OT.... Franklins

Focker · March 2017

Carolina Q said:

Focker said:

SmokingPiney said:

Carolina Q said:

Stand in line for four hours and they give you a piece of paper to eat off of? First class right there.

Will never happen anyway. No food is worth that wait. Auguste Escoffier could come back and I wouldn't stand in line that long. Even if they served it on fine china!

But, you'll miss the BBQ bucket list experience.......and that is what Franklin's has become.

He serves great food every day and he and his staff work their asses off making it. He has the market cachet, and he is making money hand over fist with a great product.........more power to Aaron Franklin.

Why do we not, as BBQ enthusiasts, applaud his success?

It is one thing to applaud success, completely another to applaud stupidity.

I would not stand in line for hours, on a butcher paper and cheap white bread sided meal, cooked over fire by Mallmann, APL, or Bayless.

Bucket list?
For brisket???
Come on. Lmao

@Focker, Brandon... maybe Mallmann. On his island.

You ever see the Mind of a Chef show on the island on some huge lake in the Andes? Awesome!

Yes I have, and posted it here when it first dropped.

I stand corrected bud. Mallmann would be worth it. Grand prix de l'art de la cuisine, with Focking potatoes!? I'd drink a jug, or two, of pinot with him.

The trout fishing, and infiernillo cook was on another level. Dude is a culinary artiest. Lol

JMCXL · March 2017

On my bucket list, some day I hope

DMW · March 2017

That looks awesome right there. I'm going to be in Plano in 3 weeks, need to try to plan my schedule so I can head over to BBQ Mecca.

ibanda · March 2017

GoooDawgs said:

Foghorn said:

lousubcap said:

If you are into brisket then at some point you should make the road-trip to Austin-not just for Franklin but the other top quality places as well. After the brisket over-load you will know the target for great results. It may remain elusive but at least you are aware.

This.

The meal was great.

Hanging out with other BBQ geeks in line was fun and worth doing by itself.

But most importantly, I got to spend some time with Benji, the general manager and tour the pits and pick his brain about how they cook their briskets and other items. And after eating the brisket I learned what I was shooting for. My brisket cooking improved significantly as the result of that day such that the day has paid large dividends.

@Foghorn perhaps you mentioned this in another thread, but what were those tips you got from Benji??
I'm still wondering how Franklin will say to not cook a brisket past 190 at Brisket Camp, but in his book say to take it to 203... is that just carry over you think?

I went to Camp Brisket in January and heard him say they are done when they are done, when they get tender. If you want to go by temperature though the most, common temperature he stated he had seen as "done" was 203. He hasn't changed from the book.

bgebrent · March 2017

I have trouble putting a finishing temp on brisket. Having done some choice , SRF black and SRF gold briskets, they're done when they're done and it's not IT dependent like most proteins. My first SRF gold was done in the 180's. When they probe like butter, they're done. There is serious variation. As @lousubcap says, the cow drives the cook.

newby84 · March 2017

If you don't want to stand in line but want to try it out there's also the option to order it in advance to go. I didn't know that was an option until my wives company did it, and I now have an order placed for pick up near the end of March.

YukonRon · March 2017

The last few primes I have done, all seem to have been 190F ish. Choice is all over the place for IT. I have had them done at 188F IT, 194F IT, 200F IT so, it is not temp dependent by any means for doneness. If anything, temp guidelines should be mentioned on when to start probing for doneness. I start checking around 190F IT.

Foghorn · March 2017

GoooDawgs said:

Foghorn said:

lousubcap said:

If you are into brisket then at some point you should make the road-trip to Austin-not just for Franklin but the other top quality places as well. After the brisket over-load you will know the target for great results. It may remain elusive but at least you are aware.

This.

The meal was great.

Hanging out with other BBQ geeks in line was fun and worth doing by itself.

But most importantly, I got to spend some time with Benji, the general manager and tour the pits and pick his brain about how they cook their briskets and other items. And after eating the brisket I learned what I was shooting for. My brisket cooking improved significantly as the result of that day such that the day has paid large dividends.

@Foghorn perhaps you mentioned this in another thread, but what were those tips you got from Benji??
I'm still wondering how Franklin will say to not cook a brisket past 190 at Brisket Camp, but in his book say to take it to 203... is that just carry over you think?

@GoooDawgs and @lousubcap (who PM'd me the same question),

I didn't learn any secrets that haven't been already shared on here or in Franklin's book (which wasn't out yet when I visited). I spoke to Benji for a while about airflow and about how Franklin said that if he were cooking on an egg he would put the fat down due to the rising airflow. I thought about the Harvard project to build the perfect brisket cooker and how it relates to an egg and about how most folks here recognize that the higher you are in the dome the hotter it is. So, I figured that if I can block the rising heat enough, I can cook in my egg with the fat side up - and the brisket in an environment where the top is exposed to higher temps than the bottom (not because fat side up is necessarily better, but because an environment where ambient temp is slightly higher on top and there is no really hot air hitting the brisket from below seems better). As a result I now use a very generous foil drip "pan" that blocks flow in essentially all areas that my platesetter doesn't - so that no hot air can rise directly to the brisket without having to take a detour around something. Since that time, I have cooked fat side up with great results. I also saw that they leave their brisket in butcher paper as they slice it and drag each slice through the brisket juice in the bottom of the paper as they put it on the plate. That's a big part of what keeps it moist for a while. This works even for slices that you have leftover in a ziplock. I used to keep leftover brisket unsliced to preserve moisture. If you coat each slice with brisket juice before you put it in the ziplock it's at least as good.

Like Franklin's book, Benji spoke in principles and not specifics. He wasn't intentionally vague or evasive, I just didn't (think to) press him.

I got the impression that the timing of some of the things they do is just because it fits in their workflow, not because trimming a brisket 24+ hours before you cook it is necessarily best.

Mostly, I solidified a bunch of thoughts I already had and became confident that I wasn't missing any big piece of the puzzle - and as a result I raised my brisket game to a level that many on here had already achieved. Prior to that on a scale of 1-10 my briskets typically ranged from 6-9 (I put Rudy's at a 7.5, Franklin's is a 10) - and I only achieved a 9 about 30-40% of the time. Since then, I've had some 10s and I'm slightly disappointed with a 9. I average a 9.5. That was also the point at which I bought a roll of butcher paper and started using it to wrap each brisket....

I hope that helps.

Thanks for asking.

lousubcap · March 2017

@Foghorn - thanks for the detailed comments above. Food for thought as there are so many variables with the brisket cook. Getting a few of them to become the norm definitely cuts down on the possibilities for self-induced errors. Enjoy the follow-on cooks.

Foghorn · March 2017

lousubcap said:

@Foghorn - thanks for the detailed comments above. Food for thought as there are so many variables with the brisket cook. Getting a few of them to become the norm definitely cuts down on the possibilities for self-induced errors. Enjoy the follow-on cooks.

@lousubcap,

Happy to help. I didn't figure that my input would help a brisket veteran like yourself or many others on here, but if it can help some others raise their game from a 7 to a 9 or more then it's good stuff.

Most importantly, I just wanted to point out that a visit to Franklin's isn't just about the food. For most situations I agree with @Focker and others - waiting 4 hours for a plate of food isn't worth doing. I mostly did it because my son wanted to - but I'm very glad I did and I will likely do it again.

cazzy · March 2017

Foghorn said:

GoooDawgs said:

Foghorn said:

lousubcap said:

If you are into brisket then at some point you should make the road-trip to Austin-not just for Franklin but the other top quality places as well. After the brisket over-load you will know the target for great results. It may remain elusive but at least you are aware.

This.

The meal was great.

Hanging out with other BBQ geeks in line was fun and worth doing by itself.

But most importantly, I got to spend some time with Benji, the general manager and tour the pits and pick his brain about how they cook their briskets and other items. And after eating the brisket I learned what I was shooting for. My brisket cooking improved significantly as the result of that day such that the day has paid large dividends.

@Foghorn perhaps you mentioned this in another thread, but what were those tips you got from Benji??
I'm still wondering how Franklin will say to not cook a brisket past 190 at Brisket Camp, but in his book say to take it to 203... is that just carry over you think?

I also saw that they leave their brisket in butcher paper as they slice it and drag each slice through the brisket juice in the bottom of the paper as they put it on the plate. That's a big part of what keeps it moist for a while. This works even for slices that you have leftover in a ziplock. I used to keep leftover brisket unsliced to preserve moisture. If you coat each slice with brisket juice before you put it in the ziplock it's at least as good.

I've been to Franklin BBQ a few times and I've never seen them do this. Even on videos, they slice, scoop it with a scraper and plop it on the scale. Maybe, this is something they do for the rare overcooked briskets. I don't think it's a bad technique to do at home, but there just isn't time in a business setting.

gmbbs · March 2017

Those who opine that they would never stand in line for four hours for anyone's brisket, or eat off paper, or claim they can do just as well at home just don't get it.

Why would anyone drive to see the Grand Canyon when they can just look at a postcard and see the same thing? Why would anyone climb Everest, when you're just going to have to come back down anyway?

I have plenty of Van Halen CDs, but sure wish I had been at the Anaheim stadium in 1978 when David Lee Roth parachuted in...just sayin'.

cazzy · March 2017

gmbbs said:

Those who opine that they would never stand in line for four hours for anyone's brisket, or eat off paper, or claim they can do just as well at home just don't get it.
Why would anyone drive to see the Grand Canyon when they can just look at a postcard and see the same thing? Why would anyone climb Everest, when you're just going to have to come back down anyway?
I have plenty of Van Halen CDs, but sure wish I had been at the Anaheim stadium in 1978 when David Lee Roth parachuted in...just sayin'.

Just ignore those negative fuddy-duddies!!

HofstraJet · March 2017

newby84 said:

If you don't want to stand in line but want to try it out there's also the option to order it in advance to go. I didn't know that was an option until my wives company did it, and I now have an order placed for pick up near the end of March.

5# minimum on the to go preorder. Surprised at the limited times and dates for pickup.

Saw something similar at Pecan Lodge in Dallas - regular line for food but an express line with no wait if you order at least 5#. Surprised more people in line didn't try to pool resources with others and order from the express line.

Acn · March 2017

newby84 said:

If you don't want to stand in line but want to try it out there's also the option to order it in advance to go. I didn't know that was an option until my wives company did it, and I now have an order placed for pick up near the end of March.

That's the only way I've ever had it. I was there for a meeting and the people hosting did a pre-order.

Focker · March 2017

gmbbs said:

Those who opine that they would never stand in line for four hours for anyone's brisket, or eat off paper, or claim they can do just as well at home just don't get it.
Why would anyone drive to see the Grand Canyon when they can just look at a postcard and see the same thing? Why would anyone climb Everest, when you're just going to have to come back down anyway?
I have plenty of Van Halen CDs, but sure wish I had been at the Anaheim stadium in 1978 when David Lee Roth parachuted in...just sayin'.

Oh I get it.
Quit brisket in 2013, haven't looked back at the inferior cut.

Comparing brisket to the Grand Canyon, and VH live in 78, and climbing Everest??? Lmfao, literally. The views in line of that run down neighborhood and peeps staring at concrete are breathtaking.

Y'all have fun standing in line for hours, and checking that off your exhilerating "bucket brisket list".

The anything but cheap bread/rolls is lame.
They could bake their own. Or better yet, fresh corn, flour tortillas would be a flavorful brisket platform, and cheap as well. All that money, for cheap a$$ horrible tasting bread on the side. Aayron could set up presses along the line, everyone could make their own while they wait.

This thread cracks me up.

Biggreenpharmacist · March 2017

Everybody likes different things but troll on.

FearlessTheEggNoob · March 2017

Funny, I've never read a post here about Myron Mixon's barbecue. ???

SmokingPiney · March 2017

Focker said:

SmokingPiney said:

Carolina Q said:

Stand in line for four hours and they give you a piece of paper to eat off of? First class right there.

Will never happen anyway. No food is worth that wait. Auguste Escoffier could come back and I wouldn't stand in line that long. Even if they served it on fine china!

But, you'll miss the BBQ bucket list experience.......and that is what Franklin's has become.

He serves great food every day and he and his staff work their asses off making it. He has the market cachet, and he is making money hand over fist with a great product.........more power to Aaron Franklin.

Why do we not, as BBQ enthusiasts, applaud his success?

It is one thing to applaud success, completely another to applaud stupidity.

I would not stand in line for hours, on a butcher paper and cheap white bread sided meal, cooked over fire by Mallmann, APL, or Bayless.

Bucket list?
For brisket???
Come on. Lmao

If standing in line at an old school Q joint that's internationally recognized as superb is not your thing, that's more than OK with me.

Franklin's has become a BBQ Mecca, and I'm sure that enough discerning BBQ experts have eaten there to keep Franklin's reputation intact.

I don't see it as "tourist trap cachet". That would have worn out a LONG time ago if the food was marginal.

Aaron Franklin is consistently delivering a superior product, and the lines speak to his reputation and product.

GoooDawgs · March 2017

Very cool @Foghorn! I'll try to have an oversized drip pan and do fat side up next time. I've been trying all my indirects on a raised grid since the gap between the PS and grid in the XL is pretty small. Thats giving me better air circulation already, so I look forward to trying your method as well.

Foghorn · March 2017

GoooDawgs said:

Very cool @Foghorn! I'll try to have an oversized drip pan and do fat side up next time. I've been trying all my indirects on a raised grid since the gap between the PS and grid in the XL is pretty small. Thats giving me better air circulation already, so I look forward to trying your method as well.

@GoooDawgs,

Give it a shot and see if it works for you.

Be aware that with that much stuff blocking airflow you may need to open your vents slightly more than usual to achieve your target temp.

OT.... Franklins

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