Tag Archives: Brisket

Austin BBQ Roadtrip Day Two: Franklin Barbecue

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Franklin's BBQ, on line for an early lunch. Aaron Franklin chats it up and drinks his morning espresso.

Franklin’s BBQ, on line for an early lunch. Aaron Franklin chats it up and drinks his morning espresso.

After stopping it at the Taco Xpress, for some breakfast taco’s and some food to keep us satisfied, we headed to Franklin Barbecue and arrived in line at 9:15 AM. Franklin’s claim to fame is that they open their doors at 11a and stay open until they are sold out, oh and also that they have the world’s finest Texas Brisket! So they usually run out of food around 2p as the sign says. Our timing was perfect, we were amongst the first 25 people in line and that got is in the door on the first shift. The line just grew and grew as we waited there, people joining people holding spots and the beverage lady coming through the line to serve drinks. The wait was half the fun, and a little tip, you can use their bathroom.

The first person from Franklin’s we met was a really Sweet young lady who came through to gauge our order as to how much, brisket, pork, ribs and sausage you would be interested in having. It is first come serve so she takes your order and then let’s you know whether there will be any left by the time you get inside. Not an issue for us, more of an issue for the folks closer to the end of the line.

We were lucky and got inside at 11a, waited another 20 minutes and was happy to see Aaron Franklin enjoying his morning espresso and watching over the first cuts of brisket hit the trays. We went with a pound of brisket, 1/4  LB of Turkey and pulled pork, two hot links and a pound of spare ribs and went to work. The surprise of the meal and not to be missed is the smoked turkey, we surmised that we may have been the first to order it and we got a fresh breast that was just amazing, nice blend of pepper, salt and smoke, with a delightful bark. Don’t miss it, we shared it with some line mates who made the mistake and they had the same reaction.

At Franklin's BBQ, the brisket is awesome, but their Turkey could change Thanksgiving dinner for the masses!

At Franklin’s BBQ, the brisket is awesome, but their Turkey could change Thanksgiving dinner for the masses!

The pulled pork was awesome as well, salty, smokey with a hint of pepper and moist. Moist seems to be the seem at Franklin’s, how they do it, I do not know but all our food was tender and didn’t dry out as we ate it. The sausage casing had such a snap and a great flavor. Now the spare ribs had a great bark and a peppery smokey flavor with tenderness that made it easy to separate meat from bone. No falling off, but pulling off was just a delight and an awesome flavor.

Last but not least was the brisket, we asked for fatty and the bark, oh the bark was just amazing. The brisket was not like anything we have tasted thus far in Texas. It was light, fluffy and literally had the consistency best compared to a good birthday cake. The crusty bark mixed with the light and tender meat that was airy and so moist. The bark has a pepper flavor which is the most predominant flavor and it was worth every second in line to taste this Pit Master’s handy work.

Finally, Franklin’s has sauce and the Espresso BBQ Sauce, which is evidently taken from Aaron’s love of a good espresso is the perfect companion to his brisket. Highly suggest taken a few bites on it’s own, but then give that BBQ sauce a try, the mix of the coffee and the black pepper is just not to be missed. Had an almost chocolate under tone and was a pleasant surprise.

Enjoy the photos from the Austin BBQ Roadtrip on BBQ Pro Shops Flickr Page

Meat Mitch Place #1 & #2 in Gettin’ Sauced Peoples Choice

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When I got the email from Mitch Benjamin of Meat Mitch that they had places #1 and #2 in the Gettin’ Sauced BBQ sauce competition, I was thrilled, but not in the least bit surprised! We started carrying Meat Mitch in the last couple of months and have been testing both sauces with very positive results and even better feedback. The sauces have a unique flavor with the Whomp! being a little spicier and the Naked Whomp being all natural, total High Furctose Corn Syrup FREE and just as delicious but not as spicy.

Everyone who has tried them has absolutely loved them and the color that they produce when glazed on the meat is just an added bonus. Give them both a try!

 

#1. Meat Mitch Whomp! (Prairie Village, KS)

This sauce is all about the sweet and spice, it is a Kansas City Style through and through. It is a sauce that is great on just about everything. Meat Mitch Whomp! Competition BBQ Sauce is sweet, with a combination of brown sugar and ketchup as the primary ingredients, with a spicy kick to it.

 

#2. Meat Mitch Naked! (Prairie Village, KS)

Meat Mitch Naked Whomp! is made by a BBQ Competition team so it has a awesome flavor profile as well as a sweetness that you would expect to find in a KC style Sauce. It has a vinegar taste with a lot of all natural sweetness. The brown sugar stands out and it is definitely a sweet sauce, no real heat to speak of even though it claims to contain chili peppers

Click the link below to see all the 2011 Results from the competition, big thanks to Man Up Texas BBQ for posting this information!

17th Street Bar & Grill: Barbecue Mecca

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Rubbing Buddha's Belly: The Welcoming 17th Street Piggy

We have had the honor of meeting both Mike and Amy Mills Tunnicliffe at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party and once at Memphis in May. We have “tasted” (never more than just a few ribs) Mike Mills famous Baby Back Ribs, fresh out of the Ole Hickory Smoker in NYC at the Block Party.  We had never been to 17th Street Bar & Grill for the full experience, until last weekend when our pilgrimage brought us to BBQ Mecca.

We gathered the St. Louis BBQ crew, and met at the 17th Street Bar & Grill in O’Fallon Illinois, site of the old St. Louis classic Super Smokers and now home of the world famous Mike Mills BBQ joint. It was more than a joint, a great big restaurant with a large bar and walls lined with press clippings and photos of famous BBQ Pitmaster’s including many historical looking photos of a personal favorite of mine, Ed Mitchell.

We sat family style at a big square table in the back next to the winding staircase and started with some appetizers. First, pulled pork nachos, packed with Jalapeno peppers, cheese and topped with Mike’s tender smokey pulled pork.  Next, smoked chicken wings with a nice smokey flavor, a little heat but were so much more tender and juicy than any deep fried wing could be. Finally, the house sampler arrived, full of smoked hot links, fried pickles,  incredibly crunchy onion rings, more smoked wings and an array of dipping sauces. Fried pickles were a first for me and just awesome!

The St. Louis Family BBQ Crew

In between courses, the warm honey rolls arrived with a delicious cinnamon butter which we only sampled in order to save room for the BBQ onslaught that was coming. The meats arrived and most went with two meat combos of baby backs and brisket. Others had pork shoulder so we passed them around. First, the ribs were so delicious and rich that a half slab was plenty when combined with a second meat. All the meat comes dry, sprinkled with Mike Mills Famous Magic Dust which adds a flavor that works perfectly with the 17th Street sauce and apple smoke flavor.

Low and Slow, Apple Wood Smoked Beef Brisket in the huge Ole Hickory Pit Smoker

The sleeper of the meal, besides the awesome hush puppies and corn muffins (which became the next mornings breakfast) had to be the brisket. It was smokey and very flavorful. The brisket was so tender you could cut it with your fork and it had a smokey bark that just went perfectly with 17th Street Spicy BBQ sauce. We were not surprised at all that it was so delicious, but I went for the baby backs and fell in love with the brisket!

The meal was the kick-off to Donna’s 50th birthday weekend and so our waitress (who promised not to sing or dance) brought out dessert, and it was as good as everything else was.  We were served a delicious bread pudding and a strawberry shortcake that was passed around and enjoyed by all. Huge thanks to Amy Mills Tunnicliffe for the VIP treatment, to the Manager Sue, who took us all out back to see where the magic happens. Last but not least, our server Anna who made us feel like we were visiting family and made sure we tried some hot links!