very solid. The thin mop sauce was interesting, and made me want to experiment. Until Sunday happened, it was the greatest barbecue meal of my life.
Franklin Barbecue.
I get it, the line is insane. It makes waiting on barbecue either seems epic or idiotic. We were there for 5 hours, 30 minutes of which where spent eating. I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype. But, the staff of Franklin's joint were exceptional, the coffee trailer helped, as did the soda fountain being available. I met Aaron, and he is a genuine solid wonderfully authentic dude. He signed my book and was very approachable. So, was it worth it? ABSOLUTELY 100% YES. The brisket. It exists and the hype - might not do it justice. The salt and pepper was perfectly balanced - Mueller could learn from the young Franklin. The fatty brisket melted in your mouth, but the real shocker? The LEAN. I have never ever had that good of lean brisket. Perfectly tender, punch of flavor, with a line of ready-to-dissolve rendered fat to top it all off. I don't know they have that juicy of a product with a bark that isn't soggy! It is the ultimate standard for brisket. The pork spares were top notch, the sausage was snappy and great, the pulled pork very good and the turkey was the best I've had from a bbq joint. I might plan my next trip around a 5 lb to go order in order to skip the line, but I can say I have eaten the best bbq of my life and it will be hard to top.
