Franklin Barbecue debuted in December 2009 by husband and wife team, Aaron and Stacy Franklin out of a truck in an East Austin parking lot off Interstate 35. The then 30-year old Aaron, whose parents had owned a barbecue stand in his native Bryan, bought a pit from his former employer, John Mueller, a descendant of the legendary Mueller barbecue clan of Taylor and started smoking his own meat. By spring the press had caught on and the lines would snake around the block forcing the operation to a brick and mortar location, located at 900 East 11th Street, in March 2011. Lines form outside the door hours before the 11am opening, and the "sold out" sign usually goes up around 1pm.
In 2010, Bon Appetit hailed Franklin BBQ as the best in America. In 2011, Franklin's was named the best brisket at the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival. Franklin Barbecue has been featured on the Travel Channel television show, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. And Aaron Franklin has been a judge on the television reality competition, BBQ Pitmasters.
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