J Hasselberger
TVWBB Pro
With ten friends and neighbors we hosted a "FranklinFest" at our place last evening. We used the Franklin "Preorder" system and it works like buttah. We ordered a whole brisket, a whole turkey breast and a whole rack of pork ribs. It was well worth the effort. If you live within a few hours of Austin, or if you're traveling to the area with friends, it's an excellent alternative to standing in line for 3 hours or more. We live in Hill Country about an hour from Franklin, so it was a routine trip to Austin for us. None of us had eaten Franklin barbecue before, but we've eaten in just about every other local joint. Although we are all highly interested in sampling Franklin meats, we never felt the compulsion to wait so long in line.
The process goes like this: You choose your date at least 3 weeks in advance -- especially if you want to do a weekend day. You have to order at least 5 pound of meat -- which means at least $100. You chose a pickup time between 10:00a and 1:30p You can order your meats whole or sliced. You put down a $75 Non-Refundable deposit and you pay the balance by weight when you pick up. You have to take it away -- no on-site eating. When you arrive, you go around back to a small trailer that is set up just for Preorders. The pickup process is fast and efficient. Your meats are double-wrapped in butcher paper. Your order comes with Texas style sauce and Franklin's signature Espresso Sauce, pickles, onions, and Wonder Bread. Since we ordered whole hunks of meat, we were in and out in about 2 minutes. The brisket was 5.6 lbs., and both the turkey and ribs were 2.9 lbs. We were 6 couples and the tab worked out to $55 per couple.
They keep the meats at 140°, so bringing a cooler and additional insulation is highly recommended. We are Blue Apron subscribers and their goods ship in a nifty silver mylar bubble wrap, which is the perfect size for a brisket. We picked up at 11:00 and we weren't going to eat until 5:30 (some people still have jobs), so we got some advice from the Franklin staff about keeping it warm and juicy for the duration. That involved opening the wraps and slathering the meat with butter then sitting the wrapped meats on sheet pans in an oven at around 150°. It required a bit of on-off-on with the electric oven, but it worked out fine.
We started drinking a bit before 5:00 and when everyone arrived, the unveiling was highly anticipated. All the meats were a bit lighter in color than is shown in the photo. The brisket was dark, but not black. The turkey was a thing of beauty and the ribs were nice deep mahogany. The smell was intoxicating. It's not the "this place is on fire" deep smoke aroma that you might expect, but a pleasantly sweet wood-roasted, oaky smell without a hint of bitterness. Even the trash can smells good this morning. I sliced to order for everyone and all you could hear was gnashing, slurping and moaning for the next hour. Pretty much everyone had seconds.
All the meats had a great taste. The consensus was that the brisket was the best that any of us ever had (and we have all eaten our share of brisket). The turkey was up there with the best, but not a clear winner. In fact, most of us preferred the Salt Lick turkey. (Salt Lick brisket is pretty average, but the turkey and sausage are exceptional.) I thought the ribs were up there with the best, but not everyone agreed. All the ribs were consumed and we had maybe a pound-and-a-half of other meat left over. Lunch today.
The party went well into the night and it was a great way to spend an evening with barbecue pals. If you ever get the opportunity, it's well worth it.
Jeff
FranklinMeatsPic by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
The process goes like this: You choose your date at least 3 weeks in advance -- especially if you want to do a weekend day. You have to order at least 5 pound of meat -- which means at least $100. You chose a pickup time between 10:00a and 1:30p You can order your meats whole or sliced. You put down a $75 Non-Refundable deposit and you pay the balance by weight when you pick up. You have to take it away -- no on-site eating. When you arrive, you go around back to a small trailer that is set up just for Preorders. The pickup process is fast and efficient. Your meats are double-wrapped in butcher paper. Your order comes with Texas style sauce and Franklin's signature Espresso Sauce, pickles, onions, and Wonder Bread. Since we ordered whole hunks of meat, we were in and out in about 2 minutes. The brisket was 5.6 lbs., and both the turkey and ribs were 2.9 lbs. We were 6 couples and the tab worked out to $55 per couple.
They keep the meats at 140°, so bringing a cooler and additional insulation is highly recommended. We are Blue Apron subscribers and their goods ship in a nifty silver mylar bubble wrap, which is the perfect size for a brisket. We picked up at 11:00 and we weren't going to eat until 5:30 (some people still have jobs), so we got some advice from the Franklin staff about keeping it warm and juicy for the duration. That involved opening the wraps and slathering the meat with butter then sitting the wrapped meats on sheet pans in an oven at around 150°. It required a bit of on-off-on with the electric oven, but it worked out fine.
We started drinking a bit before 5:00 and when everyone arrived, the unveiling was highly anticipated. All the meats were a bit lighter in color than is shown in the photo. The brisket was dark, but not black. The turkey was a thing of beauty and the ribs were nice deep mahogany. The smell was intoxicating. It's not the "this place is on fire" deep smoke aroma that you might expect, but a pleasantly sweet wood-roasted, oaky smell without a hint of bitterness. Even the trash can smells good this morning. I sliced to order for everyone and all you could hear was gnashing, slurping and moaning for the next hour. Pretty much everyone had seconds.
All the meats had a great taste. The consensus was that the brisket was the best that any of us ever had (and we have all eaten our share of brisket). The turkey was up there with the best, but not a clear winner. In fact, most of us preferred the Salt Lick turkey. (Salt Lick brisket is pretty average, but the turkey and sausage are exceptional.) I thought the ribs were up there with the best, but not everyone agreed. All the ribs were consumed and we had maybe a pound-and-a-half of other meat left over. Lunch today.
The party went well into the night and it was a great way to spend an evening with barbecue pals. If you ever get the opportunity, it's well worth it.
Jeff
FranklinMeatsPic by Jeff Hasselberger, on Flickr
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