Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas

I never thought that I would ever be one of those crazy Apple fanbois that line up for hours outside of a store (it's just a phone, for crying out loud!). But that's effectively what I did this morning, even if it was for barbecue instead. Yup, I made sure to get to this place at 9 AM, braving the near-freezing temperatures outside while sitting in line for nearly two hours before they opened at 11 AM (900 East 11th Street, 653-1187).

What kind of madness possessed me to do such a thing? I admit that part of it was all of the buzz around the food. But the other thing was that I had a gap in my schedule today until my first meeting at 12 noon. And given what had I read about people having to line up for an hour or two before getting their food here, the only way I could make it to my meeting was if I got there early enough to be at nearly the front of the line and thus be able to eat at around 11 AM. I felt like such a nerd, but it was good that I did it; just 30-45 minutes after I got there, the line had already stretched out maybe close to 40 people deep!

So was it worth the wait? I had my doubts at first. Given the already great barbecue in the area, I wasn't sure how much different this place could really be. But it *was* different, particularly the brisket, which was so tender and rich that the only way I could describe it was that it was "creamy" (not exactly a word that one would use to describe meat, although I guess I came close to that when describing Kobe beef). The sausage was great too, and none of this needed any sauce at all - it was all about the meat itself.

Yes, I liked it better than Kreuz Market, which up until now was more or less my favorite. I'll line up for that again, but like an Apple fanboi, one should come prepared. That means planning bathroom breaks so that one doesn't lose a spot in line. That means coming prepared for the weather, which this morning felt like a 20 degree difference between the sun and the shade. That also means being able to stay productive while sitting on the concrete. Thankfully, I had mobile email going such that I was able to do exactly that while waiting.