Franklin Barbecue is a restaurant in Austin that every single person we spoke to highly recommended to us. They said it was something we HAD TO TRY, and that it’s mega awesome. I swear their eyes were shining and they were this close to salivating when they telling us about it.
Naturally we were very intrigued!
Especially when they told us people started queuing for it early in the morning. For at least 3-4 hours.
We have never felt that queuing for food, no matter how delicious, is worth spending hours and hours in line for. I think the longest we ever queued for food was for this obscure Japanese restaurant at Far East Plaza which a friend really wanted to try. Even so, it was “only” a 1.5 hour queue.
FOUR HOURS?! You’re freakin’ kidding me.
But there we were.
At 8.30am.
On a weekday.
At this point, can I just sidetrack to say that Fu’s company is DA BOMB?!!
Some of his co-workers were queuing as early as 7.30am and in total, about 30 or so people turned up for this! ON A WORKING DAY!!!
It’s not their first time, so that’s doubly awesome.
Add to that the fact that even the boss was queuing with them, awesome to the max!
I don’t know of any other company that doesn’t even bat an eyelid when employees take time out to queue for 4 hours at a BBQ place on a working day and turn up at work at 1pm. Do you?
Back to Franklin Barbecue.
But first, let me take a selfie.
The Queue
This was taken about 9.30am. See the line stretching alllll the way to the back?
Queuing in the blazing hot sun, with 2.5 hours to go before opening hours, mind! These people take their BBQ very seriously!
Interesting tidbit: President Obama just visited this restaurant last month! Apparently he cut the line, BUT he picked up the tab for all the people whose line he cut!
Franklin Barbecue
After a 4 hour wait, it was finally our turn!
That’s food for about 25 people! Brisket, ribs, sausages, sides.
We were completely not expecting it, but everybody’s lunch was paid for! I’m flabbergasted at the awesomeness of Fu’s company and the people there.
The famous Franklin Barbecue brisket (and turkey in the background)
I’m probably going to be smacked in the face by people who love this brisket, but my first thought when I took a bite of the brisket was…
*whispers* “It tastes like kong ba…”
Kong ba, which is hokkien for braised pork
Then I discovered that Fu also thought the same way!!! HAHAHA!
People who have access to kong ba don’t need to wait 4 hours in line for the brisket. Just buy a can for a dollar or two and enjoy! It’s almost the same! LOL.
Seriously though, how did we find the brisket?
It’s not bad, but we won’t be returning. For us, it’s not worth the crazy queues, and it’s waaay too greasy and fatty for our palates.
Look!!! For comparison, left at the bottom left is the little bit of the original paper that’s not soaked up in oil.
But people who love it, REALLY do love it.
If you’re in the area and so inclined, feel free to at least try it once! Franklin Barbecue’s website here.
If you’re not in the area, but still intrigued, open a can of kong ba :D
6 Comments
Hahaha I’ve read about this place!! Lol I can’t believe halfway across the world and 11 hours away, you queued for 4 hours to get Chinese canned food! But okay prolly fresher and less preservatives and definitely no melamine hahah. Fu’s new company really sounds awesome! What are you doing with your days when he’s at work? (Wandering about in various supermarkets? hehe)
LOL yeah. But everyone raved about it, so we can at least say we’ve tried it!
Oh, now that you reminded me… For several hours after having this brisket, I was really thirsty. Not sure if it has anything to do with the brisket. But usually I can survive a day drinking just one cup of water or less, but that day I downed glass after glass. Hmmm.
I’m shopping online! And planning our night and weekend trips! Haha. Where I’m staying is quite ulu leh. Without a car I can only go Whole Foods lol. Anyway the weather here is bloody hot. Went out today and felt like my skin was going to be burnt off!
Rofl! Buy some kong ba and let your friends try them. Open a store if they like it and dont tell them where you get your supplies? Hahaha.
I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT!!!
Create some hype and get everyone to queue in the sun for hours and pretend to be “sold out” after 3 hours everyday so people will keep coming back. LOL!
You’ll have to go to La Barbecue. The line’s _much_ shorter (rarely more than an hour on a weekend) and the food’s better (imo).
[…] I get the fuss about Franklin’s BBQ. The brisket here is not as tender. But on the upside, it is not half as greasy as […]